Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(93)

“Mark should be back any minute. He had a lead on Becker so half of the office went with him. Connor and Rory took your clothes over to my friend at Crystal City.” Ember reached across the counter, offering her hand. “Hi, Shelby. We’re so glad you’re staying with Kelsey.”


There was no pretentiousness behind Ember’s greeting, only admiration.

“I hope I was helpful.” Shelby glanced over her shoulder at the others in the office. A handsome guy leaned over the desk of a pretty girl. He’d glanced up at Gabe’s introductions, his gaze scrolling up and down, ending at her breasts. She reached for Gabe’s hand, intertwining her fingers between his.

Gabe dipped his head to her level. “You okay?”

“Yes. Sure.” Much better now.

“So where’s Mother?” he asked. “She didn’t go with Mark, did she?”

“She quit.” Ember tossed her head, sending a quiver through the cascade of tangles down her back. “Do you believe that? After all this time with Alex, and she quits when Mark needs her most?”

“You’re kidding me. Why? What’s wrong with her?”

Shelby listened to make sure she’d heard right. Gabe’s mother works here, too? That’s kind of weird.

Ember wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know, but she’s off my Christmas list. Mark thinks she’s working with Becker and Fallon.”

“No way. She wouldn’t do that.”

“Okay, wait a minute.” Shelby lifted her hand for attention. “I’m sorry, but who’s Mother?”

Gabe grinned. “Sorry. It’s a nickname. Mother was our lead techie. I used to think she was a genius, but now that she’s quit I’m not so sure.” He turned back to Ember. “Hey. We ran into Becker over in Arlington not more than an hour ago in the middle of me trying to protect Zack and Kelsey from being run off the bridge. Somehow, that ended up being my fault, but I thought he was supposed to be in jail. What happened?”

“I don’t know, but if you just saw him in Arlington, who’s Mark chasing?”

“Can’t be him unless he’s in two places at one time.”

She nodded at the two empty chairs beside hers. “Since you’re both involved, let’s bring you up to speed. Oh yeah, those guys who blew up your car also poisoned Kelsey’s dogs. Zack’s taking care of them and Kelsey at the moment.”

“No shit?” Gabe asked as he escorted Shelby past the customer service counter and into Ember’s workspace. He offered her a chair and held it until she settled. He grabbed another chair and swung it around backwards and sat, his arms crossed over the chair back, his green eyes shining.

“Stupid, mean people,” Ember hissed. “I hate anyone who hurts animals.”

Shelby didn’t know what to say. Kelsey loved those two dogs, called them her boys. Whisper and Smoke needed to pull through this poisoning if only for Kelsey. They had to!

“I know what you mean,” Gabe agreed, “but Zack knows dogs. He’ll move heaven and hell to take care of them. Kelsey, too.”

“I now, but I can’t get in touch with him to get a progress report. It’s killing me.”

“Ember.” Gabe tapped the counter top to get her attention. “Trust Zack. What else have I missed?”

Ember’s head bobbed. “You’re right. Sorry. Let me show you what’s been happening.”

While Gabe and Ember chatted, Shelby took stock of Ember’s very technical-looking workstation. Shelby took stock of Ember’s very technical-looking workstation. The sleek black granite counter tops lent an elegant touch. CPUs and other equipment lined a portion of the cabinet to her left, with more on the floor beneath to her right. A bank of monitors lined a half-wall rising out of the floor. It didn’t reach the ceiling, but supported more computer equipment than one would expect in a normal business office. Looked more like command central than a secretary’s desk.

Eww. All the overhead screens relayed camera views from Kelsey’s home, even capturing the burned spot on the street where she’d parked her car. Her heart pinched. Had Ember seen her earlier transgression? Her car blowing up? Probably not, or she wouldn’t be so nice.

Ember rolled her chair to another monitor. With a tap of her fingers, a keyboard lifted up from the desk, then another alongside the first. Her fingertips flew from one keyboard to the other. The screen flickered on. She cocked her head and stilled. “Yes, Mark. He and Miss Sullivan are here now. They’re okay.”

“Tell him I ran into Becker,” Gabe urged Ember. “Arlington Memorial Bridge. Zack and Kelsey are at my place in Silver Springs.”

She nodded and relayed the intel. “Understood. Check when you leave the hospital. Copy that.”

“She’s wearing a Bluetooth earpiece,” Gabe explained to Shelby. “We all do.”

“You all do? Even at Kelsey’s?” Shelby asked, a catch in her throat. That little Bluetooth nugget of information didn’t sit so well. So Zack and Gabe and Mark and Ember were all connected. All the time? Even when you kissed me?


“Yes, but only on active ops, like when Zack or I walked the perimeter or were out of touch with each other,” Gabe said. “Keeps our hands free for weapons. No need for twenty-four-seven communication otherwise. It would drive Ember nuts listening to everything we said.”