The answer was no.
I definitely wasn’t ready to attempt to scale the building.
I wasn’t that crazy. Not yet, anyway.
Besides, it was still light out, and the area was quiet but not deserted. The last thing I needed was for the cops to show up and arrest me for whatever crime fit the harebrained scheme I had wisely scrapped almost as soon as it crossed my mind.
“Maybe we should watch from across the street,” Wyatt suggested as I continued to stare at the warehouse.
I agreed with that plan. At least from that position we could duck behind the row of parked cars if Hoffman made a sudden reappearance. We waited for a van to pass, and then we darted across the street and leaned against the wall of another warehouse.
“I don’t suppose you have infrared binoculars,” I said, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. As soon as my fingers touched the box of Milk Duds, my mouth watered.
“Damn. I left them in my car with all the rest of my spy gear.”
“Ha ha.” I rolled my eyes and tore open the box.
“I said I had a background in security, not that I’m 007.”
I poured a couple of Milk Duds into my palm. “I just thought—”
“That I must have every tool and toy under the sun?” Wyattshifted and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I guess the fact that we met at the country club kind of gave it away.”
“That you’ve got money?” I asked. When he nodded, I added, “If it hadn’t, the car would have.”
One corner of his mouth turned up in a short-lived grin. “I do love my car.”
I offered him the box of candy. “What about the country club?”
“Not so much.” He poured a few Milk Duds into his hand. “The amenities are great. The company is hit-or-miss.”
We fell silent, enjoying our chewy, chocolate-coated caramels while watching the warehouse across the street. His answer intrigued me and left me with the feeling that he was more than just some hot rich guy. Maybe I’d sensed that all along.
I glanced his way as I finished the last of my Milk Duds. I flattened the empty box and shoved it into the pocket of my hoodie.
“I have been avoiding you lately,” I confessed, suddenly feeling the need to offer up at least a bit of honesty. “Somewhat, anyway. There’s a lot going on in my head.”
“So it’s nothing to do with me, specifically?”
I tried to figure out how to answer that. “You confuse me. I like you, but I’m wary. I don’t want to get burned, even as friends, but I really don’t know you, so how can I trust you?”
Wyatt stayed silent while we watched the building across the street. Nobody came in or out. Nobody even walked by. Now that daylight had begun to fade, due in part to the darkening clouds overhead, I detected a glow of light emanating from the high, bar-covered windows. But as for what was happening inside the building, we remained clueless.
I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to stay warm. I should have brought a jacket, especially since the clouds looked ready to open up and pour rain down upon us. At least they were holding off for the moment, but I didn’t trust my luck to continue for long.
As Wyatt’s silence stretched on, I couldn’t help but fidget. Maybe I’d offered up too much honesty too soon. Even though Iknew I’d likely be better off if I scared him out of my life, I didn’t actually want to run him off.
I’d never claimed to be sensible.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wyatt take out his wallet and remove something.
My gaze flicked down when he held a plastic card out to me.
His driver’s license.
I opened my hand, and he placed the license on my palm.
The name on it wasn’t new to me, thanks to Theo’s revelation, but the card still felt weighty in my hand. It was the importance of the gesture that gave it that heft. It had taken him a while, but he’d shared his identity of his own accord.
