Page 99 of The Saint

Still perched on his side, he stroked the back of her hair, hovering as though he had more to say. An eternity ticked by until he finally kissed the back of her head and whispered, “Night, baby.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The morning had fortunately given Amelia a new perspective—or at least time to wrangle her feelings so that they would stay out of sight. She’d awakened in Camden’s arms, memorized the feeling, then started her day as though she hadn’t had a stray heartbroken thought.

Perched on the couch with a large coffee in her hands, she eyed Camden’s cell phone in the center of the coffee table. He’d warned her that his boss was going to be grouchy. Jared Westin went far beyond any level of grouchiness she’d ever encountered.

“Goddamn the CIA,” Jared barked. “Damn them all. Fuckin’ headache. Every one of them.”

That hadn’t been her first Jared phone call. Not to mention, Camden’s warnings had been plenty. But she still couldn’t wrap her head around a workplace where people actually growled and freely cursed. If Jared hadn’t been scary, the entertainment value would have been pretty high. Camden lay on his back, tossing the football overhead as the torrent continued.

Another man jumped into the conversation when Jared took a breath. “This is what we know—”

That was Parker. She was beginning to recognize voices, which gave her an odd level of reassurance.

“Why didn’t you say something already?” Jared snapped.

Parker snorted. “Just thought you needed to talk your feelings out, Boss Man.”

She leaned over the phone to double-check they were still on mute. “Your office is a zoo.”

Camden laughed. “Parker’s a literal genius and top-notch ballbuster.”

Good.They could use all the brainpower they could muster, and Jared probably needed someone to knock him down occasionally.

“The Sapphire Accord says they don’t have security footage,” Parker said. “Did you see cameras?”

Camden unmuted off the call. “None.”

“Fine. I pulled the highway cams and tracked exit-bound traffic within two miles of Esme’s. Cross-referenced that with dates of similar gathering and eliminated any vehicles with plates tied to hired car services.”

“That seems like something the CIA should have done,” Amelia whispered.

“They might have thought of it, but I don’t know anyone who can work as fast as Parker.”

“We can hear you,” Jared grumbled. “Parker doesn’t need to hear how fuckin’ smart he is.”

“Parker,” Parker said, “knows it already but doesn’t mind anything that drives Boss Man up the wall. So have at it.”

“They’re like an old married couple,” Amelia pointed out, “the kind that could use therapy.

“Enough already,” Jared grumbled but without the bite that he used on Parker and Camden.

Amelia grinned.

Camden snorted. “All right, Parker, what do we get with that list?”

“About fifty-three vehicle registrations tied to individuals, twenty-seven to corporations.”

“That’s a lot of possibilities,” Amelia mused. “Did anyone search highway cameras the night my sister went missing?”

“I don’t know,” Parker admitted.

“We could ask Beth or check with the feds.” Camden shrugged as though he already knew that would be anunproductive fight. “Or we could just let Parker get what he needs.”

What did that mean? She pursed her lips and watched Camden.

“Jared?” Parker asked. “Want me to see what I can find on my own?”

---