Chapter 10
TEN
Technically,Tank shared an office with Marshall. But there were few things Tank despised more than sitting at a desk. There was no question that he preferred action. Which was why he avoided paperwork at all costs and spent most of his time in the gym, the shooting range, or reviewing intelligence while sitting on the sofa in the office.
Which was why he was currently trying not to doze off in the corner of the black leather sofa, trying to put together the scraps of intel they’d received from Strickland during their interrogation. Tank was ready to go home, but he also needed to finish reading these summaries from the intelligence team.
He glanced at the clock again. Three o’clock.
“It’s been less than two minutes since you last looked,” Marshall said dryly from his desk across the room. Whereas Tank sported a steel-blue polo, Marshall was in a crisp, white button-down shirt. His suit jacket neatly hung on a hanger, resting on a coat hook on the back of their office door.
Marshall liked to be prepared for anything, including an impromptu meeting at the White House. Tank preferred to be comfortable. But he had a suit and tie in the small closet in the corner of the office as well. He also had a ragged leather jacket and a pair of jeans, because you never knew where you’d need to blend in.
Tank grunted at his friend, but Marshall just chuckled.
“Just go home, dude. Is your girl there today? Got some home cooking waiting for you?”
Tank felt his cheeks tighten, a hint of heat flaring in them. It seemed that Marshall loved to give him a hard time about Kaylie. Tank had made the mistake of mentioning that he’d walked them to the bus stop, and his friend had latched on to it.
Thankfully, Tank’s phone rang, and Joey’s number flashed on the screen. “Sorry, gotta take this.”
Marshall rolled his eyes and waved a hand.
“Whatcha got, Joey?”
“Can you come to my office? I think this’ll be easier in person.”
“On my way,” Tank replied, already pushing himself off the couch.
“Tell Joey I really need that updated financial deep dive on Summit Capital.”
Tank nodded, though he probably would do no such thing. Joey hated to be reminded of things she already knew were her responsibility. Which was why Tank hadn’t pushed her on the information he’d asked for about Kaylie. He had to trust that she was working on it as quickly as she could. If Marshall wanted to nag her about his own intel, then he would be the one to pay the price.
Joey was waiting for him, and Tank was surprised to see several pictures of Kaylie on the screen.
She didn’t waste any time. “I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes, so I’m sorry this will be quick. I wanted to tell you as soon as I could, though.”
Tank nodded, and Joey took it as a sign to continue. “Kaylie Richards, who I greenlighted to be your housekeeper, is clean as a whistle. No arrests, good recommendations from former clients.”
Tank frowned. “I know all this.”
Joey nodded. “What you don’t know is that Kaylie Richards is actually Kaylie Hawkins.”
Tank’s eyebrows flew upward. “Why?”
Joey tipped her head back and forth. “When you asked me about her a few months ago, I made the connection. But Kaylie Hawkins is also clean as a whistle. No arrests. Former foster kid in New Jersey. It looked like she was looking for a clean start and found one here.”
Tank’s fist tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me, Joey? She’s been in my house for months!”
Joey’s face remained completely still. She waited until Tank relaxed into the chair. “Look, I was trying to protect her privacy. I figured she was running from some sort of domestic situation. It didn’t impact what you needed to know, so I let the girl keep her secrets.”
Tank considered her words. He trusted Joey beyond a doubt, but he had not expected her to withhold information like this. “And now?”
Joey winced. “I should have dug deeper. Kaylie was running from a bad situation, but I didn’t realize how bad.”
Dread pooled low in the pit of Tank’s stomach, waiting for the other shoe to drop. His eyes flicked to the screen where the single photo from Kaylie’s social media was on display. Next to it was an image of an entourage coming out of some sort of nightclub.
“Kaylie is running from the Moreno family.”
Tank felt a little nauseous at the revelation.
Joey continued, “I’m not sure exactly what her involvement with them was, but records from the New Jersey FBI have her listed as a known associate, and her last known address was owned by the family.”
Tank blinked, staring at the photo of the young girl. It hardly looked like Kaylie. Instead of the yoga pants and baggy shirts that drove him crazy, she was in a slinky dress and three-inch heels. She had heavy makeup on, and her hair had streaks of purple in it. But it was her, without a doubt. The Moreno family? This was… not good, to put it lightly.
Joey wrung her hands and leaned her elbows on her knees. “I’m so sorry, Tank. I should have made the connection. There’s no excuse.”
Tank shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” Joey had been dealing with a hundred other things at the time, and the housekeeper inquiry was such a minor thing.
Truthfully, he was glad Joey hadn’t made the connection because it probably would have made him refuse to hire her. Too many bad memories from his own childhood. He knew exactly what kind of people associated with families like the Moreno family, because they were the exact same kind of people that stayed close to the Olson family.
“Are you going to be okay?” Joey’s question was soft and caring. “I know you care about her.”
Tank nodded, finally admitting to someone that he had feelings for Kaylie. “She left them, though.” He was clinging to that truth. She hadn’t stayed. Maybe she was more like him, not wanting to be part of that world anymore.
“She did,” Joey confirmed. “I still don’t know exactly what her role within the organization was. She never got arrested, so it’s hard to say. But it’s possible they are looking for her and that’s what got her so spooked the other day.”
Tank nodded absently, still staring at the picture and considering all the new information. “Thanks, Joey. This helps.”
Joey stood up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders awkwardly, giving him a half hug while he remained seated.
“I’ve gotta run to this next meeting, but we can talk more later, okay?”
Without looking away from Kaylie’s photo on the screen, Tank grunted an acknowledgement and heard Joey leave the room. He steepled his hands under his chin, his elbows resting on his knees. Kaylie Richards or Kaylie Hawkins, it didn’t really matter. She might have disappeared for a few days, but she had already come back.
If only she trusted him enough to tell him the truth, maybe he could help. She didn’t know a lot about his job or his own past. But he’d cut ties with the Olson family, leveraging his knowledge and skills to secure his own future. He could do the same for Kaylie, if she’d let him.
He knew that, for now, he’d just have to keep being her friend. And now that he knew about her past, he’d be on the lookout for warning signs too. He had some contacts in New Jersey. Would it be out of line to reach out and get some updated intel on the Moreno family?
Tank ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath. For now, he was just going to be grateful that Kaylie was back from wherever she’d gone. He’d hated not knowing, and after her cryptic text, it was as if she had just disappeared. Her cell phone went completely offline. Joey had tried to track it but couldn’t find it. Which now made sense because Kaylie was apparently far less naive than he’d thought.
She’d left him a note last Thursday, claiming she lost her phone and got a new number. But now, Tank was even more confident she’d ditched her phone because she was scared. Then on Tuesday, when he’d come home early to see her, she’d seemed really run down. Maybe she was still recovering from the incident the previous week. Or maybe she wasn’t sleeping well.
Tank grumbled to himself. He didn’t like that idea. The woman was so focused on taking care of Lia and carrying the weight of all her secrets on her shoulders, it was no wonder she was exhausted.
He glanced at his watch again. If he left before four, he could catch her at his house and make sure she was okay.
But when he made it back to his office, Marshall pulled him into a discussion about QuinTech Missiles and why they might be interested in Marshand Chemical Group in the first place. Marshall even brought in one of their analysts with a chemistry degree to brainstorm.
By the time their impromptu meeting was over, it was nearly 6pm. He’d just have to catch Kaylie next week and hope she took care of herself over the weekend. But when he slid into the front seat of his Range Rover, he realized he hadn’t gotten the usual message that the alarm system had been activated. Kaylie was always very careful to arm the system for him when she left for the day.
He pulled up the app and it confirmed that motion detectors were currently registering activity. A glimmer of anticipation ran through him. Kaylie and Cecelia were still at the house. She’d never taken him up on his offer to drive her home after dark, but maybe tonight was the night. It wasn’t like she was trusting him with her entire story, but it was a start.