Page 36 of Knight's Journey

“Hi. Nice to meet you.”

“If you don’t tell her, I will,” Sydney said in a sing-song voice.

“Mind your business, Syd,” Zane growled.

Bridget knew he meant it as a warning to his friend, but the sexy growl made her stomach flip and her wonder what it would be like for him to growl into her ear while they were naked in her bed.

“It’s Houdini,” Payton responded as she walked up carrying two glasses of lemonade, one of which she placed in front of Bridget. “Syd gave it to him because he suddenly appears out of nowhere, and you never notice him until he speaks.”

“He did that to me a few minutes ago!” Bridget turned dancing eyes to Zane, her lips curled in a mocking smile. “Houdini, huh? Yeah, it fits.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he grumbled.

“I beg to differ.”

A shout from the makeshift football field drew their attention, and they got caught up in the game until Tristin called them to eat. Everyone filled plates full of food while continuing the light camaraderie that flowed naturally among the group. They all seemed to be friends from way back, but they included Bridget, Mathias and Marlowe as if the three had been a part of their group for years.

As they laughed over some joke made by the guy everyone called Wings, Bridget caught the eye of her niece and nephew. One glance at their full smiles and satisfied expressions, she knew no one would be using their code word any time soon.

Chapter Thirteen

Zane’s anger never materialized unless he was provoked. Growing up with a single mom and three older sisters taught him restraint and patience — as much as a man can have in an estrogen-filled household. Today he had to summon every ounce of his self-discipline to stop from exploding in rage. As Brick gave him the basics of the investigation, he felt his blood start to boil.

“You sure this is the guy who replaced Einstein?”

Einstein. Just saying the name left a bitter taste in his mouth. James Albert was rarely called anything but Einstein while he worked at KSI. He and Brick were partners, working many security and PI jobs together. They made a good team, so no one suspected Einstein of being someone who would betray them for the all-mighty dollar. The fact he was the reason Sydney and Chloe were left vulnerable to Sydney’s abusive ex-fiance made Zane hate the man more. Even dead, his affiliation with Tarrant Security was coming back to bite them in the ass. Einstein worked for KSI but reported to Tarrant, who’d been hired by Syd’s ex to track her. Einstein’s betrayal was so deep, he ended up stabbing Brick and leaving him for dead in an alley just to get to Sydney and Chloe.

And now a new name associated with Einstein popped up on their radar as an operative for Tarrant. They were able to capture a grainy photo off a traffic cam of the guy and the sedan following Bridget. Zane wasn’t sure how, but Sydney managed to get an ID off her facial recognition software. Joe Albert.

“From what I figured out, he’s Einstein’s cousin. He was doing time for drug possession when Einstein died, so when he was released, he followed his cousin to Tarrant. They hired him without hesitation.”

Zane couldn’t turn away from the pages in his hands that detailed the criminal background information Sydney pulled on Joe. Multiple arrests for drug possession. Multiple arrests for soliciting a prostitute. A couple of arrests for assault. All minor enough offenses which may have earned him prison time but allowed him early paroles due to prison overcrowding.

“He knows Bridget’s comings and goings. And he knows her vulnerability.”

Brick nodded. “The kids. I think we should have Sam take the kids to school himself and pick them up in the afternoon. Monica doesn’t want him working on the De la Peña case, so this will free up the rest of us to back up the Alpha Team when the time comes. I figured you’d want to be the one to watch after Bridget when she’s not at home. Her security system at the house is pretty tight, so I think we could rotate surveillance around the perimeter when anyone’s there. I don’t think we’re at the point where they need to be relocated to a safe house.”

Zane stared at his friend in disbelief. He shuffled through papers in the file folder open on the table where he sat. Brick stood on the other side, looming over him as he watched Zane point to a photo in the file. Zane couldn’t see it without wanting to punch his fist through the wall.

Taken at night, their investigator, Isobel Garcia, had used a digital camera and lens designed for night photography to snap the photo during her turn at watch. Taken one night after she’d seen Joe Albert watching Bridget’s place, Isobel was able to capture Joe Albert lurking in the shadows beside Bridget’s home. The scum peered through a window which Zane realized peeked into Mathias’ bedroom. Because the man never touched the house or pane, the alarm didn’t alert the family to his presence.

That would change as soon as Zane could make a phone call to the company KSI used for all surveillance and security equipment. He wanted Bridget’s house wired with motion sensors which linked directly back to KSI.

“This guy should never have gotten so close to them. If his job is surveillance, why approach the house at all or allow his cover to be blown with Bridget at the supermarket? Either he’s gone rogue, or there’s more going on here.”

“Tristin thinks we need to make it known to Tarrant we’re protecting Bridget. He thinks they’ll back off on the surveillance.”

Zane shook his head vehemently. “No way in hell will that deter them. They’ll get more covert with their stalking. I like them being careless, so we can keep tabs on what they’re up to.”

“That’s just it. Tryst and I don’t think they’re being careless. We think they’re making their presence known for a purpose. Maybe to trip Bridget up, maybe for another agenda. Whatever it is, we think their motivation is no longer about getting money from the Williamses.”

“So what is their end game? You know what? Maybe we should pay a visit to Tarrant. I want them to know they will not get away with messing with Bridget and the kids.”

Brick held up his hands. “Calm down, man. We’re not letting this go, but we have to be smart about this. Let me and Tryst figure out how to handle Tarrant. For now, this photo and the incident at the grocery store should be enough to get a restraining order against Joe Albert.”

Zane opened his mouth to give Brick an earful of what he believed they should do when the conference room door opened enough for Jay to step inside. “Sorry to interrupt. Zane, you gotta minute?”

Zane stared at Brick, who nodded. “We can talk more later. Don’t worry. Tryst and I are on it.”

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