Misdirection (Pros and Cons Mysteries #1)

Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

TODAY

O live pulled up to her apartment building and waved at Jason to let him know she was good. He continued down the road.

Then she’d parked in the garage next to her building. She didn’t bother changing out of her pencil skirt, blouse, and heels. Instead, she hurried across the street to Tevin’s van.

Tevin glanced at her as she climbed inside and slammed the door, his eyebrows suspended. “You good?”

That wasn’t an easy question to answer.

She swallowed hard before saying, “As fine as I can be considering the circumstances.”

“Makes sense.” He drew in a quick breath. “I plugged in the address for Adriana. She’s not far from here.”

“Perfect.” Olive tapped the dash a little too hard. “Let’s go.”

Silence fell as they drove until Tevin asked, “So . . . it seems like you and Jason are bonding.”

He’d been hesitant to ask the question, Olive realized, but curiosity had driven him to ask it anyway. Tevin usually didn’t get personal. They both knew it was better that way.

“Bonding?” She snorted. “We’re definitely not bonding.”

“Rekindling an old flame?”

She resisted another snort. “Jason has a girlfriend. Or he had a girlfriend until he found out she was a deceptive liar—the same thing he’ll eventually find out about me.”

Tevin’s eyebrows twitched. “How will he react when he hears the truth?”

Olive stared out the window as she thought through the question. “Not well. He values integrity—as he should. Integrity is important.”

Tevin stole a quick glance at her. “It’s not that what you’re doing lacks integrity. The job requires subterfuge in order to stop the bad guys.”

She nodded slowly, wrestling with his statement. Did the ends truly justify the means? What did the Bible say about that? She wasn’t sure.

“I know that,” she finally said. “But I’m not sure Jason would ever understand.”

“You never know.” He shrugged.

She turned to study Tevin a moment, curious about his questions. “You’re not rooting for us to get together or something, are you?”

He raised his fingertips from the steering wheel as if throwing his hands in the air. “You know I don’t get involved in personal things like that. It’s not my business.”

“Yet you’re the one who broached this subject . . .” She tapped her index finger in the air.

“Ouch.” He hunched himself as if he were injured. “Shots fired.”

“Let’s talk about your love life instead. Whenever you meet the right one, you have to run her by me, you know. I consider you a brother.”

His smile softened affectionately. “And I consider you a sister. Everyone needs someone to watch their backs, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“So I’ll definitely seek your approval.”

That thought filled Olive with warmth.

They pulled onto the side of the road and stared at the building where Adriana’s apartment was located. The place was sleek and new, more than twenty stories high if she had to guess, with occasional breaks in the concrete where greenery had been planted.

Tevin crossed his arms and sighed. “What now?”

Determination raced through Olive’s veins. “Now, we come up with a plan.”

It had taken some calculating and research, but Olive and Tevin figured out which window showcased Adriana’s apartment.

Then they’d realized her light was on.

Tevin had grabbed his binoculars, and they’d kept an eye on the apartment to see if anyone was inside.

Fifteen minutes later, they hit paydirt.

Adriana stepped in view of the window.

She appeared to be talking with someone on the phone and pacing—though not too close to the window. But it was definitely her, and she was definitely on the phone.

“So she did lie about leaving town,” Olive muttered. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“What now?”

“Now we need to see inside her apartment.” She paused. “Except I can’t let Adriana see me, just in case she knows who I am.”

“Then I’ll go.”

Olive hesitated before agreeing. “That’s probably our best bet, but?—”

“I’ve been trained in these things also,” Tevin reminded her.

She knew that, but Tevin was more of a behind-the-scenes guy. She worried about him.

But Olive also knew he could handle this. Besides, right now they didn’t have much of a choice.

They came up with their plan. Thankfully, they’d prepared for contingencies, and Tevin had some extra shirts in the back of the van to change into.

He did just that.

Five minutes later, he stepped from the van. He paused before closing his door and peered at Olive as if to reassure her.

“I’ll be back.”

Olive opened her door, not about to be left behind. “And I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

“But—”

“Just in case.” She gave him a look, letting him know he shouldn’t argue because he wouldn’t win. “I want to be closer in case you need my help—closer than the van.”

His lips curled into a frown before quickly straightening. “Fine. But give me a few minutes before you come inside.”

She watched as he hurried across the street, bought some flowers from a seller near Adriana’s building, and then rushed inside.

Once he disappeared, Olive casually strolled across the street and into the building. The inside was just as sleek as the outside with polished concrete floors and shiny black tiles lining the walls of the elevator shaft, which was in the center of the lobby. Black-and-white artwork hung on the walls and a TV running news commentary murmured in the corner.

The lobby didn’t have a security desk. She was surprised Adriana didn’t live in an apartment that had that extra assurance.

But the lack of security worked to Olive’s advantage now, so she didn’t complain.

As people milled in and out of the space and a group of girlfriends had a reunion near the front door, Olive casually sat in a plush black chair and pretended to study something on her phone. Tevin should be on the fourth floor and at Adriana’s door by now.

Olive hoped—maybe even prayed—that this went well.

The seconds slowly ticked by.

The seconds turned into several minutes.

What was taking so long?

What if Adriana caught wind of what Tevin was doing? What if the woman tried to hurt him?

The thought of also losing Tevin from her life made Olive’s heart twist with pain. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. But especially not Tevin, who’d become one of her favorite people.

She’d done what she’d vowed not to do, hadn’t she? She’d let herself become attached.

She scolded herself.

You’ve gotta stay sharper, Olive. It’s the little cracks that cause the biggest disasters. She wasn’t sure if her father had really ever said that. But she heard his voice in her head, and the phrase seemed like something he would’ve said.

Olive checked the time every few minutes.

Finally, the elevator dinged.

A moment later, Tevin appeared from around the corner.

Relief swept through her. However, the relief was short-lived when she heard a deep voice behind her.

“What do you think you’re doing here?”

Without even turning, Olive knew exactly who it was.

Jason.