“Aren’t you afraid I’ll peek?” she called out.
With his hands on the button of his jeans, his pulse quickened at her words. Draco’s lips twisted. “I’m more afraid you won’t.” Before she could fire a comeback, he turned on the cold water only, stripped naked and stepped beneath the spray, hoping it would chill his desire for the woman on the other side of the door.
He didn’t linger long enough in the chill water for his desire to diminish much. A quick full-body scrub and rinse, and he was out, drying off within a few minutes. He dressed in the clean T-shirt and boxer briefs he’d found in his backpack, pulled on his jeans, brushed his teeth and combed his damp hair. Satisfied he was ready for the day, he exited the bathroom exactly five minutes after entering.
Cate shook her head. “Impressive.” She sat where he’d left her, sipping coffee.
Draco shrugged into his jacket and held Cate’s out for her.
She set her cup on the nightstand, stood and slipped her arms into the jacket. Cate turned to face him. “What’s the plan?”
“We go to the Brotherhood Protectors International headquarters and meet with the team. I hope Dmytro can help us figure out what to do with the safe deposit box key.”
“I hope they’ve heard more about Brunner.” Cate shook her head. “It wasn’t suicide. I’d like to know who made that call.”
Draco nodded. “Same. Makes you wonder if someone on the police force is in on the whole Alpenhorn scheme, covering for the mystery partner.”
They walked through a thick blanket of morning fog that shrouded the city, making Draco second-guess his decision to walk instead of insisting on a cab. They couldn’t see more than twenty feet in front of their faces and barely that. Thankfully, the GPS on his cell phone guided them through the streets without mishaps. If the gray-coated man was following them, Draco never saw him.
At the headquarters building, Hammer met them at the door and ushered them inside.
Dmytro was in his usual spot, tapping away on his computer keyboard while monitoring multiple displays.
Crusher and Marta rose from their seats around the table.
Cate rounded the table to wrap her arms around Marta, while Draco shook hands with Crusher.
“Glad you’re here,” Draco said. He and Crusher went way back to joint task force days on active duty. He trusted the man with his life.
“Figured you might be ready for some backup.” Crusher’s gaze went from Draco to Cate. “Hammer told us you met with the banker last night.”
Cate nodded, a shadow crossing over her eyes. “I did.”
Marta frowned. “The authorities claim it was suicide.”
“They’re wrong,” Cate said with a frown. “He was worried about his family.”
“There’s no way they could’ve conducted an autopsy overnight,” Marta said. “Why would they make that claim?”
“Good question,” Draco said. “One we might ask of the person who made that claim.”
“Inspector Brandt,” Dmytro called out from his corner of the room. “According to the online records.”
Cate’s lips pressed together tightly. “I intend to talk with the inspector as soon as possible.”
“Did you actually speak with the banker before his unfortunate demise?” Marta asked.
“I did,” Cate said. “He didn’t give us the name of the account holder. I think he was about to do it when he got scared and took off.”
“Did he say anything else?” Hammer asked.
“He did admit to being the person at the bank who handled all Alpenhorn transactions and that, if Marcus Calloway was dead, his wife didn’t kill him. He thinks Marcus’s partner would’ve been the one to do it.”
“But he didn’t get around to telling you who that partner happened to be.” Crusher’s brow dipped low on his forehead. “How unfortunate. Now, he’ll never be able to tell you.”
Cate dug her hand in her jeans pocket and pulled out the flat brass key. “Brunner pressed this into my hand before he got lost in a crowd of tourists.” She laid the key on the table.
Marta reached for the key and held it in her hand. “Looks like a safe deposit box key. I had one when I first moved to Atlanta. I stored documents in it that would be safe if my house burned down.”
