Chapter Twenty-Eight
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The two-hour drive to Portland from Crimson Point passed mostly in silence while Cassie drove the company SUV and Tristan rode shotgun, answering messages, texting back and forth with HQ. He’d volunteered to accompany her on this mission to find their mystery good Samaritan because Carly was his niece, and they’d been asked to pass on any information to the police they could get about the man who had used Carly as a shield.
And...maybe also partly because he was more than a little bit curious about CPS’s only female personal security agent.
She was easy to work with, always professional, but didn’t mix much with the rest of them outside of work and seemed to prefer keeping to herself. But then being the only female on the personal protection team couldn’t be easy.
“You hungry?” she asked when they were a couple of miles from their exit.
“I could eat if you want to stop somewhere. If not, I’m good.” He’d learned from day one that she preferred to be in the driver’s seat, and he was pretty sure that went beyond actual driving.
He didn’t mind being a passenger with her. She was a controlled, experienced driver, always paid attention to what was happening around them, was never reckless or arrogant behind the wheel.
A little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, her lips shiny and pink. He liked that she didn’t wear much makeup, just a little lip gloss and subtle touches on her eyes that enhanced their unique silver color. She had seriously gorgeous eyes, and her short cap of black hair made them stand out even more. “Little secret about me, I’m always hungry.”
She must have a crazy fast metabolism, because she was slim and trim. Tall too, around five-eleven. “Okay, then let’s stop.”
She took the next exit. “Coffee shop okay?”
“Sure.”
They used the drive-through. She ordered herself the biggest vanilla latte they had, a chocolate croissant, and an apple turnover. He got a black coffee and a double chocolate muffin.
“Want a bite?” she asked, holding out the turnover as she turned back onto the street.
“I’m good.”
She eyed his muffin. “You gonna share some of that?”
He hesitated. Knew it was fucking weird that as an adult he still wanted to hoard his food like a dragon guarding its treasure. He’d put it in his right hand without even realizing it, instinctively holding it out of her reach.
But those times he’d gone hungry as a kid when his mom had started to decline, the constant uncertainty about when he’d get his next meal, had left an indelible mark. He and Gavin had wound up over at Autumn’s place to eat countless times. If not for her and her parents, they would have gone hungry a whole lot more.
He broke off a little piece of his muffin and put it in Cassie’s upturned palm, fighting the discomfort.
She spared a glance at it, gave him a sardonic look. “So generous. Thank you.”
He didn’t answer, just tightened his hold on what was left and took a sip of his scalding hot coffee that melted off a layer of tastebuds, resisting the urge to wolf the rest of the muffin down so she couldn’t ask for more.
See, he could control it.
“You’re from Kentucky, right? All you guys.”
“Yeah. You?” He hadn’t heard from Gavin yet this morning and hoped that was good news. Yesterday’s news had come as a shock, but Autumn was awesome. So was Carly. And in spite of Gavin’s hangups about being a parent, Tristan would love to see his twin settled with them as a family unit.
“Nevada.” She didn’t elaborate, and they lapsed back into silence as they ate.
A few minutes later, they got their first look at downtown Portland since yesterday’s chaos. The skyline was no longer full of smoke, but the damage to the city center was evident the moment they exited off the freeway.
“What a mess,” Cassie muttered.
Cleanup was well underway, with heavy equipment and crews assisting in the effort. Security in and out of the city center was still tight. They were stopped at two different checkpoints to verify their identities and purpose for entering the city.
Using GPS, they found the construction site they were looking for easily enough. “We didn’t even need an address. All we needed to do was head for the cranes,” she said.
“True enough.” The same company logo that was on their person of interest’s vest emblazoned signage along the fences and modular buildings at the entrance to the site.
Cassie slipped on sunglasses as she parked the SUV beside the main gate, and they walked through it, pausing inside to look at the image of the man they were looking for. Ivy hadn’t been able to get a shot of him head-on, but it showed his profile just as he pulled off the gas mask. Straight nose. Short-trimmed dark beard, collar-length hair.
“There’s something familiar about him,” Cassie said, surprising him.
“You recognize him?”
“I think so, but I’m not sure from where.” They continued farther into the site.
A man exited one of the modular buildings up ahead on the right, tugging on work gloves on his way across the site. His hard hat covered his hair, but the profile and dark beard were right. “That’s him,” Tristan said.
“Yeah, and I’ve definitely seen him somewhere. It’s driving me nuts.”
Rather than call out or try to intercept him, Tristan instead loped up the wooden steps of the first building and opened the door. A fortyish guy with a big paunch sat hunched over a keyboard, a mug in one hand.
He looked up at them, paused. “Can I help you both?”
“Yes.” He and Cassie pulled out their IDs. “We’re with Crimson Point Security, following up on an incident relating to the riots yesterday. We need a word with one of your employees.”
The man frowned. “Who?”
“He just walked out of here a minute ago.”
“TJ?” He seemed surprised.
“What’s that stand for?”
He blinked. “I’m not sure. He’s a good worker, but he’s not full time. Only works shifts here and there when we need extra guys.”
“What’s his last name?”
“Barros.” He gave them a skeptical look. “You sure you got the right guy? He’s low key, never any trouble. Doesn’t seem the type to get involved in that kinda thing. Not like some of the other homeless guys we take on here.”
Barros was homeless? That wouldn’t make finding out about him easy.
“We’re sure,” Tristan said. Interesting that the foreman didn’t seem to think Barros would be linked to the riots. Zero chance he had just been caught up in the mess. The guy had come prepared, wearing a gas mask. “Would you mind calling him over for us? It’s about an investigation we’re working on.”
The police were overwhelmed with the sheer number of individuals charged over the weekend. Any intel he and Cassie could get about the suspect who had grabbed Carly would help their case against him.
He glanced from Tristan to Cassie and back again. “Yeah, all right.” He got up, rounded the desk and strode for the door with Tristan and Cassie right behind him.
Time to find out who their good Samaritan really was.