“So, you’re telling me that Franklin was back at Delia’s today at the same time Elena was there?” Camden asked.
From her usual place against the wall, Gina nodded. She bent down to scratch Fleur’s head. Along with Toby and a couple other dogs, Fleur was given free rein in the office. “Franklin came straight from the Bennetts house. Both Roger and Cici were home, so I don’t know which one he was visiting. Before yesterday, I would have assumed he was there on campaign business, but now I’m not so sure. I’m glad I decided to follow him instead of sticking with Cici. Lucky for me, he’d make a terrible agent. He never noticed I was there. But he made no secret of watching the room at Delia’s, and looked pretty upset when Elena walked out of the kitchen.”
“What the hell was she doing in the kitchen?” Lachlan asked, his anything-but-subtle stare piercing Camden.
“She’s friends with Delia. She and another mutual friend from B&P eat in there on the regular.” Camden turned his attention to Gina. “Did they speak?”
She shook her head. “They didn’t communicate directly unless you count the body language. Our girl did not look happy to see him.”
Lachlan took the cut-down pen out of his mouth. “He’s intimidating her?”
“Sure looked like it, Lach. When he stood up she looked ready to bolt.”
Camden fought back his desire to storm from the room and go straight to Elena’s office, throw her over his shoulder, and lock her away along with Tina, then stand guard until this all blew over. Or maybe just find Lawrence Franklin and beat the ever-loving shit out of him. Problem solved. Instead, he asked, “What happened after he stood?”
Gina turned to Camden. “Senator Higley showed up.”
“‘Solid as a Rock’ Higley’s been mentoring Roger,” Camden said. “But I wonder what Franklin wanted to meet with him about.”
“I couldn’t get close enough to hear. What did Elena tell you last night about her lunch with Cici and Franklin yesterday?”
Camden bit down on the insides of his cheeks before answering, remembering how he’d decided to use kid gloves with her. He was regretting that choice now. “Nothing that we don’t already know. Cici started to confide in her, talking about past regrets and bad decisions, when Franklin showed up and took over the conversation. I’m starting to think his interruption was intentional. He’s keeping Cici from revealing something from her past. Maybe he showed up today to make sure that if Elena does know something, she’ll think twice before talking.”
“But she doesn’t know anything, right?” Lachlan asked.
Camden didn’t like the look in his boss’s eyes. He’d seen that calculating gleam before, both on the job and on missions back when they did reconnaissance before storming a suspected stronghold. “She doesn’t.”
Lachlan rubbed his chin. “They have any plans to get together again?”
“Lach. I see where you’re going with this. But, with all due respect, I don’t want my woman going anywhere near this situation again.”
“She could be our shortcut in. Whatever Cici has on her mind, she’s willing to spill for Elena.”
Camden’s temper flared. “Did you not fucking hear me when I told you I don’t want her getting mixed up in this?”
“Camden,” Jake started.
Lachlan started to stand, when Gina put a hand on his forearm. “She’s a civilian, Lach.” Gina looked at Camden. “Camden reminded me of that.”
The big, gruff man spared Gina a glance as he sat back down.
Costello raised his hands, palms out. “If I may, of course we don’t want to put a civilian in danger, especially one who’s been put there before. But if Cici does contact Elena again, anything she tells her could be extremely helpful. And by the sound of it, Camden, Elena is already involved. You’re not protecting her by ignoring it, you’re creating a blind spot.”
Ignoring it. Blind spot. Of all the words to use, Costello couldn’t have picked four worse ones. The rest of the man’s words were lost in a dull roar filling Camden’s head. The drone of the aircraft carrying him back Stateside after the phone call from the sheriff.To make it worse, they were in his blind spotthe sheriff told him. The roar of his own voice at the news. And now the blood roaring in his ears at the unintentional reminder of his greatest failure.
“…could even bug her phone so she wouldn’t have to get near,” Costello finished and watched Camden expectantly. “Camden?”
“Brother,” Jake said when Camden didn’t reply. He laid a hand on Camden’s shoulder. “I know where your head’s at right now. Get it the hell away from there because that’s not going to help anything. Elena’s in the here and now.”
Camden blew out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.Pull your ever-loving shit together, Bains, for fuck’s sakehe chastised himself.Your boss is sitting right there and you’re fucking this up big time. “For being psychic, Costello, you sure couldn’t have said something worse.”
“Sorry, man.” Costello laced his hands behind his head, elbows out, and leaned back in his chair. “See? Told you, there’s no such thing as psychics.”
“Obviously. But, you’ve got a point about the blind spot.” It hurt even saying those words but he did it on purpose the same way he once poked at a cavity just to feel the deep ache—part of him couldn’t help it, and the other part used the pain to sharpen his attention. “If we bring Elena in, even on a temporary and limited basis—which I’m in favor of—I want to be her personal bodyguard.”
Lachlan started to speak, but Camden held his hand up. “Cici obviously knows Elena and I are dating. She’ll expect to see us together.” Something just at the edge of his awareness flickered and disappeared. He reached for the thought but it eluded him. “Lawrence Franklin probably knows, too. So nobody would be surprised if I spent the night at Elena’s place. Or better, if she and Tina came to mine. I could protect them overnight without suspicion.”
Lachlan had picked up his chewed-up pen and stuck it back in his mouth. Plastic clicked as his left-side molars clamped down. “I’m wondering if you’re too close to this to still be leading the team.”
