A moment of silence clouded them in honor of the soldiers who didn’t survive the assault.
“Any questions?” Banner asked.
“I guess I do have one. I’m curious why Langley let Drake go. I’m not complaining, because here I am and the money’s good, but I had met him before and he seemed like an upstanding guy. I guess I’m just wondering if there’s anything I need to be aware of.” What Egan couldn’t tell his buddy was that he’d tried to speak to Drake, but he’d disappeared from Wyoming and couldn’t be tracked. The man above anyone probably had the goods on Langley’s business deals.
Banner swiped a hand down his smooth jaw and gave a subtle glance to make sure they were still alone. He jerked his chin. “Let’s walk.”
Banner was a good guy, but Egan had to be careful who he spoke to and trusted.
“Sure.” Egan hoped Banner wasn’t involved in any criminal misdeeds. Langley paid his security team extravagantly, nothing like they’d be paid at the bureau or Special Forces. Sometimes higher pay, outside of normal, was incentive to stay quiet.
“He was suspected of leaking some information about Langley’s campaign to his opponent and was fired.”
“You mean Downing? Was this before the attempted kidnapping?”
Banner nodded. “Rumor has it that Drake was paid for details.”
“Interesting. If the kidnapping would have played out, Langley would have had an easy path into office.”
“Some say he already has one foot in,” Banner said with a grin.
“So tell me more. Drake disappeared?”
“Hell, I don’t know about all that shit. He was here one day and gone the next. I thought he was on the up and up, at least I never saw any suspicious behavior from him. If you ask me, I think they’ve all been a bit crazy lately. Langley included.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been spending all his time here, like he’s hiding. Damn, sure, it’s a paradise but he’s been having all his meetings here too. All those snotty supporters swarming like flies on shit. And then there are the other guests.”
“Other guests?”
“I’m not one to spread rumors, but I’ve seen it for myself. He likes bringing in his weekend entertainment if you know what I mean, so maybe the stress of the campaign requires him to play more and I’m not talking golf.” Banner wagged his brows. “Anyway, you’re new blood. I guess bringing you in is his way of ensuring we’re all walking the tight rope. He talks a lot about trust.” He chuckled but it was raw.
“You know I wouldn’t waste my time as a babysitter.” They came to a location by a hedge of bushes along the south side of the property and stopped. The elaborate flower gardens separated them from the house. “How well did you know Drake?”
With a shrug, Banner sniffed. “About as well I know the other men. We worked together for a few years. He was a private man, kept to himself, but that’s nothing odd. Seemed loyal to Langley.”
“Did you trust him?”
“Yeah, I did. He was a good guy.”
Egan stretched his gaze over the quiet property and pushed off the unsettling feeling in his gut. Maybe the sour feeling roiling in his stomach was from the spicy breakfast burrito he wolfed down that morning. “Is Langley normally late?”
“Yeah.” Banner laughed. “You said you didn’t come on as a babysitter? Well, this job sort of feels like we’re chasing a rampaging toddler while trying to keep track of him. If you ever get on tour duty, you’ll see what I mean. Langley loves to rub elbows with everyone. Likes his picture taken and sharing his autograph. Hard to keep a man safe like that.”
Was there an underlying meaning to his friend’s statement? Carefully, Egan pressed the issue. “With everyone?”
Banner blew out a breath, relaxing his shoulders some. “I like this job, man. It’s a cakewalk. You’ll like it too if you learn that Langley is a politician and even a bigger businessman.”
Not wanting to make Banner suspicious, he stopped the questioning. Maybe later they could have another conversation over a beer. “I’m glad we can work together again.” They shook hands and the men headed off in opposite directions.
As Egan strolled through the massive flower garden his thoughts branched off to Novah and he gritted his teeth against the sudden bittersweet ache in his chest. Although he shouldn’t wonder where she was at the resort, he couldn’t help but ponder where she’d taken herself off to. That morning he’d received a list of the guests and her name was there.
Frankly, it was never good to have someone close, especially an ex, around him when he was expected to stay focused. Although this was nothing more than a simple probe, for now, he didn’t want to blur the lines between personal and professional boundaries—just like she’d said. He’d always felt the role of protector when it came to Novah. She was the mother of his child and as fucked up as it was, he probably did still care for her—probably a lot more than he wanted to admit. No refuting the fact that he had a strong urge to drag her over his lap and swat her bottom, but he’d enjoy the act way too much.
Feeling a tightening in his groin, he inhaled sharply. This wasn’t good, but damn if he could help his misbehaving thoughts. They hadn’t always had a smooth marriage, but what they lacked in marital bliss they more than made up for between the sheets. Novah
