Chapter 4 #2
Under the impressive woman’s command, the two teams had worked together to intercept a sizeable shipment of illegal guns.
Shortly after, when they learned that Talia had been abducted, Emmett and the others had jumped at the chance to assist in her rescue.
Thankfully the two teams were able to locate her just in time.
After recovering from the wounds that very nearly ended the woman’s life, Talia and Jagger Brooks—a badass member of Delta Team—made their whirlwind romance official by becoming man and wife.
She resigned from Homeland shortly before the wedding and has since become an official Delta Team operative.
“If nothing else, hopefully she’ll at least obtain verification from someone currently working within the White House walls that Amy Weaver was part of their staff.”
Having two conflicting lists of press office interns wasn’t nearly enough. Not if they planned to go all the way with their investigation.
You go after the White House; you’d better damn well have some rock-solid proof.
It was a very good thing for them to remember, but it was also a problem for another day. They’d only just begun to investigate and weren’t even close to being to that point…yet. But something churning within Emmett’s gut said they were likely headed that way.
“What about Janie?” he asked his teammate next. “You dig any deeper on that front?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. Still no red flags where she’s concerned.
In fact, I read up on this big story she broke not long ago.
Apparently with the help of a protected whistleblower, our client was responsible for exposing a massive corruption ring involving several St. Louis city administrators, as well as a select few within the governor’s inner circle. ”
Emmett thought about the article he’d been reading when Blake first walked into the room. The subject of the front-page feature was none other than Janie Reynolds.
From what he’d learned, their client didn’t care about the attention or achieving her fifteen minutes of fame. Her responses to the interviewer’s questions seemed as genuine as her concern for a woman she didn’t even know.
Yes, Janie seemed to be the real deal. A woman who’d found her purpose in her search for truth and justice. But as his mom used to say, only time would tell.
“Hey.”
He and Blake turned their focus toward Lucas Mercer, who was standing inside the open doorway. The forty-five-year-old medic leaned his six-three frame against the door’s dark wood.
With a tip of his scruff-covered chin, he motioned toward Emmett and Blake. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“You’re good. What’s up?” Emmett waved him into the room.
Lucas walked toward them with casual steps. “I just got off the phone with Talia.”
“She gonna help?” Blake asked next.
“She said she’d do what she can.” The former Navy Corpsman came to a stop next to where Blake stood. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his charcoal-gray pants, his blue stare turned Emmett’s way. “Talia said she’d see if Scarlett can help.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Let me know what you find out on that front.”
“I will.”
“Thanks.” Emmett looked Blake’s way. “Same goes for you. That program of yours gets a hit on the van’s logo, I want to know.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n.” The jokester gave him a half-assed salute.
“What logo?” Lucas looked to Blake. “And there’s a van?” After they filled the man in on what Blake had discovered, he slid his blue stare back to Emmett. “What do you need from us in the meantime?”
“Just keep your phones nearby in case something helpful pops up. And we should probably start scheduling interviews for an office manager ASAP.”
“The stack of resumes is still on my desk,” Lucas shared. “I was looking through some of them earlier. From what I saw, they all seem to be decent applicants.”
Blake scoffed. “And we all know someone can look awesome on paper, but then you meet them in 3D, and it’s like . . .” He moved his hands out from his temples while mimicking the sound of an explosion.
Emmett smirked. “That’s why we should probably get some interviews under our belts sooner rather than later.”
“Boss makes a good point.” Blake nodded his head in agreement. “Word gets out that we’re signing on clients, it’s only a matter of time before that waiting area out there is full of people ready to give us their money.”
The goofy grin on the other man’s face made him appear younger than his thirty-eight years.
“I’ll give Janie a call and let her know where we’re at with everything so far,” Emmett told his teammates. To Blake, he asked, “Can you touch base with Draven and Gwen to see if they’ve made anymore headway with the landlord or neighbors?”
The brilliant man turned to leave. “On it, boss.” He waved a hand in the air on his way out the door.
“I’ll go check out the rest of the resumes,” Lucas offered. “You want me to bring you the stack of files when I’m finished?”
“That’s fine. And jot down your top five picks when you’re done. But keep them to yourself,” Emmett ordered. “I’ll do the same before I pass them along to the others. Then we can set up a time to compare notes and narrow them down so we don’t waste time with a bunch of needless interviews.”
“Sounds like a solid plan to me.”
With that, Lucas left the office, shutting the door behind him as he went. Rolling himself closer to his desk, Emmett reached out and opened his laptop once more.
Janie smiled back at him from his screen as the article showcasing her professional success filled the space to the right. He finished reading the rest of the story about the fierce, unintimidated woman who was their client.
He had to admit her tenacity in exposing her local government’s crimes was also impressive as it was admirable. Emmett’s focus returned to the photo, which appeared to be a professional headshot.
Janie’s blue eyes seemingly stared straight into his. They were eyes he could easily become lost in if he weren’t careful.
You’d better damn well be careful.
The mental reminder had him closing out the digital article and reaching for the business card he’d left on the top of his desk. As much as he dreaded hearing her sexy voice, he’d promised to give her an update.
Not that there was much to tell.
Emmett looked at the number, reaching for his office phone as it began to ring. Blinking, he picked up the receiver with plans to call Janie after he addressed whoever was calling, but those plans were erased the second he heard the slight husk of her voice.
“Emmett?”
“Janie?”
“Sorry to bother you, but I didn’t know who else to call.”
Something about her tone immediately set him on high alert.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned.
“I’m being followed. Black, four-door, tinted windows. I can’t see the plate, but it’s been consistently staying three car-lengths back.”
Emmett’s spine grew stiff and the grip on his phone tightened. “Where are you?”
“Three blocks from my hotel.”
“Don’t go there,” he ordered briskly. “I want you to come straight here, instead.”
“To your office?”
“Yes. But let me call you right back. I need to switch to my cell.”
“Okay.”
“Two seconds.”
He returned the phone’s receiver to its cradle. Grabbing his personal phone, Emmett dialed Janie’s number as he stood from his chair and started for the door. When she picked up the call, he didn’t waste time with much of a formal greeting.
“It’s me. There’s a parking garage attached to the west side of the building.” He spoke as he walked down the hall toward Blake’s office. “What kind of car are you driving?”
“A black Toyota Camry,” she shared before adding, “It’s a rental.”
“Is the other car still there?”
“Three spots back, same as it’s been since I first noticed it.”
Emmett entered Blake’s office without knocking. His teammate looked up from the impressive, state-of-the-art tech setup Blake had designed himself.
“What’s up?” He shot Emmett an inquisitive look.
“I’m with Blake,” he told the woman on the other end of the call. “I’m going to put you on speaker.”
“Okay.”
A quick tap of the screen allowed the three of them to more easily participate in the conversation.
“Hey, Janie. Blake, here. What’s going on?”
“She’s being followed,” Emmett answered the question for her.
His teammate’s blue eyes flew to his with a look that said his protective instincts had just been shot into high gear. Like Emmett, Blake—and every other member of their team—all seemed to be torn from the same tattered cloth.
Someone needed help, they were the first to step in line. It didn’t matter that Janie hadn’t hired them for the protection they offered. That was always part of the package. The S in R.I.S.C. guaranteed its clients security, should the need arise.
And if Janie was right and someone truly was following her, that need was already here.
“What’s your location?” Blake asked her next.
They listened as she rattled off the street names at the intersection where a red light had forced her to stop.
Blake’s fingers flew over his wireless keyboard, and within seconds, he was in. “Okay, Janie. I’ve got you pulled up on my screen.”
Emmett watched the middle of the three sizeable monitors positioned next to one another on the top of Blake’s desk. The angle of the CCTV camera closest to Janie’s car gave them a bird’s eye view of her rental.
“Your screen?” There was a slight pause, the surprise in her tone obvious. “Wait, you’re saying you can actually see me? But how?”
He listened as Blake explained in short, “I accessed the city’s CCTV system. There’s a camera mounted to the light pole on your right.”
“I can’t see it.”
I can’t see her.
Emmett ignored the disappointment that caused. He didn’t need to see her face to know she was there. And for the moment, their client was safe.
“It’s okay.” Blake tapped a few more keys. “You don’t need to. We’ve got you and the other car in full view.”
The far-left screen showed the black, tinted car. It was idling three cars behind Janie’s rental, just as she’d described.
When the light turned green, Emmett rattled off his next set of instructions. “Keep going straight through the next two lights, and the entrance to the garage will be on your right.”
“What if they try to follow me inside?”
“They can’t,” he assured her. “The garage has an armed guard at the entrance twenty-four hours a day.” He gave his teammate’s shoulder a slight nudge.
When Blake turned his way, Emmett added, “I’m going to head down to the garage now.
Blake’s going to keep an eye on you through the street cams until you get here.
He’s also going to call down and give the guard your name and description with instructions to let you in. ”
“Okay.”
Blake gave him a slight dip of his chin before reaching for his phone. Emmett left the office, his feet moving swiftly across the floor’s smooth surface.
“I’m coming up on your building now.” Janie’s voice came through the phone once more.
Emmett took her off speaker and put the cell to his ear. “When you get inside the garage, park as close to the elevators as you can.” He yanked open the office’s main door and took a hard left, toward the elevators on that floor.
“Then what?”
The doors slid open, and he stepped inside the otherwise empty cart. “Stay in your car and wait for me there. I’m on my way to you, now.”