Page 11 of Over the Top

“You used to be more talkative. What do you mean by ‘interesting’?”

“Nothing. I just mean it’s interesting. Spencer’s gonna ask around. Find out if anyone’s heard anything over the grapevine.”

Chas huffed. “What grapevine?” The guy could quit being an asshole now and give him a straight answer.

“Just… the grapevine. Intel guys, operational guys, maybe some guys in the alphabet agencies.”

“Alphabet agencies?”

“FBI, CIA, NSA…. Alphabet agencies.”

“Ahh. What guys?”

“I don’t know exactly who all Spencer’s contacts are. But he’ll work his little black book and see what he can find out. In the meantime, we’re going to sit tight and lay low.”

“This kid’s parents are gonna be frantic.”

“Spencer will tap his law enforcement contacts. If there’s a missing child report floating around, he’ll find it for us. A few hours from now is soon enough for the worried parents to get their kid back. She’s safe, and I want to keep her that way until we know who she is.” Then he added, “And I don’t want to hand her over to anyone until I have some idea of what the hell happened in Misty Falls.”

Chas snorted. “An invasion. That’s what happened. That SUV drove all over town, and the gunman inside shot anyone who crossed his path.”

“I need to know more. How many SUVs were there? How many shooters? Who were they and what did they want? Why kill your neighbor? What’s her connection to them? Why, with her dying breaths, did she bring you that kid? Why not call for help for herself?”

Chas looked down curiously at the little girl, finally asleep in his arms. Poor tyke looked exhausted. He knew the feeling. “It’s been a hell of a night, hasn’t it, kid?” he murmured.

He glanced over at Gunner, and in the glow of the dashboard, he noticed the guy looked like he’d gone a few rounds with a heavyweight boxer and lost. “Why’s your face all cut up? Did you get into a fight?”

“Yeah. With a tree,” Gunner mumbled.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ll live.”

“How about the tree?” he asked dryly. “Did you kill it?”

Gunner glanced over, one corner of his mouth turning up wryly.

Chas sighed, then said, “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“No prob.”

“Are you always this talkative? You used to have more than two words to say at a time.”

That only earned him a noncommittal lift of a shoulder—a shoulder that was heavily muscled without being overly bulky. Gunner looked like he worked out a lot and was insanely strong, but not as if he’d bulked up just for the sake of looking like a bodybuilder. Sure, he’d been an athlete in high school, but this level of fitness was new.

Chas worked out as well, but he doubted that bicycling, lifting a few weights, and the occasional boxing lesson compared to what a military commando did. He exercised to be healthy and blow off stress, not to prepare himself to kill enemy soldiers.

They drove in silence for a while. It was hard to believe it was only a little after midnight. Eventually, Gunner pulled in at a cheap chain motel and went inside to get a room. Chas stayed in the car, slumped down low in his seat again.

Gunner returned, drove around back, and parked the car. Chas climbed out carefully, trying not to jostle the baby… although the way she was currently sleeping, he suspected a marching band could play full blast beside them and she wouldn’t wake up.

He followed Gunner to a basic hotel room with two beds and watched with a combination of dismay and amusement as Gunner peered in the closet, looked under both beds, and checked the bathtub. “Looking for the boogeyman?” Chas asked.

Gunner scowled. “OPSEC 101.”

“OPSEC?” Chas echoed.

“Operational security. Never stay in any room you haven’t thoroughly cleared and don’t know for a fact to be empty.”

---