Ah, man. This might be bad. Raider spotted Josh the Bear stepping out of the driver’s side, barely visible in the rainy night. He wore black slacks and shirt with his gun holstered at his side and in plain view.
Raider shouldn’t leave with them. They’d probably want to avoid blood splatter inside the building. Outside, not so much. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.” Hopefully Wolfe was listening in.
Eddie slid into the back of the car and moved over. “Come on, New York. Let’s just see if we can trust each other.”
Jonny P pressed the gun against Raider’s spine again. That was it. Raider took a step forward, pivoted, and yanked the gun away from the enforcer. “Stop doing that,” he snapped.
Jonny bunched his thin legs to attack.
“Stop,” Eddie said, partially leaning over. “Enough with this. Either you’re coming or not, Times. It’s up to you.”
Damn it. Raider tucked Jonny’s gun in his waistband and turned to enter the car. Hopefully Josh wouldn’t shoot him in the head and ruin the very nice leather upholstery.
Eddie smiled. “There you go. This is gonna be fun. The good stuff always happens after midnight, but you might want to get some shut-eye. We have about a five-hour drive ahead of us.”
Raider looked at the mob boss. “Where the hell are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Eddie put his head back on the seat rest and closed his eyes. “By the way, if you’re not who you say, I’m definitely going after the redhead. Can’t seem to get her out of my mind.”
The door slammed hard next to Raider, and he barely kept from jumping. This was nuts.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brigid managed another sleepless night with Roscoe heavy on her feet. The feeling of the dog lent a sense of safety she had been lacking. Finally, around four in the morning, she gave up. “Get up, puppy. We might as well go to work.”
Roscoe opened one eye, looked at her, and then shut it again.
She pulled her feet free and headed for the shower. “I get ready quickly. You have about fifteen more minutes to sleep, and then we’re going to work.” The meeting with the HDD agents hadn’t sat well with her, even though she’d only told them facts they could find out on their own. Where was Raider? Was he safe?
She prepared for a long day, donning comfortable jeans, boots, and a light green sweater that supposedly brought out the color of her eyes. Maybe Raider would return that day. Man, she hoped so. It was time she told him the truth about her agreement with the HDD. “Come on, Roscoe. You can use the grassy area right outside before we go.”
The drive to her office was punctuated by the dog snoring loudly in the back seat of Raider’s truck. He’d loaned it to her when he’d left town. Maybe she should buy herself a car at some point. Something fast and sporty. The roads were mainly empty at that early hour, so she arrived in record time and parked the vehicle. A very light rain was falling, and she huddled into her sweater.
Roscoe lifted up, looked outside at the darkness, and dropped back down.
She chuckled and jumped out, opening his door and giving his ear a tug. He sighed a long-suffering moan and then leaped to the ground, running full out for the entrance and sitting beneath the slight eave.
“It’s just a little rain,” she muttered, shaking her head and jogging across the lot to unlock the door. The dog shook his coat, spraying droplets over her light jeans. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he’d done it on purpose. She patted his head anyway, and then led the way to the elevator and down to their dark offices. She flipped the lights, and they started to buzz, making the room look yellow. “We need new lights.”
Once in her computer room, she finally relaxed and got to work. This was where she belonged—in front of a computer. What if Raider couldn’t get the USB port into the correct tower?
The main phone rang in case room one, and she jumped up, running to answer it. What if it was Raider? Her heart kicked into action. “Hello.”
“Um, hi. Is Wolfe around?”
Brigid bit her lip. “No. He’s not here yet.” She glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even five yet.
“This is Dana. I’ve been trying to get hold of him all night, and he’s not answering his cell. Is everything all right?” The woman cleared her throat. “I’m a friend of Wolfe’s. He probably hasn’t mentioned me.”
“Sure he has.” Curiosity filtered through Brigid. Man, she’d love to meet the mysterious reporter. “Wolfe is on a mission but will probably be back soon. This is Brigid. I’m the computer gal. He probably hasn’t mentioned me.” She chuckled at repeating the phrase. Wolfe didn’t talk much.
“Oh, hi. He has mentioned you. Pretty redhead—cross between an Irish rose and a farmer’s daughter.”
Well. That was kinda nice. Brigid smiled, her heart warming. Wolfe was a good friend. “Can I help you with anything?”
Dana was quiet for a moment. “He asked me to reach out to contacts in Seattle, and I did so. I have an update.”
Brigid perked up. “The senator?”
