Page 32 of Rafe’s Future

Even better.

She liked looking people in the eyes when they spoke, even if it was over the phone. Derek West’s face filled the small screen as Rafe answered the call.

Lena, however, purposely kept herself just out of view.

“Mr. Owens, I presume.” The other man’s greeting introduction held obvious hints of a southern drawl. “Derek West. Colt’s told me a lot about you.”

Rafe greeted the technical analyst with a dip of his rugged chin. “Likewise. And it’s Rafe.”

As she watched the interaction, it was impossible for Lena not to notice the obvious differences between the two men.

At fifty-two, Rafe was about a decade older. West had a layer of light scruff to Rafe’s well-trimmed, salt-and-pepper beard. Rafe’s hair was kept short and neatly styled, while the former SEAL’s thick, wavy locks fell past his ears.

West’s blue eyes were openly friendly with hints of the man’s impressive intelligence. But as pretty as they were, the other man’s eyes didn’t hold a candle to Rafe’s darker, more stoic stare.

“Colt filled me in on everything up to this point,” West shared. “Sorry to hear about all your troubles. But any friends of Colt’s are friends of mine, so just tell me what y’all need from me, and I’ll help any way I can.”

“We appreciate that, Derek,” Rafe was quick to acknowledge. “Obviously, we need to ID our guy, but I also need access to his phone’s operating system.”

Earlier, during the search of his person, Lena had found a phone in their would-be killer’s pocket. It was a high-end burner complete with all the anti-spy trimmings, which meant it most likely held a trove of useful intel.

“Send me the guy’s pic, and I’ll run facial rec.” West paused. “Once I have an ID, I’ll put together a file with everything I can find. As for the phone’s OS, I can do that part now, assuming you have the needed equipment.”

“Such as?”

“Is there a PC at your location?”

Lena’s focus immediately slid to the desk positioned a few feet away.

“There is,” Rafe confirmed.

“Good deal.” The other man nodded. “What about a landline?”

“Affirmative.”

“Perfect. Last question. Do you have any way to connect the target’s phone to the PC?”

“I’ll check,” Lena volunteered from Rafe’s side before hurriedly walking over to the basic, metal desk.

After scanning the various cords and pieces of technical equipment already visible, she began rummaging through the desk drawers. When she got to the third one down on the right, Lena yanked out a short, black cord.

Bingo.

“This should work.” She spun around, holding the small cord up for Rafe to see.

“We’re good on that front, as well,” Rafe relayed to Derek while heading her way.

Lena went to him, taking the burner phone from his hand. Her breath hitched, and her lower belly tingled the moment their fingers touched.

Not now.

She turned away, rushing back over to the desk and inserting one end of the cord into the PC’s corresponding port. After that, she connected the other end to the encrypted phone before looking back at Rafe with a nod.

“It’s done.”

Speaking to West, Rafe asked, “What’s next?”

“I need you to use the landline to call me back at a different number. I’m texting it to you now.”