Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(68)

Shame and grief filled Grayson. The knowledge that he’d been responsible for Jeremy’s death had dogged him since that night.

If he hadn’t been out of town . . . If he’d made sure Jeremy had backup the entire night—

Enough. Get your head on straight.

Glancing at his boss, Grayson said, “I understand.”

Eli leaned back against the wall of the elevator. “What’s your take on Gabe Rogers?”

Grayson shifted on his feet, thankful for the change of subject. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe him. We never did figure out who was on the other end of the burner phone, who actually hired Rex Gibson to arrange the kidnapping. Are you okay if I keep digging?”

If Gabe was telling the truth, then someone was still after Claire. The thought sent worry spiraling through Grayson. He’d been working her case, going through the files, but it wasn’t enough. They needed hard evidence. If he had to ruffle feathers at the lab to move things along, he’d do it.

“What are you thinking?” Eli asked.

“The surveillance footage. The lab never finished going through it. Finding whoever bought that damn burner phone is still our best lead for figuring out who’s behind all this.”

For a moment, Grayson was afraid the boss was going to say no. But as the elevator jerked to a stop on the ground floor and the doors slid open, Eli met his gaze and nodded.

“Do it.”



Later that night in the Phoenix Task Force offices, Grayson paused the computer’s video player and rolled his shoulders. Since getting back from the meeting at the jail, he’d reviewed days of video surveillance from the big-box retailer.

The task force knew which chain Rex Gibson’s burner phone had been purchased from, but the retailer’s inventory system didn’t track the sales by serial number. Instead, it simply listed how many of that model number of phone were sold and when. There was no way to know which of its locations had sold the particular phone in question.

Phoenix’s computer specialists had obtained surveillance for all the retailer’s DC-area stores for two weeks prior to Grayson’s learning of the kidnap plot. So far, they had only completed a review of the footage of some of the store’s locations, searching for someone purchasing this type of phone.

Grayson was now reviewing footage from stores his team hadn’t checked yet. Unfortunately, he’d found nothing.

By eight p.m., he’d nearly reached the last of the stores on the list when he saw a man in his early twenties wearing a suit and tie purchase a burner phone. Adrenaline surged through his veins as Grayson zoomed in, praying he’d caught a lucky break.

There! The packaging on the phone matched that of the model they were looking for.

Elated, Grayson bookmarked the video and sent it to the lab with instructions for them to run the man’s photo through facial recognition. If this wasn’t the right buyer, Grayson would finish going through the remainder of the videos tomorrow.

His spirits lighter than when he’d walked in, Grayson left the building and walked out into the cool, damp night toward his Suburban. He’d been hoping to see Alex in the office these past days and casually ask how Claire was doing. Instead, Alex had been staying with Claire 24/7.

He forced his jealous thoughts aside as he reached his car. Alex was a good guy who took his job seriously. He wouldn’t jeopardize anything by making a move on Claire, which was more than Grayson could say about himself.



On his way home, Grayson stopped to pick up takeout for a late dinner. Back in his apartment, he transferred his food to a plate and sat at his kitchen table to eat. Alone.

He put the plate in the dishwasher when he’d finished and headed to the living room to watch a little TV before bed.

Flipping through the channels, he tried to focus, but his gaze was drawn to the box he’d brought from his mother’s house. It still sat on the coffee table, taunting him.

Damn it, I guess it’s time.

Grayson dug through the box for the right photo album and pulled out his mother’s letter. A lump formed in his throat as he unfolded the paper.



My dearest Grayson,

Words can’t express how much I love you. If it weren’t for you, I’m not sure I could have gone on after your father died. You were the sole reason I was able to get out of bed each morning.

I’m so proud of the path you’ve taken and the man you’ve become. My greatest wish is that you live a long and happy life, and that you don’t spend it alone. There’s no better feeling than being with the right person.

Find someone who will make you smile, Gray, someone who will challenge you, someone you’ll do anything for. A family will give you a reason to get up each morning—even in the darkest days—just like you did for me.

I’ll always love you,

Mom



Grayson set the letter down and walked toward the glass sliders leading to the balcony. As he stared out at the city lights glistening in the mist, his thoughts swung between the letter and Claire.

His mother’s final words hadn’t made him miserable in the way he’d expected. As it turned out, most of his regrets seemed to center on Claire.

There’s no better feeling than being with the right person.

While he knew his mother was right, so was he. He’d done Claire a favor by letting her go. But there weren’t many women who’d captivated him the way she had. Hell, there weren’t any.