“Mechanical engineering.” He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and took a step back.
“You seem to like science.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know that until meteorology school, but yeah. Once I find Evan, I plan to go back.”
Another reason for her not to get attached to Jeff. “So, why’d you leave to joinSteele?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a sideways glance. “I needed money to pay the PI. And Virginia is closer to North Carolina than Colorado is.”
“Makes sense.”
“I met Kurt at a job fair for veterans and it seemed like the perfect fit for my skills. Not to mention the good pay and flexible schedule.”
Kurt knew hiring contractors carried the risk that they wouldn’t stickaround long, but most of them did. He’d turned Steele into a close-knit team, and many of the guys he employed were looking to recapture that feeling from their time in the service. But as long as they did a good job, he didn’t begrudge them their motives. Tara was certain he wouldn’t fault Jeff for his.
“I’m glad you had that option,” she said.
She was glad it had brought him into her life.Except that his son was missing, of course. And the fact that they were nothing more than coworkers. She needed to keep both thoughts front and center.
“Me too.” Jeff jerked his head toward the front of the RV and strode forward, slipping into the driver’s seat. Tara followed, buckling in and tucking her phone into her purse. She needed a screen break.
Within minutes, they were on the outskirtsof Richmond, a blend of tall pines and leafless trees lining both sides the freeway, blocking the view of anything beyond in a blur of green and gray. The bright morning sunlight found a few cracks in her armor, seeping into her soul like a balm.
“So, who is this man with the tattoo?” Jeff asked, snapping her out of her momentary peace.
She pulled a face and let out a long breath. “Greg Luciano.”
Jeff straightened in his seat. “Should I know the name?”
“He’s a former lobbyist who recently announced he’s running for the Senate. If I paid more attention to that kind of thing, I might have recognized him sooner.”
Jeff rubbed his large hands along the steering wheel, his gaze on the road ahead. “A political campaign would give him a strong motive. Maybe Mars was blackmailing Luciano,and told him—or more likely one of his strongmen before they killed him—that you’d seen the photos. Luciano wouldn’t know for sure that you could identify him, but might feel like he couldn’t take the chance.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” At least they were on the same page where Greg was concerned.
Jeff looked at her. “Do you think he’d recognize you?”
“I seriously doubt it. For all thesame reasons I mentioned.”
“I guess it’s a moot point. Whether he knows you or not, you’re still a threat because you can describe the tattoo for the police.”
“I should probably talk to them.” Again. She couldn’t hold back a sigh. “Unfortunately, without the pictures, there’s no way to corroborate my story. Unless they find other images of him in the studio, or the girl comes forward, allthey have is my word that I even saw a photo, let alone that it was really him. Any decent lawyer would shred me in deposition.” Which Greg would know. But maybe he didn’t want anyone casting doubt. The opposition party—and the press—would surely jump on her statement, even without supporting evidence.
Jeff nodded. “Then maybe we need to get proof.”
