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FISH STOPPED IN THE command center for a quick peek at the feeds from the security office cameras. A handful of tenants worked out in the fitness center. Nobody hanging around the lobby, the elevators, or the entrances. Would the guard have interviewed Nelson Riggs yet? If so, he’d have reported to Blackthorne, and Fish would find out at the next sitrep, still more than an hour away.
He wondered how the team was faring. Did he wish he’d been included? That another operative had been assigned to Lexi? A part of him missed the potential for action, a chance to help find and capture the Falcon, but he was content where he was.
As for kissing Lexi? It might have gotten that particular elephant out of the room, but there was another one lurking in the hall.
He moved to the living room to prove he could protect Lexi without emotional distractions. He stood there a moment, watching her. Testing his reaction. A minor stirring. Nothing he couldn’t ignore.
She’d started the movie again, her hair shimmering gold in the reflected light from the screen. Lexi must have sensed his presence, because she turned. Not a welcoming smile. Was she having regrets? Was she angry? She muted the movie.
As if he were avoiding buried IEDs, he stepped closer. “Normally, one of us would have snuck away, gone home. Avoided the whole did I make a huge mistake? scenario.”
She pulled a face. “That’s for sex, not a kiss. Look, we did it. It’s over. It’s not like we slept together. One kiss. I’m moving on.”
“Yeah, me, too.” He sat on the couch, but left plenty of air between them.
“Back to unfinished business. You going to tell me what freaked you out when I suggested a swim?” she asked.
Arrow to the gut. “I didn’t freak. Didn’t want to go swimming.”
“I say you freaked, but I’ll accept your tap dancing for the time being. Let’s try again. Tell me. Why didn’t you want to go swimming?”
“No big deal. Wanted to get to the range.”
She pinned him with her gaze. “You know, we spent too much time together for me not to know when you’re lying.”
“Not lying.”
“Dodging the question, then. If it’s no big deal, tell me.”
His cell, with Blackthorne’s ring tone, saved the day. Checking the time, he held up a finger. Way ahead of schedule. “Frisch.”
Lexi moved closer.
“Sitrep on Ms. Becker’s house,” Manny said.
“We can play the feed in the command center.” Fish rose, motioned Lexi to follow.
He woke up the monitor, which showed Scrooge and Adam sitting inside a vehicle. Adam behind the wheel, Scrooge in the passenger seat. Fish adjusted the volume so they could hear and be heard.
Seeing one of Blackthorne’s newest recruits, one who’d definitely gone over the top with violating the Don’t get involved with the principal rule, eased some of the guilt Fish was feeling. As far as he knew, there hadn’t been repercussions. Maybe Scrooge would tell Lexi how tough becoming a covert operative was. She’d probably accept it more from a stranger.
He reeled in his thoughts. Back to the op.
“We found three bugs,” Adam said. “Video only. Front door, back door, and garage. Nothing inside.”
Fish felt the fury rolling off of Lexi.
“Did you deactivate them?” she asked. “Crush them under your boot and throw them into the garbage disposal?”
Oh, yeah, she was furious.
“No, ma’am,” Scrooge said. “That would let them know we’ve found them. Since you’re not here, there’s nothing for them to see.”
“Won’t they know you’ve been to the house?” Lexi asked.
“Temporary bypass, ma’am,” Scrooge said.
Using a gadget Jinx referred to as his cloaking device. Fish smiled. Blackthorne had all the cool toys.
***
LEXI COULDN’T BELIEVE her home—her privacy—her life had been invaded. “Any idea how long the bugs have been there?” Why hadn’t she spotted them?
“Hard to say. They run on batteries, but there’s no telling whether someone replaced the devices regularly or these are the originals,” the man Marv had called Scrooge said.
“You’re positive there’s nothing inside?” Lexi asked.
Adam nodded. “Checked it twice. Apparently, whoever installed these wanted to track your comings and goings, but either couldn’t get inside or didn’t think it would matter.”
“What if they did get inside and added spyware to my laptop?” she asked. “I didn’t bring it with me. Once I decided I was way out of my league and needed to hire Blackthorne, I used the computers in the library to book my tickets.”
“Did you use your laptop when you contacted Blackthorne to hire them?” Marv asked.
Lexi thought back. “Yes, but I wasn’t home. I was using the WiFi from a coffee shop. If there’s spyware on my laptop, I guess it wouldn’t matter where I was when I used it.”
“We took the liberty of removing your laptop from the premises. With your permission, we’ll give our Intel Department access and see whether it’s been compromised,” Adam said.
“You have it.” She gave them the information they needed.
“We’ll let you know as soon as they run their tests. Meanwhile, we’re going to check into our hotel and get ready for our meeting with Merlin tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she said.
The screen faded to the Blackthorne logo.
Lexi bounded from the chair and stormed around, trying to work off her anger. “How could they have bugged my place? Who bugged it? Tomás? He had access to the yard. Why didn’t I notice?”
Marv intercepted her mid-leap and held her by the shoulders. “Because they’re good. But Blackthorne is better. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and you won’t have to worry about the Falcon coming after you anymore.”
“You know, I thought we had a few elaborate stings when we worked Vice,” she said. “Those were kindergarten games compared to what Blackthorne does. I can’t believe they do this all the time.”
“They’re very selective with the cases they take,” Marv said. “If they hadn’t thought you were in danger from a genuine bad guy, they’d have kicked you downstairs to their bodyguard service.”
“What do you do? Things like Adam and Scrooge? Where did Scrooge get his nickname? And why doesn’t Adam have one?”
“Let’s see if I can answer your questions as asked. Yes, I do things like Adam and Scrooge. He got that handle because his last name is Cashman. Cash, Scrooge. Adam’s handle is Dapper Dan.”
She visualized Adam sitting around the conference table that morning. Handsome, perfectly groomed. Expensive haircut. “I can see where Adam’s came from.”
Marv went on. “Unless we’re communicating on an op, we don’t all use handles. I think of Adam as Adam, but I think of Cashman as Scrooge. Kind of varies with the individual and the situation. Then there’s Travis, who’s T-Bone.”
“Because he loves steak, right?” Lexi said.
Fish chuckled. “No, because he’s a vegetarian. Nash is Rambler.”
“Rambler?” Lexi tried to make the connection.
“It’s a car. They don’t make them anymore, but there was a song about a Nash Rambler and a Caddy, and Manny used to have a Rambler so he chose the name.”
“Yours—Fish—is because your name is Frisch?” she said.
A flush spread across his face. His eyes took on the same look as when she’d asked him about swimming.
He dropped his gaze. “Actually, the direct translation would be fresh, not fish.”
“Level with me. It’s not like we’ve got anyplace to go.”