Page 21 of Saving Salem
Guess this must be Gator Boudreau.
“Thank you for coming.” Salem pulled back from the older man and gave him a halfhearted smile. “Those,” she pointed to the photos on the table, “were on the welcome mat when I got home.”
Gator gave them a cursory glance before turning to Jack. “Gator Boudreau.”
“Jack Sutton. Salem’s husband,” he added for good measure. The corners of the other man’s lips quirked up the tiniest bit, and if he hadn’t been watching closely he’d have missed it.
“Let’s have a look at these pictures, shall we?” He nodded toward the coffee table. “You’ve both handled them?”
Jack nodded. “Before we knew what they were. I doubt we’d get any usable prints off them at this point. Plus, judging from the quality and thickness of the paper, I’m thinking these didn’t come from somebody’s home computer.”
Gator lifted the first print. “I agree, probably done at one of the many office supply places around here, where you can get printing done on just about anything.” He studied the picture closely. It was one of Salem situating Chloe in her highchair for breakfast. Jack remembered she’d been getting ready to feed her when he’d left for Carpenter Security, so it had been right around seven that morning.
Gator studied the photo intently, turning toward the kitchen area and looking around. He carried it closer to the space, lifting it and looking at it, before studying the area above the cabinets. With a wry grin, he walked to the front door and swung it open, hollering out, “Gunner, get your butt in here.”
Within minutes, a tall, muscular man approximately six feet tall with a completely shaved head stepped inside. He gave Jack a quick handshake before turning to Salem.
“Good morning, beautiful. Heard you’ve been having a spot of trouble.”
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” She pointed to his head. “I like the new look.”
He gave a disgruntled growl. “Didn’t have a choice. Justin stuck a wad of gum in my hair. Had so much trouble getting it out, Maggie finally told me to just shave it all off.” He looked at Jack. “Maggie’s the wife, and Justin is my kiddo—who is no longer allowed to have gum of any kind.”
“Chit chat later, Gunner. I need gloves.”
“Gotcha.” He quickly pulled a pair of blue latex gloves from his pocket and handed them to Gator. Sliding them on like an expert, he grabbed onto the edge of the kitchen countertop and hopped up with an ease that obviously belied his age. Jack doubted he could have climbed up there as easily. He watched Gator slide his fingertips along the molding above the upper cabinets and the ceiling, before reaching into the back pocket of his worn jeans and pulling free a pocket knife.
“There you are,” he muttered, using the knife to pry loose something small from beneath the crown molding. He examined it closely, turning it in different directions, before barking at Gunner, “Bag.” Within seconds, Gunner stepped forward with an evidence bag, and Gator placed the camera inside.
“I can’t believe somebody placed cameras in my apartment.” Salem had moved to stand close to Jack, and he reached out and grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it gently before interlocking his fingers with hers. Her hand was ice cold within his.
“That’s the first one. I’ll find the others, and we’ll get somebody to come over and do a thorough check to make sure I don’t miss any.”
Jack doubted that Gator would miss a single one. He had the feeling the older man knew what he was doing, especially having heard about his background with the military and with the government—though the latter had never been officially confirmed. Even his family wasn’t sure if Gator had ever worked for The Agency.
“Everything’s going to be alright, Salem. I promise.” When she leaned her head against his shoulder, Jack felt a tingling warmth in his chest, the simple act of trust letting him know that all the sacrifices he’d made to be with her would be worth it. Somehow, with enough hard work and a little bit of faith, they had a shot at building a life together.
If they could just get the Amir threat out of the picture. He wasn’t stupid, and neither was Salem. They knew the Amirs, at least one of them, was behind not only bugging the apartment, but the knife in Chloe’s bed. Extra vigilance was the key because Jack knew in his gut they wouldn’t give up.
The bigger question was why? Why had they waited over a year to come after custody of Chloe? It would have made more sense and looked better to a judge if they’d at least made an effort to see the child during the first year of her life. But this out-of-the-blue demand for full custody? It was an anomaly. Something happened or something caused this sudden change of heart besides wanting Chloe to learn about her father and their customs. He didn’t buy that excuse, not for a hot minute.
Gator studied the next photo and within minutes had found the second camera in the living room. Another was placed high in the hall, in the air conditioning vent. A fourth one gave a full interior shot of Salem’s bedroom, making Jack’s hands itch to wrap around the neck of whoever had planted the cameras. The final camera was found in Chloe’s bedroom. As quiet as Gator was, Chloe still woke up with all the people coming into her room.
After bagging up the final camera, Gator handed the evidence bags to Gunner, who headed for the living room. Gator turned to Chloe, who immediately reached for him, calling, “Up! Up!” Chuckling, Gator lifted her against his chest, cradling her and whispering softly in her ear. Her childish giggles eased the tension in the space. It wasn’t until Chloe reached for her mother that Jack realized he still held tight to Salem’s hand. Reluctantly, he released it and watched Chloe practically leap into her mother’s arms.
Gator jerked his head toward the hall, and Jack followed him from the room, leaving Salem with Chloe. He’d been impressed with Gator’s swift assessment of the situation and his quick efficiency in dealing with the cameras. He’d bet he could learn a lot from the older man, if given half a chance.
“Somebody paid a lot of money for those particular cameras. They haven’t even hit the market yet in the U.S. They’re government issue—for their use only—so somebody is going to be in extremely hot water when we find out who planted these. I’m going to have Samuel run prints, though I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to find any. But I think what we discussed earlier might be a good place to start. Let’s check the local office supply places, see if we can find somebody who remembers printing those pictures. Maybe we’ll catch a break. I doubt the Amirs have got somebody from Dubai over here planting bugs, so my guess is it’s a local who did the job for a wad of cash. Easy enough with the right connections on the dark web. Let’s give Stefan a call and see if he can pick up anything about somebody hiring out the job.” Gator’s grin sent a chill down Jack’s spine. It was the kind that said you really didn’t want to meet him in a dark alley if you got on his bad side.
Before Jack could say anything, Gator added, “Gunner’s going to be outside keeping an eye on Salem and Chloe, so you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll have Etienne drop by and pick up the cameras. I want you to head out with me, let me introduce you to a couple of the locals.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let Salem know and be right with you.”
Gator nodded and headed for the hall, probably to update Gunner on their plans.
“I heard. You’re going with Gator to look for who sent the pictures.”
“It’s a chance to get a lead on the Amirs. It’ll be ammunition Chance and Ivy can use if we can prove the Amirs are behind breaking into your apartment and planting illegal surveillance equipment. Gunner will be right outside, if you need anything, and I’m just a phone call away.”
