Page 78 of Don't Let Go

“Hmm-hmm, he who decides to run off on his own doesn’t get to call us on tactical choices.” The scold was playful, but I didn’t miss the firmer note in it. “I have them on another line. I can link all of you if you want or we can just work with me on the switchboard.”

It was how we’d always done it. Yet—how we’d always done it had begun to shift and change. Her being taken had illustrated just how vital she was to me.

To all of us.

“You can handle it,” I told her, giving way on the fact that she was very well aware of her own abilities and information. “Read me in on the new plan?”

“Cooperation looks good on you, Remy,” she murmured and the ease my cock had gotten from the distance vanished as it hardened all over again.

“Thank you, don’t change the subject.” It was my turn to point her back to where we needed to be. Flirting would have to wait.

“New plan. You stick with Stone for the moment. I’m working on some code to layer into the one running on his devices, so I can track him like whoever has his leash without alerting the leash holder to my presence. Might take me a couple of hours.”

“You can do it.” No doubt existed within me. “Soon as you have him tagged, I can come back or bag him for you. Whatever you need.”

“I like having options.” The playfulness bubbled up for a moment before she sobered. “While we do this, McQuade and Locke are going to find the current ‘base’ or residence. Whatever it is. We want to know who he is working for and what they have set up out here. I’ve been keeping an eye on town and it’s been—illuminating.”

The wariness in that last word gave me significant pause. “How so?”

“It’s a virtual ghost town now. Even the diner is closed. No cars. No sign of population. No movement. They were there for a couple of hoursafteryou left and now—nothing.”

“Reynolds?” The journalist’s very real fear had been something visceral.

“No sign of him. I’m sorry, I have been skimming footage from earlier. I don’t see anything suspicious, necessarily. Just one by one, folks leaving. The cars pull out and go. No one comes back.”

I frowned.

“They were evacuating slowly.” That was the only conclusion.

“Agreed. They did it without fanfare or a lot of chaos. Now, Reynolds may still be in his apartment and lying low. But I have no movement discernible through the camera on his windows. His blinds are shut and the curtains closed.”

“I should have left a mic.”

“I don’t disagree,” she said, the forgiving note in her voice wrapping around me like an embrace. “But I also didn’t disagree withwhyyou didn’t leave one. We had other issues to deal with.”

At the time, McQuade had been missing and Fallon panicked, even as Patch had fought to keep her cool. I understand the divisive nature of the competing desires.

Even more so now, because I had tasted my own fear when she’d vanished. Not an experience I was eager to repeat.

“Keep an eye out for him?” I didn’t owe the man anything, but if I read him right, he’d been genuinely trying to warn me off.

“I will. You still good?”

“Haven’t been good a day in my life, luv. Not planning to start now.”

The surprise snort of laughter followed by her chuckles made me grin. Exactly what I wanted to hear.

“Talk to you soon,” she said amidst the amusement.

“You definitely will.” It was a promise. The soft beep told me the call muted. We were still online, so she could track me, but we didn’t need an open line to do it.

It was entirely possible Stone had done this to lure McQuade out and lull him into a trap. That had occurred to me. I didn’t doubt it hadn’t occurred to all of them as well.

Patch hadn’t mentioned it, but we were all adults here. It would be a solid play to get McQuade off the scent by following Stone. Based on what McQuade had said, Stone wasn’t the one likely running the show.

Involved? Yes.

In charge? No.

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