Linc sipped his own drink and leaned back in his chair. “What’s going on?”
“FBI came to see me. Your friend Quinn Taggart. Turns out my buddies may have been killed because they fought in Afghanistan.”
Linc straightened. “How’s that?”
“Taggart seems to think the guy who shot them might be involved in the same terror cell that’s been plaguing half of Texas. Same group you and Beau each dealt with at one time or another.”
“I thought those guys were all either dead or locked up.”
“Apparently, one of them’s still on the loose.”
“What’s it got to do with you?”
“Pete Saldana and Coy Whitmore were both special ops, both deployed in the Middle East at the same time.”
“The same time as you?” Linc asked, already a step ahead.
“I was there then, too.”
Linc leaned forward, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. “So Quinn thinks this guy could be coming after soldiers who fought in Afghanistan?”
“It’s possible.”
Linc leaned back. “Well, after that story they wrote about you, half of Texas knows you were there, that you’re back home now, and where to find you.”
“Unfortunately.” The story hadn’t been his idea. One of the military higher-ups thought the book would be good military PR.
“You’ve talked to Cole and Noah? Told them to watch for this guy?” Linc asked.
He nodded. “They’re on alert. I’ll talk to Ty Murphy in the morning. The thing is, the guy could have already left the state. Even if he’s still in Texas, there are other guys he could target.”
“Don’t forget the book,” Linc said darkly.
“Hard to forget the damned book.” Josh took a drink, let the burn roll through him. “The good news is Taggart thinks they’ll have the guy in custody fairly soon.”
“Let’s damn well hope so. You need some extra men?”
“I called a couple of vets I know who work security in Pleasant Hill.” The next town over. “They’re going to keep an eye on the house and grounds at night.”
Linc leaned back in his chair, took a long drink of whiskey. Josh figured he was doing his best not to interfere.
“You hear from Taggart, you’ll let me know,” Linc said.
Josh nodded, took a drink, savored the taste of the expensive liquor. “There’s one more thing.”
Linc cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Tory’s ex-boyfriend hacked my identity. Created total havoc.”
Linc’s mouth tightened. “Send me a list of all your account numbers and I’ll have Glen Barker, our CPA, get with Beau’s computer whiz, Rob Michaels, see if they can pull things back together.”
“Thanks, but it’s already handled. I would have been up a creek without a paddle if it hadn’t been for Tory. She was amazing. She cleaned up the mess, but—”
“But you need to figure a way to stop this guy.”
“Yeah. Tory shouldn’t have to live this way.”
“And neither should you.”
