Duke wasn’t ready to drop this.
He glanced around and nodded to a camera in the corner of the bar. “Do you have security footage?”
“Yeah, but?—”
Duke leaned closer. “Listen, this is a matter of life or death. The person who sent that drink might be the same person who’s holding a woman against her will.”
The bartender stared at him another moment before finally nodding. “Give me a minute. I’ll see what we can pull up.”
Duke thanked him and returned to the table. He gave his team an update.
Mariella’s eyes widened. “So . . . this guy knows where we are.”
“And who to target,” Simmy added.
Duke looked at Andi. At the untouched drink. At the faint sheen of condensation sliding down the glass.
Realization settled in his mind.
He hated to say his next words, but they needed to be spoken. “This guy wants us to be involved. I just have no idea why.”
Andi followed Duke’s gaze across the restaurant.
A familiar cluster sat at a long table near the back—members of the tour crew midway through dinner, plates half-cleared, voices low now that the rush had passed. The sight grounded her for a split second.
“Let’s see if they saw anything,” she murmured.
They crossed the room together, weaving between tables and murmured conversations. A few of the crew looked up as they approached, expressions shifting from relaxed to curious.
“Hey.” Andi kept her tone light. “Quick question. Did any of you notice someone ordering a drink for our table earlier?”
A couple of people shook their heads.
“I was in the bathroom,” Jack, one of their bus drivers, said. “Didn’t see anything.”
“Sorry,” another added. “We were arguing about dessert.”
Jack straightened before frowning. “Actually—wait. When I left the bathroom, I did see a guy standing near the bar. He was wearing a dark jacket and a baseball cap.”
Andi’s pulse ticked faster. “What did he do?”
“Didn’t do much.” Jack shrugged. “Paid for a drink, waited a minute, then stepped outside. That was . . . maybe five minutes ago?” He looked between her and Duke, concern creeping in. “Everything okay?”
Andi forced a small smile. “Yeah. Just checking.”
Jack didn’t press. Instead, he nodded once.
“Thanks,” Duke said.
As they turned away, Andi glanced toward the entrance. The door swung shut behind a pair of laughing diners, the street beyond dark and indistinct.
Five minutes ago.
Whoever the man was, he’d wanted them to know he’d been there—but he hadn’t wanted to be discovered.
Andi fell into step beside Duke, the untouched drink still vivid in her mind, cold and deliberate.
This wasn’t random.
