Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(14)
Gibson’s face turned red. “What’re you, deaf? I told you the answer’s no.”
“I just don’t get what the big deal is.”
“I don’t get it either,” Gibson admitted, then narrowed his eyes. “Why do you keep asking about this job?”
Grayson thought fast. “I was counting on that money. Now I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do.”
“Forget about it.” Gibson waved a hand, dismissing the protests. “I’ll cut you in on something else instead.”
Grayson ground his teeth as he looked toward his car. He needed to talk to Eli to figure out what to do next. More than ready to wrap up the conversation, he turned back to Gibson. “What’ll you cut me in on?”
“The clubs, just like you wanted in the first place. Gimme a call next week.”
“Fine. I have to go pick up my kid now, anyway.”
Grayson stalked toward his car, grumbling under his breath when the old Civic’s gears slipped as he pulled out. A few blocks away from the motel, he pulled into a convenience store parking lot. When the surveillance van pulled in next to him a few seconds later, he jumped out of his car and ducked inside the van’s side door as it slid open for him.
Eli turned from the surveillance technician as Grayson growled, “We’ve got a big problem.”
“I heard,” Eli said. “But the wiretap is paying off. We’re lucky Gibson’s not too paranoid and hasn’t swapped out his phone yet. A flurry of texts went back and forth just before your meeting regarding the kidnapping. We know who it is they’re planning to take.”
Grayson’s hope rose, along with gratitude that they’d been able to secure a warrant to tap Gibson’s cell phone. “Who?”
“Senator Thomas Parker’s daughter. Her name is Claire.”
“You’re positive?”
“Without a doubt. Her name, address, and photo were texted to Gibson this morning.”
Grayson closed his eyes in relief. Now that they knew who the target was, they could get the girl into protective custody. “Any idea who it was Gibson texted?”
“The texts were made from a burner phone that pinged off a tower in DC. We’re working on identifying who it belongs to. Get this, though. Claire Parker has a boyfriend, Gabe Rogers, who’s being investigated by the SEC. He’s been running a Ponzi scheme that’s about to implode.”
“So he’s desperate.”
“Exactly,” Eli said. “His clients have given him millions over the past few years to invest. But instead of investing it all as promised, he’s been using most of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Mansions, expensive cars, you name it. But now clients are starting to demand results, and a few have asked for their investment back. He’s scrambling to recruit more clients so that he can make payments to the original investors.”
“What’s his background?”
“Graduated from Wharton six years ago and moved to DC to start his investment business. A real whiz kid. Built his company from nothing, and supposedly had an investment portfolio in the nine figures.”
Grayson mulled over the new info. “Any chance of a connection between the boyfriend’s money problems and the kidnapping? He could probably get a nice ransom for her from the senator.”
“Possibly. The Parkers are old money. Either way, we’ve got to get the girl into protective custody.”
“Agreed,” Grayson said, then surprised himself by adding, “I’ll take this one.”
“You sure about that?” Eli scoffed. “Protection detail isn’t exactly your favorite assignment.”
The protective instincts that had surged when Gibson first mentioned the kidnapping rolled through Grayson again, solidifying his decision. “I’d like to take care of it.”
Eli cursed under his breath. “We have a problem. Zara is undercover on a case, so we can’t pull her to have a female agent on the protective detail. It’s not mandatory, but it does help to put a female protectee at ease to have another woman there.”
Grayson snorted. “My new partner’s about as touchy-feely as they come. He’ll put any woman at ease in no time.
“All right.” Eli chuckled and then gave him Claire Parker’s address. “You and Jeremy can handle this one together. But I’m going to have to recruit another female agent. Just having one on the team isn’t cutting it.”
Chapter Twelve
After breakfast Sunday morning, Claire said polite good-byes to Gabe’s guests, then slipped away for a quick two-mile run on the beach. She set a steady pace, breathing through her nose as her arms pumped, and did her best to clear her mind. Gentle waves rolled onto the sand, sometimes surprising her and forcing her to dance away from their reach with a laugh.
She hit the one-mile mark and turned to retrace her steps, feeling energized and loose by the time she reached the resort and loped up the steps to a side entrance. A well-dressed elderly woman gave Claire a curt nod as she entered the elevator, the woman’s lips pressing into a thin, disapproving line as she scanned Claire’s running attire. The mismatched running shorts and oversized T-shirt she preferred to run in weren’t expensive or trendy, but Claire didn’t care. They were comfortable, and that’s what counted.