Ree tugged Quint’s hand until he moved back a couple of steps. The doors of the truck were locked. The registration would trace back to a made-up name and address in North Texas. Her cell phone was tucked underneath the passenger seat, out of view. They hadn’t left anything in plain sight that could tie them to law enforcement. The tackle box wasn’t even inside the truck. There was nothing to panic about.
Except her heart raced and her pulse thumped at the base of her throat. The pair of idiots wore ripped sleeves. Nothing out of the ordinary for a warehouse district. In fact, they looked like truck drivers, but they could be dockworkers with those thick arms. It would also explain the lack of sleeves. No doubt these were friends of the guy who’d been stepping outside to meet his dealer.
From this distance, she couldn’t hear their voices to know if one of the guys had tried to follow his coworker outside. She didn’t want to be any closer to them as they studied the truck. One took his cell phone out of his front pocket and snapped a couple of pictures. One of the license plate. Even if this guy had a way to track the plate, which she highly doubted, it would lead to a dead end.
Metal glinted in the second guy’s right hand. Ree realized what he was up to a moment before he bent down and sliced a tire. Well, that was going to be a headache to replace. Once the guys grew bored, she would retrieve her cell phone and any incidental items that could identify them, and they could abandon the truck.
The jerk with the knife tried to break the driver’s-side window by slamming the butt of the knife into it. All he accomplished was drawing his hand back as the knife went flying. He moved toward it and shook his head before bending down and picking up the blade. Then he palmed the handle and jabbed the tip into all four tires.
Headlights cut through the darkness, sending the two jerks running back toward the warehouse where she and Quint had encountered the guy who’d been trying to score drugs. The semi drove on by as Quint leaned against the building. He exhaled. Slowly. He pinched the bridge of his nose like he was trying to stem a headache.
On a sigh, he said, “Ready?”
“As much as I’ll ever be,” she said.
They reached the vehicle and retrieved her cell and a backpack. Quint emptied the insurance papers from the dash, stuffing them inside the bag. He grabbed the license plates next. Those, too, went inside. He pocketed his burner phone as they emptied their communication devices along with earpieces in with the plates.
Quint zipped and shouldered the backpack before they headed back the way they’d come. On foot this time. Ree checked for bars and, thankfully, got a couple.
“We should be good to go as soon as we’re clear of this place,” she informed him.
He grunted in response.
By the time the sun came up, they’d walked within range to get an Uber. Quint made the call to Bjorn to arrange to have the truck towed and provide a replacement vehicle. It was long past breakfast when the Uber driver pulled up a block from their building, where they’d asked to be let out.
Ree could only imagine what they must look like. Hell? Or was that too kind a word? Her thighs burned from the morning’s walk coupled with last night’s shift. Her stomach growled because they’d both decided to go straight home rather than ask the driver to stop at a drive-through. But it was the humiliation burning her the most. How had they allowed those jerks to get to their vehicle?
“Are you ready for a light run?” Quint asked, clearly thinking the same thing she was. They could jog back to the building.
“Not really, but let’s do it anyway,” she said.
Quint laughed, and it was the first break in tension in what had turned into a monster of a morning. The quick trip to plant comms devices and maybe gather a little intel was successful in that they’d accomplished their mission. Having to abandon their vehicle and request a replacement was the worst.
Ree picked up the pace, jogging past Quint. Being competitive, he blew past with a laugh. He might be pretending not to be tired, but she heard the heavy breathing as he went by. Saving her energy, she was close enough to home to be able to pull off one last burst of energy as they rounded the corner to their building. Seeing the front doors, Ree turned up the gas. She pushed her legs and pumped her arms, barely passing Quint in time to smack her hand on the glass.
“I won,” she said before pushing the door open and bolting toward the elevator.
The next thing she knew, he sprinted past her, reaching the elevator button a few seconds before she did.
“Who won now?” he quipped.
“Guess the first one to the apartment breaks the tie,” she said, throwing a playful elbow into his ribs as she pushed past him into the elevator.
He gave a lot of side-eye when he joined her, but the corners of his lips upturned into a grin. As they neared the seventh floor, Ree realized he would be ready for her tricks this time. So she positioned herself in front of him to face him, grabbed two fistfuls of his black T-shirt and hauled him toward her. Pushing up to her tiptoes, she planted a steamy kiss on Quint’s mouth.
For a moment, she got lost. The faint ding of the elevator registered, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She pulled on all her strength and shoved off, using his chest as leverage. He took a step backward, looking a little dazed as she pivoted and then raced to their door. Her flat palm smacked against it, and her body soon followed. Her left shoulder stopped the momentum, landing hard against the surface.
It caught her off guard that Quint didn’t soon follow. She looked in time to see him launch himself toward the opening as the doors closed. Ree laughed. She couldn’t help herself. The indestructible Agent Quinton Casey at a loss?
Pride filled her chest that she could knock him off balance at least half as much as he did her. She pulled the door key from her pocket and bolted inside as the elevator doors opened again and he shot toward her like a bullet.
“I win,” she shrieked, unable to stop laughing.
“Because you cheated,” he said, closing and locking the door behind him.
“Winning is winning,” she said. “Besides, I didn’t tell you to stand there once those doors opened. That was your choice.”
He mumbled something she couldn’t quite make out and probably didn’t want to anyway. It couldn’t have been good considering his tone. But then they both broke out laughing.
“You took this round, Sheppard. But the game is not over yet,” he said.
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure the game ended when I tagged the front door first,” she shot back.
“We’ll see about that,” he said as he walked right past her. He sat down at the counter and opened his laptop. His expression turned serious. “I’m pretty certain we’re about to get dressed down by Bjorn for losing the truck.”
“These things happen,” she said, taking the chair next to him. “Plus, we took all the necessary precautions. We couldn’t have anticipated a drug deal at nearly five o’clock in the morning.”
“Murphy’s Law,” he agreed.
“It could have been worse. We’re both still here,” she said without thinking. Damn. Damn. Damn. If she could reel those words back in, she would. “Sorry, Quint.” She reached over and touched his arm. His muscles tensed with contact. She apologized again and withdrew her hands.
“Promise me something,” Quint said, and his voice became serious enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck prick.
“No can do until I hear what you’re asking,” she said, sitting up a little straighter and folding her arms across her chest.
“Give me your word you won’t go behind my back to Bjorn at any time during this investigation.” He didn’t look up or over when he said the words that were equivalent to daggers in the heart.
“I can’t make that promise, and you never should have asked,” Ree stated flat out. This apartment suddenly felt too small. With nowhere else to go to get a little breathing room from Quint, she marched into the bathroom, making it just in time for the first tear to spring from her eyes.
AN EMAIL UPDATE came in from Agent Grappell. It was about Zoey. Quint read it and immediately jumped up from the stool. He made a beeline for the bathroom door. His first thought was how relieved Ree would be when she heard the news. He raised his fist to knock, then froze midreach.
In his estimation, he was the last person she wanted to see, let alone speak to. Damn. He needed to get outside and get some air. Ree’s cell phone buzzed as he walked by it on the counter. He kept going until he was out of the apartment, out of the elevator and out of the building.
Maybe he could walk off his frustration at the very least.
Forty minutes later, and Quint was no closer to an answer as to why he’d felt the need to ask Ree not to go to Bjorn. She balked because he’d been a jerk. An apology didn’t seem nearly enough to undo the damage. She had every right to be frustrated with him. Hell, he was angry with himself.
A few more blocks and he’d turn back. The least he could do while he was out here was refocus on the case. There could be another update from Agent Grappell by now. Quint had blown out of the apartment in such a hurry he’d left his cell phone behind. But he never went anywhere without a weapon. His was secured in the ankle holster strapped underneath his pants leg.
By now, Ree should be out of the bathroom. She deserved to know what was going on with Zoey, so he started the trek back, picking up speed the closer he got to the building. As he rounded the corner, he almost slammed into a guy. Quint sidestepped in the nick of time, but a voice in the back of his mind told him to halt. The guy he’d almost slammed into was Nick Driver.
Quint spun around. “Hold on there.”
Driver stopped but didn’t turn, so Quint walked directly over to the man. “You live in my building, don’t you?” Quint said, staring him in the face.
Driver nodded, looking a little less than comfortable around Quint. Good. Driver should be cautious.
“Then maybe you’ve heard about me by now?” Quint continued, undaunted.
“I have,” Driver stated, his lips compressed like he was holding his tongue. Good.
“This case will go a whole lot easier if we both make an attempt to get along. Don’t you agree?” Quint said, holding back as much of his frustration as he could.
“I was just about to suggest the same,” Driver said, trying a little too hard to mask the fear in his voice by coming off overly confident.
“Then from here on out we work together, right?” Quint asked.
Grudgingly, Driver nodded again. A muscle in his jaw ticked, but he didn’t seem stupid enough to challenge Quint. Since there was no use in standing there in the morning heat, he said goodbye and walked past Driver.
Quint passed Angie on the street as he headed toward the front doors. He hoped she hadn’t heard what had just gone down.
“Morning,” she practically chirped.
“How’s the studying going today?” he asked with a courtesy smile.
“About to get started.” She held up a thick workbook. “Heading out to a coffee shop so I won’t get distracted by cleaning the apartment.”
“If you don’t pass the test, you could always use that thing as a weapon,” he quipped, motioning toward her workbook, trying to keep the mood light.
Angie laughed.
“I guess it could do some damage if needed.” She shook the book. “Yep. Definitely.”
“Keep it close by,” he continued. “Just in case.”
“Did you go for a run?” she asked.
“Guilty,” he said. “But I wouldn’t call it much of a run.”
“Take it easy,” she said. “Or Ree will kick your rear end.”
“She does all the time,” he joked before exchanging goodbyes.
The elevator seemed to be taking its sweet time once he got inside. He made it up to seven, selfishly hoping Ree would still be awake. In case she’d dozed off, he slipped inside quietly.
“I’m home,” he whispered, not wanting to surprise someone who carried a weapon at all times.
“I’m awake,” she said. The reassurance was appreciated. “Where did you take off to?”
“Went for a walk while you showered,” he said. “Tried to clear my head.”
“Did it work?” she asked. The tension in her voice said he’d lost ground with her.
“Probably not.” He joined her at the counter. “When did you get out of the bathroom?”
“A minute ago,” she said.
“Good. I wanted to be the first to tell you that we received an update on Zoey while you were in there,” he said. “She’s still at the women’s shelter in Austin and, according to one of her counselors, is making real progress.”
Ree exhaled, and her chest deflated. A look of pure relief washed over her features.
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” she said with a lightness in her tone that had been missing earlier.
“I should probably let you know that I ran into Driver on my way back to the building,” he stated.
“Oh?” she asked as an eyebrow arched. “How did that go?”
“Good. I think,” he said. “He seems clear on where I stand with him. That’s always a good thing, right?”
“Depends,” she said on a sigh. “On whether that makes him easier or harder for me to work with now.”
“I’m going out on a limb here, but I’ll say easier,” he said.
The small shift in her caused his chest to puff out, and all he could think about was the steamy kiss in the elevator earlier.
He walked away before he did anything to rekindle that fire.