“Tell Stealth to loosen up a bit,” Mitch added.
“Will do.” Josh laughed then took on a serious expression. “What are you going to tell Liz?”
He’d have to tell her the truth. Sharing his logic would be fine. Telling her none of them might make it out alive was entirely different. “I’ll tell her she’s the bull’s-eye they’re after, but we four agents will take the bullet for her if need be.”
“Sounds right.” Reese placed his hands behind his head and looked upward.
Josh nodded. “You know she’s damn pissed at you right now?”
“Yeah. Well, we all knew that would happen sooner or later. If the client isn’t already in captivity, they feel like they are once they’re under our protection. What’s wrong with us? Nobody in their right mind would take on the jobs we do.”
Reese huffed. “You got to admit, though, it’s better than”—he huffed again—“there must be some job it’s better than.”
Mitch always did his job, got paid, and did it again. Same routine every month for the past seven years. This time was different. This was the first time he’d felt any personal investment in a case.
Hell, his gut was twisted tighter than an overwound mantel clock. One difference—a clock could be unwound, slow and easy. Him? He’d just keep winding till the spring broke.
He jerked at the ringing of his landline phone. Only his leasing agent had that number, and that’s exactly who caller ID said was calling. He glanced at the clock on the computer screen—twenty-three hundred hours. Odd time for a call.
Motioning the two men to be quiet, he pushed the receive button. “You’re working late, Mrs. Woods.”
“I hate to bother you at this time of night, but you’ve always said I should let you know if anyone contacts me to lease your house. Well…” The lady sounded a bit unsure of herself. “…what with you being on-site, I thought it best to call.”
Mitch changed to speakerphone and motioned for the other two men to listen quietly.
“You said someone inquired about leasing my house,” Mitch asked.
“Kind of.”
“When?”
“Earlier today, my agency held its weekly meeting. One of the items mentioned was someone looking for a house to rent. I could have sworn they were describing your property when they talked about needing an enclosed pool, Gulf view, and in-house top-rate security system as being a necessity. Struck me as odd.” She coughed, apologized, and took a drink of water. “I didn’t share my thoughts with anyone. Didn’t call the inquiring person back, either. Like I said, seemed odd someone might be inquiring on your house, since it’s not listed online.”
His mind scrambled to find a rational explanation. “Do you think it might be one of the charities I’ve allowed to use the property before?”
“My thoughts, too. That’s why I waited to contact you. But about fifteen minutes ago, someone called my cell phone.” Her tone held a quiver of anxiety. “Described the same info on what they were looking for. Even mentioned that it belonged to Mitch Granger.”
His chest tightened. His name was nowhere on his property paperwork. Very few even knew of the house. He shook his head at Reese and Josh then motioned Josh to do a phone check on the leasing agent’s phone. Reese began clicking keys on his communication device also.
Mrs. Woods paused as if waiting for a reaction. “Before I called you, I spoke with a few agents I know around Florida. They’d gotten the same call.”
“Where are these other agents located?” Mitch had a really bad feeling, but depending on her answer, it was concerning or all-out code red danger.
“A couple locals. The others are located anywhere from Daytona Beach to the Keys and points west all the way to Galveston, Texas.” Mrs. Woods cleared her throat. “Same words. Same voice. Same willingness to pay any amount.”
“What did you tell them?” Mitch asked.
“Told them I had no property in that name. They hung up.” Mrs. Woods blew out a sigh.
“That’s good. Thank—”
“They…they called back. Different number…same voice.” Mrs. Woods cleared her throat, swallowed loud enough to be heard. “Said they were looking for the Granger property. Wanted to lease it for a reunion. Said you both had a mutual friend who had told him about it.”
Mitch stood. “Who?”
Josh and Reese were working their ends yet listening intently about the message.
“Didn’t say for sure, but left a message. I wrote it down,” she said. “They even had me repeat the message. Oops, I dropped the paper…wait…while I get it off the floor.”
