“Odds aren’t good he can find me here, are they?” Kinsley’s words rasped out as if fear was strangling her.
Dev didn’t know how to answer in a way that would comfort her. Especially if the PI could discover Dev had been at both shootings. If he coupled that with a lifelong friendship, he could guess she was hiding out at his place. Dev’s address wasn’t readily available, but a good PI could find it.
He gripped his knees under the table. “I guess the question is how good is the PI Huff hired? Having just come out of prison, I wouldn’t think he’d have a lot of cash to spend on a top-notch investigator, so maybe the guy isn’t very skilled.”
“He could’ve gotten money from his mother,” Colin said.
“I got the PI’s name,” Ryan said. “We can ask Nolan if he’s familiar with him. See if he’s legit.”
“Text it to me,” Colin said. “And I’ll ask him right away.”
“You got it,” Ryan said.
“One potentially positive thing.” Dev looked up from the phone to peer at Kinsley. “If Huff is still looking for you, he doesn’t know where you are and couldn’t be the drone operator.”
“Or he really does know,” Ryan said. “And he held that conversation outside because he knows or suspects he’s under surveillance and is trying to throw us off track.”
“Do you think you were made?” Dev asked.
“No.” A one-word answer, but Ryan filled it with confidence.
“But you never know, right?” Colin asked.
“Yeah.”
Eyes wide, Kinsley grabbed her water and chugged it. “If he really doesn’t know where I am, but is looking to pay me back, that means I have two people who want to hurt me.”
Dev gritted his teeth and didn’t want to say anything in response to her comment. Not when she could be right. Two men could be after her. Not just one. Two! They hadn’t worked out the identity of one guy, much less a second one. They had to figure out which of their suspects might fit the bill before something else happened and Kinsley was harmed.
“Anything else you learned from him or the other suspects?” Dev asked.
“Not at the moment, but I’ll keep you updated.” Ryan ended the call.
Dev’s phone dinged with the text Ryan had promised. He glanced at the private investigator’s name.Greg Egan.
He held his phone out to Colin. “See what you can dig up on this guy.”
“On it.” Colin opened his laptop and shifted in the padded dining chair as if getting comfortable for a long search.
Dev turned his attention to Kinsley. She’d hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms. He wanted to go to the conference room to talk to Nolan and ask him if he might know anything about this Greg Egan guy, but he didn’t want to leave her in this kind of state. He shouldn’t leave her at all. He could accomplish his same goal by having Nolan come to the cabin.
He sent Nolan a detailed text.
On my way, came his immediate reply.I have news for you too.
News? It had to be positive, didn’t it? He needed something encouraging, but Kinsley needed it even more. It would take Nolan a few minutes to get to the cabin. Dev had time to talk to her about how she was feeling about the most recent developments and maybe restore her earlier optimism.
He smiled, but she didn’t respond. Not a good sign as he’d pretty much always been guaranteed one of his smiles would elicit a positive response from her. “How are you handling Ryan’s news about Huff?”
“I guess hearing that he’s actually looking for me has given me something real to fear from him.” She shivered and looked down. “He’s a terrible man, and if he finds me, I don’t know what might happen.”
Dev settled on the chair next to her and took her hands. Her skin felt like she’d just climbed out of an ice bath. He held her hands between his to try to warm them up and also to convey his sincerity. “To find you, he’ll have to find me first, and I’ll neutralize any threat before it reaches you.” He bent lower to make sure she looked at him. “I promise not to leave you until our suspect is in custody.”
“That makes me feel better.” She bit her lower lip. “I have confidence in you, but I have to admit I’m still afraid. Not just for myself, but for you too. Whoever’s coming after me only has to fire one bullet and it could take you out.”
“You’re right, that could happen, but we’re doing our best to make sure it doesn’t.” He tried to look confident, but her comments left him wondering if he was up to the task of keeping her alive.
He couldn’t do it on his own. He needed his team. But more importantly, he needed God. That would mean trusting Him to protect them all. Was Dev there yet, or was he still letting Hailey’s betrayal at the altar impact his actions?
