He shook his head, brought the phone to his ear, and listened for an answer. “Security,” the voice came.
“Yes, this is Mr. Brockton here with Ms. Vasco. We’re at exit 13 in the west lot.”
“We’re right here to let you in, sir. Please be prepared with your ID.”
Blayze tucked the phone back into his pockets and did a quick weapon check. “Come out my side, if you don’t mind.”
She didn’t argue, merely slid away from her door and toward his side as he opened it.
“I’ll park close by and keep an eye on the footage.” Roman nodded to his phone, which was linked into Sophia’s hidden camera. “As soon as she wraps it up, I’ll be right in this spot waiting.”
Blayze nodded. “Thanks, man.”
At the door they were greeted by two bulky men in suits. After checking their ID, one of the men escorted Sophia and Blayze down the corridor they’d walked through when they first arrived. They were very close to the dark entry at the end of the hall when someone shouted out.
“Ms. Vasco!”
Blayze kept his arm around Sophia, encouraging her to walk quicker. “Ignore them, please.”
“It’s just the interns,” she murmured.
Blayze saw that she was right. Jane, Frank and Matteo were easy enough to spot; the three seemed to be inseparable. Still, Blayze needed to block out any distractions. “Just walk,” he persisted.
“Can we get our picture with you after?” Jane hollered.
Sophia turned to holler over her shoulder. “Umm, might have to wait for another time.”
They followed the security guy into the smaller, darker corridor that led to the back-stage tech department where he’d first heard Sophia speak publicly.
“We’ll take you on stage now, Miss,” the gentleman said, but Blayze reached out an arm and nodded to the screen.
“Not until that woman’s done speaking. Ms. Vasco’s at risk, and I can’t have her out there longer than necessary.”
The man huffed, looked at Sophia for a blink, then leaned back against the wall.
““Let’s make sure the camera’s still working.” Blayze lifted the mouthpiece to his lips. “Roman, how’s the visibility?”
“Think I can see a row of monitors,” Roman said.
“We’re good then.” Just as he said it, Blayze noticed a buzz sounding from his phone. He tugged it from his back pocket and squinted as he checked the bright screen—a text from Zane. Just two words:
Call me
A wave of nausea barreled through his gut. In mere seconds he had to send Sophia onto that stage andnowhe gets new information?
Blayze shook his head, wishing the guy had just relayed the details through text. He glanced at Sophia. “I’m making a quick call. I’ll keep it short and let you know what’s new.”
Sophia’s eyes went wide and worried. She glanced at the speaker on the screen before turning back to him. “What if I have to go on?”
“Zane?”
“I’m starting to feel like your personal desk jockey here, you know?” Zane grumbled. “You better not forget that I was your commanding officer once.”
“Yeah, I know. What do you got?” Blayze held up a finger, hoping to buy a little time.
“I’ve got some new information that links us back to the dead guy.”
Blayze tilted his head. “Charles Locklear? What is it?” If what Blayze had was anywhere close tospidey-senses,they were tingling like crazy.
