I stare down into the dark depths of Ryan’s drawer and sneer. Not because of her playfulness, and not because I’m concerned about the size of my cock. No. It’s because the drawer is filled to the fucking brim with USB sticks. Dozens and dozens of them, all labeled with a four-digit number meant to piss me off.
That motherfuckerknewsomeone would come looking someday, and to make the search a million times more difficult, he thought he’d throw in a hundred red herrings.
Well played, Nichols. Well played.
“Linc?”
“Yeah.” I push up straight, but only so I can stare down at my newest problem and consider a way to fix it. “Remind me again how we got here? From talking about grief, to a date, to how small my cock is? I’m kinda dizzy from how fast you tossed us over here.”
She snorts, oblivious to my whereabouts. My fucking betrayal. “It’s a gift, I think. But since your feelings got hurt, I’m willing to change the topic. What are you up to today?”
“Uh…” I glance across the room and stop on the door. “Just hanging around the house.”
“What do you think you’ll do now you’re retired from themilitary?” She sips her drink, so the gentle slurp rolls into my ear. “Home will get boring pretty quickly. You could become a civilian mechanic. I figured that was always going to be Ry’s plan once he was done.”
“I have experience in private investigative work.”Finally, not a lie.“I’ll probably lean that way once things settle down here.”
“Private investigation? That’s?—”
“I have to let you go, though.” Frustrated, I run a hand through my hair. “Enjoy your lunch. I’ll swing by the bank before the close of business.”
“Oh, well…” Stunned, her easy tone makes way for something a little more formal. “Sure. Of course. I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time.”
“I don’t mind, I promise. But I’m in the middle of something, and if I don’t get back to it, I’ll run out of time. I’ll see you soon, though, okay? And I’ll even let you take an hour after work to come home and do the female beautifying rituals you insist on.”
“Generous.” The formality in her tone eases a little. “I plan to sit in the sun for the next half an hour while the mosquitoes sleep, and enjoy the fresh air and the rest of my sandwich. Don’t forget your ID and social security documents.”
“I won’t. Bye, Nova.”
She sighs. Happily. Sadly. I’m not sure. But her breathy exhale hits me almost like she’s right here beside me.
“Bye, Lincoln.”
Dragging my bottom lip between my teeth and dropping my hand, I turn to my phone to make sure the call is dead. Then, scrolling through my contacts, I find Aster and call him instead.
“Yeah?” he answers almost immediately. “Update?”
“I’m in her house,” I grit out. “I found his watch, some notebooks, and a drawer full of USB sticks.”
“A drawer full? Literally?”
“Yeah. I’ll grab a picture and send it over. I’m not sure what you want me to do. My gut says they’re a distraction and a waste of our time, all so we don’t find the actual key.”
“And the watch?”
I slide my free hand into my pocket and swipe my thumb along the glass face. “Looks sentimental to me. If I take it and it’s not what we’re looking for, we risk her noticing. If that happens, we might lose access to the home. It’s your choice, Aster. Your risk. If I take it, and we’re wrong, the entire mission might be a bust.”
“Send it to me overnight.” He puffs on a cigar and coughs the smoke out again. “I’ll have it by the morning. I’ll look it over and send it back when I’m done, which means it’ll be gone for about forty-eight hours.”
“At which point, I need access to the houseagainto put it back where I found it.” Those two days might go unnoticed, or she might come in here every fucking day and stroke the damn thing.
“You’re calling it?”
“Yep. Mail. And toss the USB sticks in, too. We’ll run everything through our systems and send what we don’t need back. You find anything else in the house?”
“Not yet. I’ve only checked his room so far. I’ve got about two hours left before I need to bail out, so I’ll expand my search and see what I see. I’ll drop by the post office before the end of the day.”
“Good.” He inhales again and fills his lungs with cancer that,unfortunately for me, won’t kill him fast enough. “You’re running out of time, Castro. You’re on day four already, and you’ve brought me nothing.”
