Not Burke.
Not a man at all.
A young woman with long sandy blonde hair and a desert tan.
She worked her way up until she could bend over the edge at the waist. That was when she saw Orlando.
With a yell of surprise, she dropped back down onto the patio.
Orlando beat Quinn over the top by half a second, and grabbed the girl’s arm just before she ran back into the house. The girl tried to break free, then started to yell.
“Leave me alone, you bitch! I know what you-”
“I think you need to relax,” Quinn said, coming up fast on her other side, flashing his gun.
The sight of the weapon had the desired effect. The girl’s jaw went slack as her eyes widened in fear.
“Anyone else here?” he whispered.
She continued to stare at the weapon.
“Hey,” Quinn said. “Is anyone else inside?”
She blinked, and shook her head.
“Then why don’t we go in where it’s cooler?” he suggested.
As he stepped toward her, she moved backward into the house. Once inside, Orlando closed the glass door and repositioned the curtain so no one could see in. “I’ll do a check.” She headed for the stairs.
The doorbell rang again.
“Have a seat,” Quinn told the girl.
Not taking her eyes off him, she backed all the way to a black leather couch, and sat down.
“Stay right there, and everything will be fine. Okay?”
She nodded.
Quinn went over and opened the front door.
“Success, I see,” Kim said.
“Appreciate the help.” He glanced back to make sure the girl hadn’t moved.
“You need me for anything else?”
“Nope. We’ve got it now. Thank you. If you want to wait, we can give you a ride back to your car.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just do what you have to do. I can get back on my own. And Quinn, keep in touch. It’s been a while since we’ve worked together.”
After they shook hands, Quinn closed the door and headed back to the living room.
“Second floor’s clear,” Orlando said, descending the stairs.
When she reached the bottom, she headed off to check the rest of the ground floor, but Quinn knew she wouldn’t find anyone. The girl had been too scared to lie about being alone. Wherever Burke was, it wasn’t here.
“What’s your name?” Quinn asked, lowering himself into the matching leather chair next to the couch.
Her jaw moved a few times as a few incoherent syllables stumbled out of her mouth.
“Take a breath. It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Come on, like this. In,” he said, breathing in deeply. “And out.” He pushed the air back out again. “Your turn. In.” Her intake was not quite as smooth as his. “And out.” The air moved out of her lungs in a mad rush. “Again, slower this time.” She tried again, her breathing better. After the third time, she was almost back in control. “Better?”
A hesitant nod.
“Good. What’s your name?”
“Ellie,” she said, a tremor in her voice.
“All right, Ellie. I just want to ask you a few questions. Nothing’s going to happen to you. I promise.”
Her gaze flicked to his gun, then back to his face.
“Here,” he said. He tucked the gun between his leg and the arm of the chair, where it was out of sight, but retrievable in a hurry if the need arose. “Better?”
She chewed on her lower lip, and nodded once.
“All clear,” Orlando said, walking back into the room.
Ellie jumped at the sound.
“Don’t worry,” Quinn said. “My friend’s not going to hurt you, either.”
“How about some water?” Orlando suggested as she headed toward the kitchen. “I’m going to have some.”
“Um, yeah. Okay,” Ellie said. “There are, um, cold bottles in the refrigerator. In the door.”
“I’ll take one, too,” Quinn said.
Quinn waited until Orlando returned. Once they had all taken drinks, he said, “Ellie, do you live here?”
“Uh-huh,” the girl said. “Well, I mean, I have my own place, but I’m here a lot. When Doug’s home, anyway.”
“Doug Burke?”
“Yes.”
“He owns this place?”
“Uh-huh.”
“So where’s Doug now?”
She looked frightened again. “I’m not sure. He said he was going to the store, but that was like two hours ago. I thought he’d be back by now.”
Quinn tried hard to keep the disappointment from showing on his face. He had a bad feeling the man wouldn’t be coming back at all.
“Was Doug upset about anything?” he asked.
“He’s been a little keyed up since he got back, if that’s what you mean.”
“And when was that?”
“Yesterday. Hey, if you’re looking for him, I’m sure he’ll be back any minute. But whatever you think he’s done, you’re wrong. Doug’s not like that.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Like someone you’d have to point a gun at.” She glanced at where he’d hidden the pistol. “He works for the United Nations. UNI-something. You know. The group that works with kids? He travels around all the time, doing what he can to help them. He’s a good guy.”
Everyone in Quinn’s world had his or her own cover story. His was international banking. It seemed, though, that Burke had chosen something that would not only explain his absences, but also make him look like a hero at home. Quinn knew Orlando must be seething inside. Unlike Burke, she actually did a lot of work for those in need on her own time.
“I have a question,” Orlando said, her voice remarkably calm.
Ellie looked over.
“I noticed the suitcases upstairs. Are you going on a trip?”
The girl’s demeanor turned noticeably icy as she answered. “In the morning. We’re flying to Australia for two weeks.”
“That sounds like fun. Sydney?”
She nodded.
Quinn picked up a picture from the end table. It was Ellie and a man he assumed was Burke on a deep-sea fishing boat. Both were smiling. “Another trip?”
“Cabo,” she said. “A few months ago.”
He set the photo back down. “What kind of car does Doug drive?”
“Mustang. One of those new ones.”
“Color?”
“Silver gray.”
CHAPTER 16
