| |
––––––––
As soon as Roland finished activating the trace on Simon’s sat phone, he rang his wife. It was dinnertime in London. She would no doubt be cooking something while enjoying a glass of wine with one of the children who’d dropped by. It would be at least another day or two before he could go back to the UK, once this nightmare was behind him for good.
“Hello, darling. How are things on the home front?” he asked.
“Fair to middling. Are you in Seattle now?”
“Not yet. I made a stop on the Oregon Coast to meet with some Americans who assisted us on the Durham op. What are you up to?”
“Just making toad in the hole with onion gravy for Beth and I. She dropped over after work.”
“Lovely.” It had always been Beth’s favorite meal. “Tell her hello from me.”
“I will. Are you still due home tomorrow night? Reg and Jane have invited us out to the new Turkish restaurant.”
“I might be a day or two longer. Just depends on how things go.” And how quickly Simon got the job done.
They talked for another few minutes about the kids and grands. “I’ll call again once I know my flight details, all right?”
“All right, darling. Be safe.”
“Of course. Bye, love.” Pocketing his mobile, he stared out the hotel room window. From up here he had an unobstructed view of the sea. But he wasn’t looking at the view. He was planning his next steps.
Shrugging into his coat, he strode down the hall and knocked on his driver’s door. Bill answered it, looking concerned. “Everything all right?”
“Fine, I just feel like exploring the area for a bit. Think I’ll take a drive down the coast a ways.”
Bill nodded and turned away. “I’ll get my jacket—”
“No, I meant I want to go on my own. I’ll be back in a few hours. Just came to get the keys.”
Bill blinked at him, and for a moment looked as if he would argue. “What about Seattle?”
“I’ve rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow.” There was no meeting. He’d invented it as an excuse to come here.
Looking confused, Bill went to retrieve the keys and reluctantly handed them over. “If you change your mind, come back and I’ll drive you.”
“I won’t, but thanks. Just enjoy your downtime.”
He found the SUV parked right outside the rear doors of the hotel, backed into its spot. A habit anyone in the trade did automatically. He connected his mobile to the hands-free device, got a lock on Simon’s current location then steered out of the lot and drove south on Front Street.
The sky was a solid, leaden gray mirrored by the wind-whipped waves, the clouds heavy with the promise of more rain. Traffic was light, barely anyone else on the road as he turned east and drove toward the hills, heading for the coastal highway. He merged into the southbound lane, the tension inside him winding tighter with each mile he passed on the way to the target house.
Simon was in position. It was only a matter of time now.
When it happened, Roland would be there to verify it personally.
He’d taken a huge risk in coming here and didn’t want to get any more involved, but too much had gone wrong already. There were still too many loose ends he needed to make sure were severed once and for all before they entangled him.
He would see to it that James took all his secrets to the grave.
****
Walker poured himself a cup of coffee and carried it into Ryder’s office at the far end of the hall. The biggest office in the building, all exposed brick and plate-glass windows overlooking the bay.
Ryder sat behind his desk perusing the file in front of him. Callum sat in one of the armchairs across the desk. Both men looked up at him when he entered the room.
“Well? Find any great candidates in this batch of interviews?” he asked, taking the other armchair next to Callum.
“A few. One stands out in particular.” Ryder turned the file around so Walker could see it. “Decker Abrams.”
He nodded. “Marley’s brother.”
Ryder raised a black eyebrow. “You know him?”
“No. You both liked him?”
“He’s a no BS guy. Takes his work seriously. He’s got a lot of good experience as an MP in the Corps. Solid service record, has the skillset and temperament we’re looking for in a bodyguard.”
“His references were all awesome. Every single one I spoke to gave a glowing report of his conduct and character,” Callum added. “What’s going on with his sister, by the way? I hear there’s something going down with her and Warwick?”
Walker swallowed a sip of coffee and lowered his mug. “Yeah. You know how he was injured in an explosion on an op last summer? He says he’s felt like he’s been followed or watched off and on since, but especially after the Durham op. And when he got into town there was a shooting at her place. He witnessed it. The cops think it was a case of mistaken identity and drug or gang related, but Warwick’s not too sure about that. He thinks it might be connected to him.”
“Is she in danger too?” Ryder asked.
“Possibly. They were in a relationship last year before he was injured.”
“And is it true he let her believe he was dead all this time?” Callum said.
He’d probably heard all this from Nadia. She and Ivy talked a lot, though Ivy wouldn’t say anything she shouldn’t. “Yeah. He had his reasons. They’re laying low together now in a place Beckett set them up in, until Warwick can figure out what’s going on. Ivy’s helping where she can. There’s something else though.” Both men continued watching him. “Ivy and I were called into a meeting added to our schedule first thing this morning.”
“The MI6 guy,” Ryder said, leaning back in his leather chair.
“Roland Yates. We had contact with him briefly over the phone after the Durham op. He was in San Fran for meetings and is due in Seattle later today. He made an appointment to meet Ivy and me in person before he heads up north.”
“You thought something was off about him?” Ryder asked.
“Not at first. I mean, springing the meeting on us like that last minute was weird, but that’s not the bit that bothered me. He asked specifically about Warwick. Whether we’d heard from him since Durham. We both said no. Gut instinct. But it felt like he was fishing.”
Callum frowned. “You think he’s keeping tabs on Warwick?”
“Maybe.” He didn’t like the feel of it. But before he could say anything else there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Ryder said.
It opened and Ember stood there, looking at the three of them. “Hey. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Didn’t know you were still here,” Callum said. “Any luck with Teagan’s phone?”
“Yes.” Her expression turned somber. “I gave it back to her, but she couldn’t seem to remember the password. Things weren’t adding up, so I went in and accessed the data I’d downloaded from it this morning just in case. And look what I found.”
She turned the tablet she was holding, showing them the screen. A picture of Warwick with his name underneath.
An ominous weight formed in the pit of Walker’s stomach. “He was the one who found her on the beach.”
“I know. And there are also some other text messages that concerned me. The wording is vague, as if it’s some kind of code. None of it makes any sense to me but it clearly means something to her and whoever she was communicating with. I tried to trace the other number involved but it’s from a burner phone.”
Walker, Ryder and Callum all looked at each other. “Something’s not right here,” Ryder said.
Yep, and whatever it was, it wasn’t good news for Warwick. “I’m on it,” Walker said, springing up from his chair and rushing past Ember as he pulled out his phone to dial Warwick.
“Areet, mate?”
“Are you still at the house?”
“Aye.”
“You need to grab your gear and head out right now.” He briefly explained what had happened. “Yates was here digging for intel on you this morning. We said we hadn’t seen or heard from you, but safe to say he either thinks or already knows you’re in the area. Thought you should know.”
“Son of a bitch,” Warwick muttered.
“Get out and head south. Keep your phone on so Ivy can track you. I’m going home to get her now. We’ll contact you when we’re on the road.”
“Got it.”
As soon as he hung up, he called Ivy. “Shit’s going down with Warwick and Marley. I’m not sure what, but they’re leaving town now as a precaution. I told him to keep his phone on.”
“I’ll start tracking him now,” she said without missing a beat or any reaction whatsoever. “Are we heading out to rendezvous with them?”
Pride swelled in his chest. There were a hundred reasons why he loved Ivy, and a hundred more things he admired about her. This was one of them. An unknown and potentially dangerous situation was unfolding with a friend, and she reacted with the cool confidence of a seasoned operator, immediately ready to place herself in danger to help. “Yeah. I’m on my way now.”
“See you in ten.”
He already knew that by the time he pulled into the driveway she would be ready with their gear packed. Extra clothing, food, medical gear. As well as weapons and ammo. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. But if it did, they would be prepared.
He ran down the stairwell, the soles of his shoes on the concrete steps echoing off the walls. In his vehicle, he called the sheriff to update him.
“Where are they going?” Noah asked.
“South. I’ll get an update for them later. Can you send someone to find Teagan in the meantime? We need to find out what she knows and why she had Warwick’s name and picture.”
“I’ll go right now. She’s staying at The Breakers. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Sounds good.” He sped up the hill away from the waterfront, taking side streets to avoid traffic and lights as much as possible. As he drove, his brain turned over everything he knew about Warwick’s situation. Trying to find the link between the recent events, Yates’s sudden appearance and interest in Warwick, and Teagan.
The sheriff called back when Walker was three blocks from home. “Find her?” he asked.
“No. Front desk says she checked out over an hour ago, carrying the backpack she was given. She’s gone.”
