Ree tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear as she studied the phone. Looking directly at Quint right now would only make matters worse. She heard the struggle in his tone of voice and knew exactly what this news would do to him. An investigation including multiple agencies would send him back to that place a little more than half a year ago where his partner was killed. Quint might ultimately blame himself for not forcing her to go to Bjorn, but the mistake came from multiple agencies rushing to a bust.
“Speak up, Agent Casey,” their boss said.
“I’m here,” he responded. “Just processing how to make this work.”
Ree did glance up at that comment and saw the anguish in his eyes that belied the calmness in his tone. She reached out and touched him on the forearm, taking it as a bad sign that he immediately pulled his arm back like he’d just bumped into a lit burner. She took a second to consider her next move carefully. The option to request to be removed from the case would get her home to check on her grandfather. It would also leave Quint stranded. They could come up with an excuse, and he could continue with the investigation. But she was the one with the job at the bar. Ree was already making inroads with Lola. It was only a matter of time before they figured out who Mystery Guy was now that Ree had an in with the bartender.
On the flip side, Quint was a talented agent. There was a reason he was considered the best to the point of having legendary status at work. He’d taken a big hit in losing his partner and best friend. The situation was sad from every angle. Was he over the loss? Probably not. Was he determined to find Dumitru and make him pay? Absolutely. This being personal for Quint raised the stakes of an already-dangerous assignment.
Still, she couldn’t walk out on her partner. She knew it the minute she glanced over at him and they locked gazes. The slight nod she gave told him the answer he seemed to be searching for. His sigh of relief shouldn’t make her want to walk over and loop her arms around his neck. And yet the kisses they’d shared sizzled like none other in her past, probably in her present and most definitely ever would in her future.
“Who is going to be our contact on the DEA side?” Ree asked, breaking the silence.
“That will be Nicholas Primer,” Bjorn supplied. “We’ve worked with him before, and his team is top-notch.”
“Sounds good.” Ree grasped the sales job their boss was doing to soften the blow. Bjorn must realize how bad this was for Quint. He stood at the window, absently rubbing the stubble on his chin while engaged in what looked like deep thought.
“The details and contact information are uploaded to the case file,” Bjorn said. The phone went quiet for a few long seconds. “Agent Casey.”
“I’m here,” he said after clearing his throat. He didn’t turn away from the window, and Ree took that as a bad sign.
“You’re good, right?” Bjorn asked.
“You saw my file. I’ve been cleared to work for months,” he countered. “I passed all the psych evals you requested. Why would you be concerned about me now?”
“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.” Bjorn sounded relieved. She wouldn’t be if she was standing in the room. The tension thickened as Quint seemed to get lost inside his head.
“I’ll check the file ASAP,” Quint promised before lifting his elbow up against the window as he pinched the bridge of his nose like he was staving off a headache.
“Let me know if you have any questions or difficulties with any of Agent Primer’s team,” Bjorn said. She was lingering on the call like she was waiting for a definitive sign Quint was on board.
“We will,” Ree finally spoke up. “Thanks for the information. We look forward to working with Agent Primer and his team.”
Quint sucked in a breath but seemed able to hold his tongue as Ree ended the call.
“The couple from the elevator,” he said through what sounded like clenched teeth. “Let me guess...Agent Primer.”
“We’ll know when we open the file and see his picture. But, yes, I’m assuming the same thing,” she said. When one of her brothers got in a mood like this, they were best left alone. A couple of days would pass and whatever they’d been angry about would blow over. Partnerships didn’t work like that. She had to figure out a way to get Quint to speak to her.
He grunted as he stood there, staring.
“I know this probably brings back bad memories—”
“You don’t know hell about what happened,” he said, raising his voice. “And you don’t know hell about what it cost me.”
“No, Quint. I don’t. But I will if you sit down and talk to me,” she said evenly. “I can throw on a pot of coffee and we can move to the living room where we can talk like civilized adults.”
Her words must’ve pushed the wrong buttons, because when she glanced over at him, his entire face was red.
“If you want a civilized adult, go talk to Agent Primer,” he said, and his voice seethed.
“That’s not fair and you know it,” Ree countered, her own temperature rising to a level barely below boiling point. A few calming breaths brought her heat level down a couple of notches.
Quint, on the other hand, looked like a teakettle that was about to burst.
“Hey,” she started, taking a softer tact. “You’re right about one thing. I don’t know.” She paused to give those words a minute to sink in. “I don’t know anything about what you went through or how it must have felt.” Again, she paused. “All I can say is that I wish you’d talk to me and help me understand.”
“It wouldn’t bring her back,” he said with so much anger the walls practically shook. “There’s no use in dredging up bad memories.”
Having grown up with four brothers, Ree knew a thing or two about when she’d lost a fight. This was one of those times. She pushed up to standing and grabbed the towel she’d been seated on.
“I’m going to take a shower, put on a pot of coffee and then open the file. Your choice as to whether or not you want to join me for two of those three things.” With that, she made a beeline to the bathroom. She closed the door a little louder than she’d intended, and then turned on the spigot. Ten minutes later, she was clean and ready to face the other room.
Ree had no idea if Quint would even be there, let alone still in a sour mood, but time wasn’t a luxury they had much of. Ree wanted to prep for the three o’clock with Lola. Then there was her shift tonight she had to mentally prepare for.
She walked out of the bathroom. At least Quint had left the spot at the window. He was probably gone, and that might be for the best. Let him cool off before they took another go at being civil with each other. Besides, seeing the pain in his eyes was a dagger to the heart and not something she was eager to get back to.
The smell of a fresh pot of coffee hit her the minute she turned left to head into the main living space. It was a welcome scent. Quint stood in the small kitchen with the light out. It was tucked inside the apartment near the door and fairly enclosed so as not to allow a lot of the natural light from the wall of windows inside.
“I made a cup and opened the file.” He motioned toward the sofa, where the laptop sat on the coffee table, looking ready to go.
“I’ll make one and join you,” she said, but he shook his head. He filled a cup and handed it through the pass-through counter. “Thank you, Quint.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he grunted and then walked over to the sofa.
QUINT SAT DOWN in front of the laptop. Ree joined him a few seconds later, sitting close enough for their outer thighs to touch as he opened the case file.
“Figures,” she said, and then took a sip of coffee. Primer’s face filled the left-hand side of the screen.
“Knew it,” Quint said with a little more frustration than intended. Then again, the emotion seemed to be playing on repeat today.
“I’m guessing the female who was with him is also an agent,” Ree said.
Quint clicked a couple of keys and brought up her picture next. “Chelle Mickelberg.”
Ree sat back and scooted away from Quint. “Lola mentioned having a brother named Esteban. Do you think it’s possible he’s Mystery Guy?”
“It would make sense,” Quint reasoned. “Her brother might know her schedule and need something from her.”
“That would explain why he showed up after class today,” she said. “They could be roommates, too.”
“True,” Quint agreed. “I’m not sure why the agency didn’t tell us about a brother’s possible involvement in her life.”
“She mentioned that the two of them came to America together,” Ree supplied. “It’s possible he’s living under the radar, possibly illegally.”
“Grappell should be able to dig around and get an answer for us.” Quint pulled up his email and then fired off a quick note to Agent Grappell. He was one of the best and having him on this case provided consistency, which went a long way in Quint’s book. He would take all the wins he could get.
“What else?” Ree asked.
“Study the file on Primer,” Quint said. “Looks like he’s been decorated more than most professional athletes.”
“A rising star at the DEA?” she asked, but the question was rhetorical, so Quint answered by way of another grunt.
They both realized what a pain a guy like that could be to have around. He sounded like the type who would want all the glory and most likely take credit for other people’s work. Guys like that cared more about building a thick file of accolades and were usually all show and no substance.
“I should probably be the designated go-between on our side,” Ree said.
“Are you afraid I can’t keep my cool when I need to?” He twisted up his face.
To her credit, Ree maintained a calm but distant disposition. “Do I need to be?”
“No,” he said dismissively.
“Good. Your answer doesn’t change anything. I’ll be the point person,” she said. “Are you okay with that?”
He pulled up Primer’s file and then turned the screen for her to see it. “His contact information is right there, but we should probably both have it just in case we aren’t together when contact needs to be made.”
“That’s fair.” She retrieved her cell phone and entered the information into her contacts. “Looks like he’s going by the name Nick Driver.”
“People pick whatever name is easiest to remember. Driver is close enough to Primer,” Quint reasoned.
“He also kept his first name like we did,” she added as she studied the screen. “Did you see this?” She pointed toward a line that indicated the agent would be working in the office of the bar as a new events and marketing manager.
“As long as he cooperates when necessary and stays out of our way when not, I don’t care if he buys the place,” Quint bit out. This complicated his infiltrating the office to be the computer guy. Randy, the owner, was on the up-and-up, but doing computer work would have given Quint a reason to hang around the bar more.
“If you can believe his file, he’s one of the best at what he does,” Ree said. She must have made the same assumptions about the agent based on her tone. “I’ll reach out to him in a few minutes.”
“The female agent, Chelle, is going by Shelly Driver,” Quint pointed out.
“What does she do for a living according to her file?”
Quint scrolled down.
“Turns out, she’s a yoga instructor,” he said.
“Please tell me she doesn’t work in the same building,” Ree said on a sigh.
“It’s bad enough they live here,” he stated. “They could have moved into one of the other buildings on this block. But, no, she won’t be working in the building. The studio where she’s employed is on the same street as the bar.”
“It must be close, then,” she reasoned.
“That’s probably a safe bet.” He entered the studio address into Google Maps. “It’s two doors down.”
“Figures,” she said. “You’ll still be able to come to the bar for a nightcap. I can sell it as you going to school during the day while I sleep in after a long night of work.”
“As long as it won’t cast suspicion on you,” he said.
“Lola remembered us from last night,” Ree said, and he picked up something different in her tone.
“Speaking of her, we probably should have introduced ourselves at the bar. But it’s fine. Right now, we should probably make lunch and get ready for her to drop by,” he said.
“You’re right about introducing ourselves that first night. I had the same thought but decided not to interrupt her. No going back to change it now,” she said on a shrug. Little mistakes were expected on a case. They couldn’t get too inside their heads about what they couldn’t go back and fix. “I’ll join you in a second. I want to order a few things to personalize the apartment.”
“Suit yourself.” Quint pushed up to standing. He still hadn’t showered after working out, so he did that first. By the time he finished and hit the kitchen, Ree was done with her online shopping.
“It’s wild that I literally just placed an order and the items will be delivered in—” she checked the time “—less than four hours.”
“The benefits of city life,” he said.
“I’ve lived my whole life in a small town,” she said. “I travel all around the state for work now and have seen the benefits of urban living.” She paused for a thoughtful moment. “At the end of the day, I don’t need a lot to be happy. A cold drink, a little space between me and my neighbors, and a good book is all I need to be happy.”
“No companionship?” he asked, wondering if she intended to spend the rest of her life alone.
“That’s what the book is for,” she said.
“Fair enough,” he responded.
“How about you?” she asked, taking a seat on the barstool at the pass-through counter leading to the kitchen.
“What about me?” he asked, noting she’d turned the tables.
“What makes you happy?” she asked.
He resisted the temptation to say her, so he waved her off instead.