Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Jag’s admiration for Steff’s strength grew as she withstood the events of the day. They still weren’t any closer to finding out who the delivery guy was and what the note meant.
Steff was with Cass in her office, and so it was him and his friends alone in the conference room. Ox and the others had all filtered out to attend to other matters.
Now he had the opportunity to voice what he hadn’t wanted to in front of Steff.
“I had a thought, but didn’t want to say anything, because I figured it was too far-fetched to be reasonable.” He addressed his friends.
“We’ve seen enough to know that even the most absurd thoughts can end up being right. What’s on your mind?” Fox grabbed the stylus, ready to take notes on his tablet.
“What if it is related to what Steff and Cynthia went through?” Saying it out loud didn’t make him feel any easier about it.
Why would Steff be the one weird things were happening to?
Why not anyone else?
They hadn’t kept track of the other people who’d been in the shipment with Steff and Cynthia. Their focus had been on the two of them, and the other authorities had dealt with the rest.
But what if they’d missed something? Or someone?
“I thought we already eliminated the possibility Viktor would go after them?” Deal said.
“We did, and I did say it was out there. But there was something else.”
“What?” Fox made a couple of notes, and then looked at him.
“The first time I went over to Steff’s place, as I got close to her door, I felt like someone was watching.
I was the only one who entered the building.
I made sure I closed the front door behind me.
No one joined me in the elevator. But…” He shrugged his shoulders.
He didn’t need to say anymore. His friends knew what he was getting at.
“Did you see any cameras around? Or any holes in the ceiling to suggest someone had placed a camera in the vicinity?” Hound also made some notes on his tablet.
“There was nothing. I looked, and when I left, I didn’t have the same feeling. I didn’t get it when I got there last night, either.”
Had he imagined that prickling sensation? Had he wanted to be her hero so badly that he created a scenario in his mind?
These were possibilities he hadn’t thought of, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t losing his mind.
“I’m guessing you checked to see if there were any doors ajar?” Fox tapped the stylus against his lower lip.
“Yep, and there weren’t any. I’m wondering now if I wanted something to be wrong, so I conjured up the feeling in my mind.”
Hound scoffed. “Did you ever do that once on a mission where you knew that danger could lurk around every corner?”
“No.” He could see what his friend was getting at.
“Then it’s highly unlikely you made it up,” Hound reasoned. “We all trust our instincts. We know they’ve all gotten us out of situations where things could’ve gone south very quickly. Don’t doubt yourself. If you felt something, then you felt it.”
Another reason why he was so glad he worked with these three men. Nothing anyone said was ever laughed at or mocked. It was considered and taken seriously.
“Thanks, man. It’s just weird. And then this box turns up. I feel like it’s all connected, but I don’t know how or where. The only thing is the fact she was taken and we rescued her.”
“It’s something we can look into. We can ask Isaac if he knows anything in particular about the situation.” Fox made another note on his tablet. “Either way we will get to the bottom of it, and we’ll keep your Steff safe.”
Your Steff.
Jag liked the sound of that. If everyone didn’t know he was serious about Steff, kissing her in front of them all was a huge sign she was special to him. “Thanks. I know we will.”
“Are you going to continue to stay at her place? If what you said is true about how careful she is in keeping her address quiet, then somehow it’s gotten out.
” Deal clicked his fingers. “You said something about her going to a therapist. She’d have to list her correct address for her records and for insurance purposes.
There’s no way she could put her neighbor’s apartment number down instead. ”
“You’re not suggesting her therapist is involved? She’s only just started going back to her.” Jag hoped the woman was ethical, but situations arose where ethics flew out the window, and other non-altruistic actions came into play.
“A parcel arriving at Steff’s place on the same day she went back to her could be entirely coincidental, but it’s something worth looking into,” Fox said.
“Agreed. I’ll fire off an email to Cass to get her to look into the woman,” Hound offered. “Do you know her details?”
“No, I don’t know anything about her or where she’s located.
It’s not something that I wanted to ask Steff, not since everything is new between us.
” Could her therapist really be involved?
Jag didn’t like to think so, but everyone close to Steff needed to be looked into.
“What about Cynthia? Should we look into her too?”
Even hinting that her friend could be involved left a sour taste in Jag’s mouth.
“I think we need to eliminate every person we can. After what the two of them shared, I don’t for one minute think Cynthia is involved.” Fox pursed his lips. “But yeah, we should check her out.”
Silence settled over the room, and Jag wished that things could be different, but they weren’t. As hard and unpalatable as it was, they would do what was necessary.
“You never did answer what you’re going to do, whether you’re going to stay at Steff’s place,” Deal broke the quiet.
“Probably.” Jag scraped a hand down his face, wishing it hadn’t come to this. “If I had my way, I’d take her to my place. Only, I think she needs to be in her space where she feels safe.”
“You may think that, but does she?” Fox countered. “She’s gone to great lengths to protect her home. That’s been violated. It might be worth bringing it up. Also, you need to ask her if she’s happy with you staying there. You can’t just lay it out like a law.”
Did Fox think he was stupid?
“Of course I’ll ask her. If she doesn’t want me to stay there, I’m going to camp out in my car and watch her building.” Not the best of situations, but until the threat was gone, he would do what he had to.
“You can’t stay up all night every night,” Hound declared. “If it comes to that, let us know, and we’ll do rotating shifts so we all can sleep and she’s protected at the same time.”
He loved these guys; they were willing to do whatever it took, even inconveniencing their lives, to help out.
There was no point in trying to talk them out of it, so he didn’t even bother. He would do the same for them in a heartbeat. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Right, well we’ve got a plan of action. Jag, see if you can get Steff’s therapist’s details, and let Hound know, who will then pass it on to Cass. Although, if I know Cass, she’s probably got a way to find out that information without us having to ask Steff,” Fox said ruefully.
“True, but we also know Cass won’t do anything without us asking in the first place.” Cass’s ethics were as legendary as her computer skills. There was no way she’d cross a line. Jag fully believed that.
A murmur of agreement sounded from his friends. Jag stood, eager to see if Steff was back.
“One more thing.” Deal’s words halted his movements. “You might want to talk to Cass about getting Steff a tracker. Just to be on the safe side.”
“Damn, I should’ve thought of that.” Jag couldn’t believe it hadn’t crossed his mind. At least this would keep Steff safe. The question would be if she would want to wear it or not.
“That’s what you’ve got us for.” Hound held up his hand and Deal high fived him.
Jag barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. “Right, I’m out of here. I’ll let you know where I am, and if I need you guys to help me out.”
He gave them a chin lift and headed out the door, making a beeline for Cass’s office where he should find Steff.
As he approached her office, he heard the tinkle of laughter, and paused. He’d only heard it a couple of times, but that was Steff. He leaned against the wall, not wanting to interrupt the moment.
It appeared as if Steff and Cass had been joined by Teresa, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, Eveline as well.
If he hadn’t heard Steff’s laugh, he would’ve gone in there, because that was a lot of people for her to deal with. Not to mention Teresa, and how–he hated to say it–her presence could cause Steff to have another panic attack.
What if she’d had one and he hadn’t been there to help?
She’s laughing. You weren’t gone that long.
Jag took a deep breath to calm himself down. Now he was the one who was getting over anxious.
Every woman in the room with Steff had gone through something traumatic and had come out of it stronger—just like Steff was doing. If she had any sort of moment, all three of them would’ve been able to help her. Or someone would’ve come looking for him so he could help.
Once he had his emotions under control, he knocked on the door. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”
Cass’s office was large, considering all the computer equipment she used. Not to mention Irish tended to spend most of his time here—much to Cass’s chagrin. There was plenty of room for the four women to all be seated comfortably.
His gaze found Steff’s, and a smile tugged at his lips. Her demeanor was relaxed. She was sitting next to Teresa, and there was absolutely no hint of anything worrying her.
“Nope, we’re just catching up,” Cass answered.
If Eveline and Teresa were here, that meant that their kids would be too, and no doubt with their dads.
Ox, Angel, and Growler were one hundred percent committed to being good dads.
He imagined Irish would be too, when, or if, he and Cass decided to have kids.
“Angelica and Oscar with their dads?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“Yep, dads are on duty,” Eveline said.