Page 16 of Flynn

“Is Jina a cop too?”

“Yes, recently married to another cop.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Jina is a tough cookie and the team’s sharpshooter.”

More women doing admirable jobs, she thought as she clicked through another mug shot. No wonder Flynn had acted like being a nanny was silly. “I’m sure it’s harder for women to be taken seriously as police officers.”

“Yeah, some guys tend to underestimate them.” Flynn rose to refill his coffee. “Those of us on the tactical team use that to our advantage when we can. The most important thing of all is to have a cohesive team of skilled and competent cops to call on when a difficult job needs to be done.”

She had noticed the camaraderie between Flynn, Zeke, and some of the other team members. Very different from what she was used to. Being a nanny was a solo occupation. Her interactions were primarily with kids and their parents.

And in some cases, she hadn’t much liked the kids’ parents.

Not that she was interested in changing careers at this point. Unless it was to follow her dream of being a writer. For now, her writing was more of a hobby. But maybe someday...

“Looks like Cass and Jina are in the neighborhood.” Flynn set his coffee down and moved toward the side garage door. “I’m going to open the garage door, so Cass can park the rental inside.”

“Sure thing.” She managed a smile as Flynn disappeared into the garage. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to the mug shots. She was up to the letterLnow, and not feeling as if this task was worthwhile.

Then again, it would be her luck that the killer was a guy with a last name that started with the letterZ. Ziegler or Zilke. She stared at one nose in a profile view after another, clicking through the photos as the garage door rumbled open.

Realizing her coffee cup was empty, she stood to cross over to the kitchen counter. The window over the sink overlooked the street. Two black SUVs pulled into the driveway, one going all the way up into the garage, the other stopping a few feet behind the first one.

A beautiful blonde emerged from the driver’s seat. Jina, Taylor assumed, as she had met the red-haired Cassidy before.

No wonder Flynn had looked at her with disdain. He worked with smart, talented, and beautiful women who could hold their own on the street.

Her area of expertise was changing diapers.

While she stood there feeling inept, she noticed another black SUV coming down the street. She’d expected that to be another of Flynn’s teammates, but the vehicle kept going. The garage door opened, and Flynn walked in with Cassidy.

“Hi, Taylor,” Cassidy said. “I hear you’ve landed in a tough situation.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” she said, offering a smile. “Nice to see you again.”

Cassidy set the laptop case on the table, then tossed a key fob to Flynn. “Computer and car as requested. Oh, and Rhy insisted I bring you extra cash too.” She dug a wad of money from her pocket and set that on the table next to the computer. “Anything else?”

“No, I think I can handle things from here.” Flynn reached for the cash. “Thanks for this, it will help us stay off-grid.”

Cassidy frowned. “Do you need groceries?”

Flynn hesitated, then shook his head. “We should be fine for a day or two. If it takes longer than that, maybe.”

“Okay, let me know.” Cassidy glanced at the open laptop. “Mug shots, huh?”

“Yes. I’m looking for a very distinctive nose.” She sighed. “So far I’ve come up empty-handed.”

“You’re assuming the killer is in the system,” Cassidy said. She frowned at Flynn. “What if he’s not a US citizen? If he’s a professional hit man, he could be from Europe, Ireland, Australia—the possibilities are endless.”

“Thanks, Cass, that’s really helpful,” Flynn said sarcastically. “We’re working with what we have, which unfortunately isn’t a lot.”

“Sorry.” Cassidy didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. “I’ll leave you to it. Call if you need anything else.”

Flynn followed Cassidy outside, leaving Taylor with the computer feeling even more useless than ever before.

She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

Flynn stepped backin the garage after Cass and Jina had left. He should have thought about providing them with a grocery list, but it was too late now.

He could blame the situation, but that was no excuse. He needed to keep his head screwed on straight. He’d spent a few days with Taylor last month. She had taken care of Bailey, which had helped put distance between them. And when she wasn’t caring for Bailey, she was in her room scribbling in a notebook or typing on her tablet.

---