DONOVAN (Gray Wolf Security, #1)(28)

“Is that the person who was outside my house?”

“That’s him. Or her.”

“Why do you say her?” Donovan asked.

“The width of the shoulders, the size of the head…it’s either a small man or an average-sized woman.”

I stared at the image, trying to see something that I couldn’t. It was dark. The house was dark—why did I pick that shade of blue again?—and the clothing the person was wearing was dark. Therefore, it all just sort of blended together. There was nothing to see but outlines.

It was like trying to identify your father in a blurred photograph. Impossible.

“I don’t see anything,” I said before Donovan or David could ask.

“I didn’t think you would,” David said. “But I was hoping something about it might nudge your memory.”

I shook my head again. How could it nudge my memory when it just looked like a blob? A blob didn’t kill Joe.

Donovan took my hand and pulled me back toward him. I caught David looking, curiosity clear in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He simply turned back to the computer and punched a few more letters and numbers into his keyboard. Again the screen filled with one image, this one clearly a live feed outside of my house. Outside my bedroom window to be exact.

There were people moving around in the dead grass, doing something with the bottom edge of the windowsill.

“Santa Monica police?” Donovan asked.

“Yeah. They’ve been trying to figure out what the perp was doing all morning, but they still have no clue. Last I heard, they thought that maybe the perp was trying to set a device to the window. Something explosive.”

Donovan nodded. “Just a little C4 there would probably have taken out the whole room.”

“Do you think we’re dealing with ex-military?” David asked.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I’ll check it out,” he said, changing the screens back to the multitude of code and images that had been there when we first walked up. Donovan tugged at my hand, turning to head back across the room.

“He’s gone,” he whispered near my ear.

I glanced back and, sure enough, David was clearly consumed by whatever it was he was doing.

“Come eat,” Rose called to us from the kitchen.

In addition to being the office manager, she was also quite an accomplished chef. She’d whipped up lovely tomato and cheese omelets while we were talking to David. Since I hadn’t eaten the night before, I was starving and quite grateful for the delicious concoction. Rose smiled when I complemented her, but her attention was clearly on Donovan.

“Joss’ case resolved itself last night. She’ll be back in town this afternoon.”

Donovan nodded as he tucked into his eggs. “Good for her.”

“She’ll be ready for a new case this evening. You know her, never likes to be idyll.”

“I know.” Donovan shifted in his chair. “I’m sure something will come up.”

Rose glanced at me, then focused on Donovan for a long second. “Okay,” she said softly, touching his shoulder as she headed back to her desk.

“What was that all about?” I asked. “Who’s Joss?”

Before he could answer, another tall, handsome man came bounding through the front door.

“Beautiful, sweet Rose,” he called as he caught her a few feet from her desk, twirling her around and dipping her as though they were on the floor of a ballroom dancing competition. “How are you, my gorgeous lady?”

Rose blushed, but her tone was stern when she said, “I told you to cut that out, Kirkland.”

“You’ve told me many things, my sweet Rose. But it seems you protest much too much.”

She slapped his arm, but it didn’t seem like there was much power behind it.

The man she called Kirkland spotted Donovan and me. He smiled brightly, practically prancing as he crossed the room.

“Donovan, my brother,” he said, slapping Donovan on the back. “How’s it hanging? And who is this exquisite creature?”

“Ignore him, Kate,” Donovan said. “He’ll eventually go away.”

“Like an annoying bug?”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, come on,” Kirkland said, settling in the chair that separated Donovan and I. “I’m Kirkland,” he said, offering me his hand. “Donny and I have been working together forever. Doesn’t that give me some cred?”

I couldn’t help but smile. And it didn’t hurt that he had one of the most charming smiles I’d ever seen. He reminded me of Matthew McConaughey. He had that sort of southern charm that was so hard to resist. But in the looks department he was more of a younger, taller version of Michael Ealy. Absolutely gorgeous.

Where did Ash find these guys?

“I’m Kate.”

His smile widened as he took my hand between both of his. “It’s a joy to meet you, Kate. How did you happen to meet our Donny here?”

“Kirk,” Donovan said in a tone that could only be described as a warning.

“She’s a client,” David said, rolling into the kitchen almost silently in his fiberglass wheelchair.

“A client?” Kirkland looked me up and down, then leaned close and whispered in my ear, “If this one can’t keep you safe, you’re more than welcome to come seek me out, darling.”