Page 33 of Cassidy

“Could be Travis was forced to cooperate,” Jina said. Cassidy knew the team’s sharpshooter had softened a bit since she’d been a key suspect in a cold-case murder investigation. Jina could still toss most guys to the mat in record time, but she wasn’t as quick to pass judgment as she had been. “And the bad guys smashed his phone to make a point of why he should continue to cooperate.”

“It’s possible,” Cass agreed. “But either way, we need to do our best to work this case by focusing on Travis. That’s why I asked for two computers. I know we would usually ask Gabe to help with this, but he’s the only one who can figure out what he’d put on that USB drive, so it’s up to us to pick up the slack.”

“We can do our best,” Steele said. “Maybe we start with that guy, Marcus Toller. See what we can dig up on him.”

Satisfied they were on the same page, she turned to head back to Gabe’s room. Flynn arrived with her duffel and Gabe’s suitcase. She left Jina, Steele, and Flynn to the task of moving the vehicles around. Steele’s damaged car would need to be dropped off at a body shop.

“Be careful driving my SUV back to the precinct,” Steele warned. “The shooter may have gotten the license plate number. If these guys are tech savvy, the way we believe, they may be able to run the plate, tracking it back to me and those of us on the team.”

Jina and Flynn exchanged a long look. “I’ll take it,” Flynn offered.

Jina shrugged. “Okay, but I’ll stick close to you as we head back, just in case.” She paused, then added, “Unless you need us to stick around?”

“No, we’re fine.” She glanced at Steele who nodded.

“Yep, we can manage,” he agreed. “If I have to leave for some reason, I’ll call one of you back. Or another member of the team.”

She knew Steele’s wife, Harper, was pregnant with their second child, but she wasn’t due until April. Lately, the team members and their spouses had been doing their best to populate the next generation. At times, it made her feel lonely.

After breaking up with Wade Morris, she’d lost interest in settling down. Yet even as the thought formed, she found herself glancing over her shoulder into the connecting room to find Gabe hunched over the laptop. He’d run his fingers through his hair, causing strands to stick out at various angles. He looked different without his glasses, and the way he sat close to the screen made her think the contacts weren’t working as well as he’d hoped.

She hated the idea of someone trying to kill him.

“Let us know if you find anything,” Jina said, turning toward the door. “Oh, and we left the rental along the side of the building.”

“Thanks.” Cass had anticipated that, as they preferred not leaving their vehicles out in the open.

After Flynn and Jina left, she looked at Steele. “What do you think about continuing your search on social media while I use the computer?”

“Okay.” Steele gestured to the connecting door. “Let’s get to work.”

She snagged the second computer and dropped into the chair next to Gabe’s. Keeping the computer on her lap, she logged in and did a quick criminal background search on Marcus Toller.

He was clean. Or at least hadn’t been caught. She did a broader search, hoping to find his name mentioned in some articles or other news outlets.

Still nothing.

The lack of progress made her cranky, and she was tempted to toss the computer out the window.

How did Gabe do this for hours on end? She couldn’t stand it.

As if hearing her thoughts, Gabe leaned back and dug his palms into his eye sockets. “My head is killing me,” he muttered.

“Take a break,” she said. “We need you.”

He lowered his hands and offered a rueful smile. “Thanks, but I’m still not being much help. I should remember this code,” he said, gesturing to the computer. “But all I can say with any degree of certainty is that it’s an operating system of some sort. But to what program? And why is it so important?”

“You’ll get there.” She put a hand on his knee. “If anyone can crack it, you can.”

“I want to believe that.” He covered her hand with his, and she was suddenly aware that Steele had retreated to the other room. Maybe to sit at the table there, rather than taking over one of the beds. “I don’t want to fail you, Cass.”

“You could never do that.” She smiled gently. “Suffering from amnesia isn’t your fault. All we ask is that you do your best.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. She set her computer aside and leaned over to hug him.

“You’re going to figure this out, Gabe,” she whispered in his ear. “I believe in you.”

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. For a long moment, neither of them moved. She didn’t want to let him go.

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