Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
A small group had assembled in the bullpen. “Here’s the plan: According to the photographer, their next meet is supposed to happen today at four o'clock. He’ll make the drop at the gazebo in Blackwater Key, so they’ll stake out the area and catch the mark when he comes to pick it up.”
“Sounds good.” Aiden gave a little nod. “Do they need comms?”
“No.” He shook his head. “They don't plan to apprehend him today. They’ll get eyes on him, tail him, and come up with a game plan. Sound good to you?”
He threw a look at Mason, who nodded. They had their cells for communication, so he wasn't going to worry about using equipment the other guys might need.
He glanced Aiden’s way. “Did you find anything on the ex?”
After their meeting with Tate the other night, he had asked Aiden to check into Fletcher Montgomery, but it seemed he was bound to be disappointed.
“Clean, from what I can tell,” Aiden said. “Didn’t get the guy himself, but the receptionist said he’d recently returned from a trip overseas. The assistant who normally works for Montgomery is out of the office, but the temp I spoke with said she’d have her call once she was back.”
He tipped his head toward Mason. “All right. Let's get ready to head out so we can be in place well before he arrives.”
He tossed another look at Aiden. “I'll let you know if I need anything.”
Mason and he left the bullpen and headed toward his office.
As soon as he was inside, he pulled out his cell phone to text Everleigh.
Even though he’d left her just a few hours ago, he missed her like crazy.
For the past few days, things between them had been almost perfect.
Every once in a while, he felt a tiny niggle of doubt, but that was overshadowed by the sheer happiness of having her back in his life.
Everleigh was beginning to change too. No longer the reserved, hesitant woman who had walked into his office a couple of weeks ago, she was much more like the woman he had fallen in love with years ago.
His fingers flew across the screen as he texted her to check in, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
He lifted his head to find Mason staring at him, those unsettling gold eyes locked on his.
His shoulders tightened, and he immediately went on defense. “What?”
“Not a thing.” Mason gave a slow shake of his head. “Good to see you happy again, that's all.”
The compliment made him uncomfortable, and he swallowed hard. “Thanks.”
In truth, he owed Mason a lot. Without him constantly pushing Everleigh into his path, he wasn't sure he would have ever given her the benefit of the doubt and let her back into his life.
“I mean it.” His voice was thick with emotion, and he cleared his throat to get rid of it. “I owe you.”
“We’re more than even,” Mason stated firmly. “You gave me your blessing to date Vivi even when I didn't deserve it. That's more than enough for me.”
For a long moment, he stared at Mason, then cracked a smile. “That's enough of that.”
Mason grinned back.
“All right, let's talk logistics,” he said, changing the subject.
He unrolled the map of the city and spread it over his desk. “The gazebo is here in the square.”
He pointed to the large grassy area between the City Hall and police department. “There's good visibility since there's not much around it. I'm thinking I'll take the parking lot here.”
He used his finger to trace a circle around the parking lot on the corner across the street. “How about we put you over here?”
He pointed to the opposite side. “That way, we’ll be able to see whoever is coming from every direction.”
“Works for me,” Mason agreed readily. “Are you sure Tate hasn't tipped off his guy?”
“Better not have.” If he did, he was going to kill him himself. “After what happened at the bar, I don't think he's stupid enough to try to pull one over on us.”
Mason smirked. “Fair enough, but I never underestimate someone’s stupidity.”
Wasn’t that the truth? He grabbed his keys from the top right drawer of his desk, then locked up behind them as they left.
Mason hopped into his truck and was gone before he’d even cranked the engine of his SUV.
He pulled into the parking lot half an hour before the drop was scheduled to happen, and he took his time watching people mill around the downtown area of Blackwater Key.
At precisely four o'clock, David Tate strolled down the sidewalk toward the gazebo. He watched Tate's head swivel left and right, studying his surroundings, probably wondering if they were watching him. Smart man. He should be cautious.
Tate stepped up into the gazebo, then crossed to the small lending library for people who wanted to relax and read a book in a quiet place.
Throwing a quick glance around, he opened the door and slipped a large manila envelope inside.
He pretended to peruse the books for a moment before apparently deciding against borrowing one, then left the gazebo.
Knox sat up straighter in his seat. He wasn't sure how long until the other man would come along, but he wanted to be on guard when he arrived. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. He was starting to get antsy when his phone rang and Mason’s name lit up the screen.
“Hey.” Knox scanned the area where Mason was situated. “Anything on your side yet?”
“Not yet. You?”
“No.” Knox let out a little growl. He was going to be pissed if he had to wait all day for the man to show up, or if he found out he'd been tipped off. It was more time spent away from Everleigh, which automatically pissed him off.
Everleigh was supposed to meet her parents for dinner tonight at the country club, and they had invited him along as well. Knox wondered if it physically pained Beaumont to have to extend that offer to him.
A figure striding along the sidewalk caught Knox’s attention, and he blinked hard, wondering if his imagination was playing tricks on him.
A sick sense of dread curdled in his stomach as he noticed the book in the man's hand.
Still, he hoped with every fiber of his being that he was wrong, that this was all a coincidence.
Knox watched in a sort of shock as the man climbed the steps of the gazebo and headed straight for the lending library. He pulled out the manila envelope and slipped it into his jacket before placing the book inside and closing the doors.
Mason had gone silent on the other end of the phone, just as speechless as Knox was. Because the man who left the gazebo was none other than Conrad Beaumont—Everleigh's father.