I reach her office and see Thad sitting in her chair with her in his lap, his hand resting on her belly. She’s due in August. My sister-in-law, River, just had my nephew, Justice, two weeks ago.
That thought makes me pause. I glance around the room.
“Was my brother here?” He shouldn’t have left his wife’s side. He’s been glued to her for months now.
“Yeah. I couldn’t get in to talk to you, so I called him.” Thad’s voice is gruff, edged with anger.
“I was working.” I defend myself, but honestly, I don’t want Thad to know how deep my obsession with his sister runs. I can’t let it slip that I saw her. That she was right there, and I let her slip through my fingers.
“Did Stormy ever wear glasses?” I ask.
“No. Never.” Thad’s voice is firm, and I watch Riddler shake her head.
“Nope,” Riddler answers.
“Hmm, okay. I thought I found her, but the girl has glasses on. I’ll keep searching.” I know it’s her though.
“Is there a reason she would be wearing glasses? Aren’t there special ones that interfere with facial recognition software?” Riddler asks in her mellow, soft voice.
I pause, thinking about that for a moment. It’s possible that’s what they were for, but I wasn’t running facial rec, and her face still looked different.
“Hermes wants to talk to you. Something about Cronus.” Thad’s words confirm my fears.
“Yeah, I figured. I’ll call him later. I’m heading back, going next door to the saloon to grab a steak sandwich since I missed the diner.”
I head out and walk toward the saloon, which is also on the property. The Devil’s Handmaiden’s Clubhouse sits off to the side. Both the clubhouse and the garage are behind a tall razor-wire fence. Outside the fence are two more businesses. The saloon and the diner that Riddler’s mom owns and runs.
Riddler’s family is one of the founding families of Ptarmigan Falls. The small community runs along the Elliott Highway and originally catered to truck drivers hauling to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. Only in the past few years has it become a mecca for motorcycle riders and clubs.
Riddler’s father converted the saloon into a biker bar in the hope she would come home. She had intended to eventually, but after he was murdered, she returned to take care of everything he left her.
Stormy grew up in Fairbanks, but I’ve heard she loved Ptarmigan Falls for its close-knit community. You have to be strong of mind and body, and even stronger than the elements, to live out here. In winter, the wind can blow through the hills and freeze your skin instantly. Summers can hit the 80s or higher, but that’s also fire season, when dry lightning can decimate entire areas.
When Klay and I decided to settle down here, we built a home where we could raise our families together. It’s a duplex but still has shared communal areas. I have my own office with an attached SCIF room. This sensitive compartmented information facility has reinforced walls and prevents unauthorized access, allowing me to do highly secretive intelligence work for my job.
I sit at the bar with a spiked coffee while waiting for my sandwich, then head across the street to lock myself in my office. Just as I’m closing the door, Hermes pushes it open and steps inside.
“We need to talk.”
“Figured.”
“Dial him up,” Hermes says, shutting the door behind him and engaging the lock.
I take my sandwich over to my desk that isn’t attached to my computer and set it down, then move to the computer desk and log back in. I dial Cronus, and his face appears on several of the screens.
“Hello.” He tilts his head down slightly, like he’s looking down at me even though he’s thousands of miles away, staring at me through the monitors on the wall.
“Let me guess, you have an assignment for me. I’m not done with this one.”
He takes a deep breath, his brows drawing together. “I’m not going to tell you to stop looking for her. I get it. You might not think I do, but I do.”
There’s a truthfulness in his tone, and I see the hurt in his eyes. He does know what I’m talking about.
“I need you in Chapelville to prep for an assignment. The whole team is being called up.”
I turn to look at Hermes, and he gives a small nod. I suspect he’s not happy about leaving. He’s been trying to get a date with one of the Devil’s Handmaidens, but Ginger hasn’t shown any interest in him. She doesn’t like me much either, mostly because I set my brother up to help him keep his cover back in Widow’s Creek. She saw another woman sit on his lap after he’d already married Jinx, though no one knew they were married, just that they were together. It was a ploy to throw his enemies off Jinx’s trail, but it backfired, and Ginger told Jinx that he’d moved on. Klay had to grovel to get her to give him a second chance. And of course, he threw me under the bus and told her it was all my idea.
I shift my attention back to Cronus. “I’m close. I think I found her. She was with another woman. If I can identify her, maybe I can figure out where they’re headed next.”
