Page 52 of Jina

Catching her hand, he said, “I’d like to talk later.” Since Zeke was already crossing the threshold with the others, he risked brushing a kiss across her cheek.

She blushed, then gently squeezed his hand before tugging it free.

The brief caress shouldn’t have made his pulse spike, but it did. And as he followed her to the round table the others had begun to gather at, he silently vowed to protect her.

No matter what the day might bring.

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was official. Jina had completely lost her mind and had little hope of finding it again. Doing her best to ignore Cole who sat next to her at the round table in the restaurant dining room, she pulled her laptop from her bag and set it on the table. To her surprise, Cole did the same with his computer.

It made sense for them to work, as they’d already eaten. When their server arrived, she gladly accepted more coffee. Jina had a feeling she was going to need the extra caffeine.

Cassidy, seated to her left, leaned forward to see the screen. “Is that the place in Timberland Falls?”

“Yes.” She didn’t expound on that, as their server had returned to fill their coffee cups and to take their orders. Once Zeke, Flynn, and Cassidy had finished, she turned the computer more fully. “Okay, here’s the first location I found.”

Cassidy took the computer, clicked through the screen to see the property photos, then passed the laptop to Zeke. After he finished, he handed it to Flynn.

“I like it because the house is far enough from the neighbors with several trees and bushes to provide protection.” She glanced at Cole, who was working on his laptop. “Are you looking for an alternative location?”

“Just checking something.” After a long moment, he nodded thoughtfully. “This property is roughly two miles from the apartment building where Oliver Norman and his buddy Evan Wilde live.”

She frowned. “I don’t understand why that matters.”

He shrugged, glancing at the confused expressions on her teammates’ faces. “We never made it over there to interview them. Might be worth a stop along the way.”

She swallowed a sigh. “Oliver and Evan belong to Mike’s MMA gym, the location of the first shooting attempt. Oliver tried to hit on me, so I invited him to a sparring match. I put him down on the mat, which may have embarrassed him.”

Zeke grinned. “He had no clue what he was getting into, huh?”

She couldn’t help but smile back. “He did not. And while I probably struck a blow to his ego, I don’t see him as a suspect in these attacks. Not just because being embarrassed is a weak motive, but he and his buddy Evan are two peas in a pod. They seem to go everywhere together, one egging the other on. The perp coming after me is a loner. If Ollie was a part of this, he’d be coordinating attacks with Evan.”

“I agree in theory with your assessment of our perp, but it’s always helpful to speak personally with suspects.” Cole was sticking to his point. “Preconceived perceptions can be wrong.”

She glanced at him, wondering if he was talking about her or Oliver and Evan. Either way, he was right. In many of the situations her teammates had gotten into over the past eight months, they’d been wrong about who they believed to be their primary suspect in a case more times than she cared to admit.

“Can’t hurt to talk to them,” Flynn said, “since we’ll be in the neighborhood.”

“Maybe.” She thought interviewing Ollie and Evan would be a waste of time but decided to move on. “For now, let’s focus on getting the location nailed down, then decide how to draw the shooter out.” She had to stop again because their server returned with more coffee.

“Your breakfasts will be ready shortly,” she said with a special smile toward Zeke.

“Thank you.” Zeke smiled, and their server blushed.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Flirt on your own time, Zeke.”

“This isn’t my own time?” Zeke pretended to look confused. “I don’t think we’re being paid by the MPD for this little extravaganza.”

Normally, she didn’t mind bantering with the team, but not today. She gave him a narrow glare. “Focus. Unless anyone has a better idea, I’m going to book this place while it’s still available.”

“Go for it,” Cassidy agreed.

She booked the rental using her own credit card information. Hard to imagine the shooter would have the ability to track her credit card payments, but if he did, it played well with her scheme. She planned to use the GPS tracked rental and her phone as a beacon.

Hopefully, both items would scream, Come and get me.

“One thing to consider is that this guy could try to take you out while you’re en route to the property,” Cole said. “Considering we left the SUV out at the Red Mill Motel, the moment you get in the vehicle and start driving toward Timberland Falls, the perp will know exactly where you are.”

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