I’d faked my way through an unhappy marriage for nearly two years. This should be a piece of cake.
“Fine,” I replied. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
SIX
RAY
Tammy agreed to the plan, but I could tell it was reluctantly.
I had watched her carefully as she took in all the information, and I had to give her credit. Her Army training had given her a remarkable ability to keep her face stoic and calm as she processed everything these men were telling her.
“When does this start?” she asked, and I watched as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap.
“Tonight,” Archer said, glancing at Ray. “Axel is going to do the first couple hours of your shift while we talk details and get a few things taken care of on our end, mostly with the security cameras. Ray will walk in during your shift and sit at the bar with you until you leave.”
She nodded as everyone wrapped up. She was silent, but only because she was clearly thinking and strategizing in her head.
Everyone finally filed out of the room. Tammy turned to look at me, and I knew that was my cue to stick around. Honestly, that was good because I wanted to talk with her, too. I had a sister and a mother, so I knew that when a woman said she was “fine,” she was usually anything but.
Once everyone was gone, Tammy walked over and closed the door, leaving only the two of us in the room. She didn’t waste any time getting to it.
“I’ll play the part, but I have rules.” Her comment was quick and matter of fact.
I nodded. “Alright. Lay ’em on me.”
Her body straightened, and her shoulders rolled back. “We do this fake dating bit strictly at the bar. No real dating. Now that the guys have hired you, this complicates things, and that’ll get awkward. Well…more awkward than it already is. So, no dates or dinner or ‘hanging out’ at my place.”
That last part she had said using air quotes, but I knew what she meant.
She seemed tightly wound and a bit tense. Not necessarily worried or anxious, but unsure. So, I decided to lighten the mood.
“Wow… I’m not used to being shot down so fast,” I teased. “Should I be offended that you no longer want to see me after everything that happened last night?”
She rolled her eyes, but I saw the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
I held my hands up in front of me and raised my brows. “Understood. Strictly professional acting only.”
She relaxed briefly as her shoulders lowered ever so slightly in relief.
“Though, the thought of seeing you again outside of the bar wouldn’t be awkward for me, I understand not wanting to complicate things.”
I gave her a small, knowing grin but she just pouted in response.
After going backover some details with Vince and his guys, I made my way back to my hotel. I needed to think, and I did that best in a quiet setting with no one else around.
Vince had let me download to my laptop all security videos they had from that night, and I watched them several times, hoping I’d see something they missed. I’d also grabbed the videos from the week leading up to the burglary as well. The skilled criminals—the ones who would plan these things out meticulously—almost always staked their places out before they made their move.
The cameras only kept recordings for one week, and then they were sent to cloud storage where they were left on file for one year before being deleted to make more space.
Three hours later, I couldn't find shit. My eyes had become strained from staring at the screen and the fatigue of not moving for hours on end was making my back hurt. I leaned back, stretching my arms and back, and realized I needed to call in another expert.
The man I had last worked for, Chase Jackson, was also one of my best friends. We’d first met at West Point, along with Vince’s dad, Frank. After graduating, we’d all been sent to Fort Hood and had been stationed together for four years. After that, Frank got out and decided to be a cop before transitioning to bounty hunting, but Chase and I had remained together at Fort Hood for the entirety of our Army careers. We’d both been in counterterrorism, and those skills had also helped when we ended up at his private company later.
With how complicated this case was becoming, I knew I needed another outsider’s perspective on this case, so I decided to give Chase a call and get his thoughts.
“Hey man, what’s up?” Chase answered. “How’s the case going?”
“That’s why I’m callin’. I was hopin’ to pick your brain.”
