Deadly Game (Fortress Security #5)(53)
Not what Brent wanted to hear.
“Here’s my best advice. If you want to stay free to help Rowan and Alexa, act like you’re cooperating. Crenshaw is old school and has a big ego. If he thinks you aren’t giving him the respect his badge deserves, he’ll make it his mission to see you behind bars. You won’t be able to help either of your ladies if that happens.” Another glance toward the still closed door. “If Alexa is at Phillips’ compound, you need to get her out of there, fast.”
“What do you know, Torres?”
“Same as you. Nothing concrete. Just rumors there’s a raid planned of all the militia compounds on this list in the next few days.”
Brent’s stomach knotted. If the feds didn’t know about Alexa’s presence, that sweet little girl might end up caught in the crossfire.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“What are we doing?” Rowan stared through the windshield as Brent drove toward Heather’s house. Darkness had fallen and the evening air was growing cold. “We can’t waltz in there. Heather’s house is still a crime scene and Detective Taylor hasn’t released it yet. Besides, with our luck, a neighbor will see us at the house and call the police. I don’t fancy explaining to Detective Taylor why I chose to break the law. He’ll toss us behind bars and lose the key.”
“Don’t have a choice, baby. Not with Alexa’s safety on the line.” He flashed her a quick grin. “However, SEALs don’t waltz anywhere. We sneak in with silent steps. No one knows we’re there until it’s too late to escape.”
How could he joke at this situation? Although they needed inside the house, Rowan didn’t want to spend time behind bars. How would she explain to Alexa that her aunt had spent time in the pokey? Talk about setting a bad example.
“Sweetheart, it will be all right.” Brent laced his fingers through hers. “We’ll go in from the back. If we’re careful, no one will know we’re inside the house. We have to know what the kidnappers want. This is the easiest, fastest way. If we’re lucky, we’ll find what we need here. If not, we’ll move on to Maxwell’s business.”
She sighed. “Sorry. I’m just worried. I don’t know where to start or what I’m looking for. How will I know if I’m seeing the right thing?”
“We’ll figure it out. The kidnapper must think you’ll recognize the importance of what you find. Try to remember places where Heather might hide things of importance.”
“Why not places Jay might hide something? He’s the one who hid the records.” Heather wasn’t known for her bravery when it came to defying her husband’s orders. If she had been, Rowan would have been able to talk her sister into leaving her abusive husband before it was too late.
“She might have left something for you explaining the file. Jay didn’t know she’d left a copy of the file with you and neither did the kidnapper. You wouldn’t know what to do with the file unless you’ve been holding out on me about your code-cracking abilities.”
Rowan gave a short laugh. “Heather was the one into codes and the key to crack them. I might have figured it out eventually, but I still wouldn’t have known what the information meant.” In her view, Adam Walker was amazing. To crack Heather’s code in a day was nothing less than a miracle as far as she was concerned and made her wonder in passing about the operative’s background.
Brent was silent a moment. “You’re an intelligent woman, Rowan. Heather trusted you to find out the truth and know how to handle it.”
Maybe. Heather questioned her about her friends and co-workers, asking about everything imaginable. The one person Heather showed the most interest in was Brent. Rowan’s cheeks burned. Her sister must have known Rowan had a crush on the sexy operative. Heather had been her confidant. Now who would she share secrets with? “She likely expected me to ask you for help.”
Brent’s hand squeezed hers. “Why would she assume that? We haven’t even been on a date yet, something I plan to remedy as soon as we have Alexa home safe, by the way.”
“I’ll keep my social calendar free.” Her heart skipped a beat at his use of the plural pronoun. Alexa wasn’t related to him, yet he appeared as concerned about the girl as Rowan. “Because Jay wouldn’t let Heather spend time with many people, the people in my life interested her. Co-workers, friends, you.”
He sent a grin her way. “Talked about me, huh? All good, I hope.”
“Couldn’t be anything except good. I told her your name and my impressions of you, the small snippets of information you let slip in our conversations over the past year.” Rowan’s heart leaped into her throat as a horrible thought crossed her mind. “Oh, Brent. If Heather knew I might share the file with you, then she must have researched you on the Internet. I’m so sorry. She might have led the wrong people to your doorstep.” She groaned. “Maybe that’s why someone broke into your house.”
Another hand squeeze. “I know who broke into my house. I have surveillance footage of him. He used to be on my payroll. Beyond that, I’m the face of Fortress, Rowan. While I keep a low profile, my name is out there along with basic information. Perhaps Heather found enough in her research to convince her you’d be safe with me and that I had the resources to help.”