I check my messages, noting the text from my man confirming they are here. “Come on. Your transport is outside.” I throw a fifty on the table and grab one of his bags while he grabs the other. The cat meows and snuggles into Ezra’s chest. I’m tempted to tell him my hotel is an animal-free zone, but the dude is terrified, and if the cat helps soothe his nerves, I’d be a prick to force him to leave him behind.
I step outside first, keeping Ezra behind me as I scout the area for anything suspicious, but it’s clear. I lift one shoulder, urging him to follow me to the Range Rover parked at the curb.
One of my men climbs out of the passenger seat and walks to the back of the car, opening the cargo area. From here we can see an armed man sitting in the back behind the driver.
“Don’t upload those photos anywhere, Drew,” Ezra says, placing his bag inside the car the same time I do. “Keep them in the cloud and personally show them to Daniels and Hunt.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he shuts me down before I have the chance.
“You need to know who these men are and what the threat is. You cannot do this alone. I know you didn’t want to involve your friends, but this changes things. Kennedy is ex-FBI. He might know who they are and what you’ve gotten tangled up in. You’re a smart man, Drew. Do the smart thing.”
* * *
I wait for Ezra to leave with my men before climbing behind the wheel of my SUV and pulling out my burner cell. I call Charlie on his and quickly fill him in.
“I don’t like this,” he says.
“You don’t have to come this weekend. I understand.”
He scoffs. “I’m still coming, but I think Ezra is right. Talk to Sawyer and Xavier. Let them decide if we need to pull Keven in. I worked from home today, but I can be in the city in an hour.”
“Stay put. I’m only ten minutes away, and I’ll dial you in when I get there.”
“This is the right move, Drew. They’ll be mad you concealed all this, but they won’t hesitate to help, and right now, I think we need all the help we can get.”
* * *
“I thought you were heading overseas on business today?” Hunt says as we walk from the reception area of HADK Cybersecurity Solutions Limited toward his office.
“My flight doesn’t leave until tonight, and something just came up.”
“I’m surprised you called.” He peers at me in that serious intense way of his. “We know you have Ezra Blackwood on retainer.”
Shock skitters through me as I walk into Hunt’s office.
“I think you’ve managed to shock the unshockable Andrew Manning,” his husband says over a chuckle.
Xavier Daniels and Keven Kennedy are seated at the round table to one side of Sawyer’s large office. The blinds are drawn, and Hunt shuts and locks the door behind us.
“How the fuck do you know that?” I ask when I finally pick my jaw up from the floor.
“There are rumors on the dark net,” Kennedy says, getting up and shaking my hand.
“What kind of rumors?”
“Relax, dude. It’s nothing to do with all the secrets you’re hoarding. His name came up on a recommendation board, and someone noted he had done work for you.” Xavier drags his hand through his messy blue, purple, and silver hair.
He stopped wearing it in a faux hawk years ago. I think he’s too busy feeding kids and hustling them out the door to the babysitter in the mornings to worry about styling his hair.
I jerk my head in acknowledgment at him. “No little Anderson today?”
“He’s taking Darcy to see Santa with Emery. We’ll update him later,” Hunt says, claiming the seat beside Kennedy.
I drop into the empty chair beside Xavier. “I need to call Charlie.”
Daniels and Hunt share a look. “Barron knows?” Hunt asks over a frown.
“I took Charlie into my confidence a few weeks ago.”
