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Lucas flipped over the paper they’d been looking at. It was a picture of Black Jacket Guy.
My leg started to twitch. “That’s the guy who ran me off the road.” Now I had a name to go with my fear, a name I’d never forget.Tony Spinelli.
Winston looked my way. “I checked with the Bureau, and he’s been close to making their ten-most-wanted list for a kidnapping in Georgia that they think was one of many. The woman got away and told a story of multiple other women being held for human trafficking. Word is his brother, Johnson, runs that business. But he’s slippery, and they’ve never nailed down a case against him.”
I hated to admit it, but their scare tactics were working. I gritted my teeth to make the most difficult decision of my life. Then Duke’s advice came back to me. “If I start running, it will never end,” I told them. “If you need to hire additional people, do it.”
Lucas looked around the table. “Okay, people, it’s all hands on deck for now.”
Nods followed. I relaxed.
“You got that, Jordy?” he asked.
“Got it, Lucas.” Jordy’s voice came from the phone sitting face up on the granite. So, the group had been complete. Jordy was here all along.
I squeezed into the space between Constance and Terry. “What does this mean?”
Terry chuckled. “It means Constance is the only one getting a full night’s sleep.”
“Duke, Terry, and Winston will split the night-time guard duty,” Lucas explained. “Constance stays in the building while you work.”
“I want that post,” Winston complained.
Constance stuck out her tongue. “You should’ve stayed a consultant.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “And Duke is on standby while you work, to handle any off-the-premises time.”
Duke wore something less than his bite-a-lemon face, but he clearly wasn’t happy. He raised a hand. “I know you’ve been talking to Singleton and March. They’re good guys, and they’d fill out the team nicely.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Lucas nodded. “I’ll see if they’re available and ready for trial by fire.”
“A frogman is always ready,” Duke answered.
It reminded me of his tattoo about always getting back up.
When he met my eyes, it was still with that sour face.
After a moment, I left the group and went upstairs to wait for the Chinese takeout they’d ordered. They continued talking about camera coverage and other things I didn’t understand.
Half an hour later,a knock sounded at my bedroom door.
“Come in.”
It was Duke carrying a tray. “I made a plate for you. Not sure what you like, so I’ve got a little of everything.” He shut the door behind him.
“Thank you.”
The tray had two plates. “That’s more than I can eat.”
He smiled. “I thought I’d eat with you.”
For a moment, I thought I’d heard him say he wanted to eat me. That’s how out of control my hormones were. Scooting back against the headboard, I smiled for the first time tonight. “I’d like that.”
He sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed and placed the tray between us. “We should talk about us.”
My chest seized. I’d never seen a movie where a conversation that started with those words ended well.
Duke
