Her eyes flashed to his. “Tabby.”
Jason just smiled.
He hated it. Hated that Kate was putting herself in danger. But now he understood. Should have figured it out in the first place. Kate was who she was—the woman he had fallen for at the Sagebrush Saloon. She craved challenge and adventure, same as he did. And she wanted to make a difference. Her thirst for life was one of the things he loved about her.
It was Saturday. They met with Tabby at her house later that morning.
“You’re going to have to do some legwork,” Tabby said as she finished a Monster energy drink. “It’ll be after hours. The computer will probably be turned off, so you’ll need to turn it on. If you wear an earbud, I can help you get in and get us hooked up.”
“That’d be great, Tabby.”
“It’ll take too long to remotely download everything that’s on the hard drive, so you’ll have to look at the files, pick what you want. We’ll work together, get it done as fast as we can, then you can shut the computer back down and get out of there.”
“Okay, that sounds good,” Kate said.
Jase wasn’t so sure. One thing he’d learned—nothing ever went the way you planned.
“If it works, it’ll be great for the feds,” he said. “Not so great for you. Unless you want to end up testifying—which would make you a walking target—you need to cut some kind of deal before you turn over the evidence. The FBI gets the files, but you’re out of it.”
She looked at him with so much admiration he felt a fresh tug of love for her. Kate was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He’d been a fool to ever let her go.
The week slid past. Kate continued working at Briton. After hours, they continued to smooth out their plans. The inner office door was kept locked after closing, Kate had discovered, so Jase bought her a set of lock picks. He gave her lessons on how to use them, then badgered her relentlessly until she was good enough to satisfy his demanding standards.
Victor Markum had been helpful all week, making introductions, giving her whatever information she asked for—within reason. He was an attractive man in his fifties with a toned, athletic build. Smooth, she would call him.
Unfortunately, he was a little too attentive. She had a feeling he was going to expect something from her in repayment for getting her the job. So far she had been able to dodge his attentions without offending him.
She had also met Arthur Wiedel, slightly older than Victor, black hair and harsh features. “Aggressive, hard-edged and unforgiving,” his employees said behind his back. Wiedel ran the company with an iron hand. Kate had no trouble believing he could be involved in criminal activities, even murder.
His partner, Maximillian Schram, a man in his early seventies, was the top money man. He had started the business and run it for years before turning it over to Wiedel, who had brought in Victor Markum.
She was learning a lot about the company, enough to write a credible report. By Thursday, everything was set. The only fly in the ointment came when Jason insisted on being inside the building while she completed the job.
“How are you going to get in?” she asked, not happy he didn’t trust her to do it alone.
“Walk in. It’s a real estate company. There’s a residential sales office on the bottom floor, a commercial division on the second floor. Lots of people in and out.”
“You went into the building to check it out?”
He shook his head. “Tabby emailed me a set of plans. I’ve already found a place I can stay out of sight while I wait for you. You can text me when you’re finished. You don’t text, I’ll know you’re in trouble.”
“I don’t like it. You’re not exactly the kind of guy who blends into the wallpaper. People will notice you.”
“Doesn’t matter. No way I’m letting you go in there without backup. If things go sideways, you’re going to need some help. You worked with me as a PI. You know how important that is.”
She thought of Bran and Reese, Jax Ryker and Detective Castillo, people who had helped them. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
He leaned over and kissed her. The pact was sealed. They’d bring it home together.
Friday night arrived. Jase dressed in a navy three-piece, pin-striped suit with a red power tie, a successful real estate broker there to make a deal. He drove the Yukon and parked in the lot across the street at fifteen minutes before closing.
Realtors were in and out of the sales offices at all hours, though on Friday people tended to take off early for the weekend, the reason Kate had chosen that time.
Jase passed a few people leaving as he walked into the lobby, took the stairs instead of the elevator up to the third floor without encountering anyone else. He managed to use up enough time that the offices were officially closed by the time he reached his destination. A few people were still working, but they were concentrating on their tasks, eager to finish and leave.
At the end of the hall, he checked the glass window in the mail room door, found the room empty, went into the package room at the back and settled in to wait.
As he checked his watch for the hundredth time, he thought of Kate and said a sinner’s prayer that she would be all right.
