Page 75 of Guarded Secrets
“The human level.”
“Exactly,” she agreed.
“Nero thinks you’re a good teacher. I’d say he’s got that right.” He glanced again at the rearview mirror.
“Are they behind us?”
“No, they took off going the other way.” Owen put his sunglasses back on, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
“They really want that flash drive back. What do you think is on it?” she asked.
“You can bet something high stakes. Accountants deal with cash flow, right? My bet is they hired Romero and paid him well. Ravagers would have been explicit that what Romero learns about their organization stays where he finds it.”
“What could he have learned?”
“Evidence of drug dealing, weapons trafficking, prostitution, other criminal activity. It’s a business to them, and businesses need to keep records.
“Romero might’ve seen an opportunity, made copies of sensitive files, and threatened to turn the information over to law enforcement or to a rival criminal organization if he wasn’t paid off.
“Something spooked him, and he decided to stash the flash drive with you. You’re squeaky clean and nobody’d suspect it. But then you broke up with him, leading to trouble for Romero retrieving it.”
“Squeaky clean sounds boring.”
He gave her a look that had heat kindling low in her belly. “Looks like squeaky clean does it for me.”
She breathed slowly through her nose to calm herself. “You want our relationship to stay platonic, you can’t be looking at me like that.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, his beard making a crinkly sound. “Dammit. Sorry.”
Keeley leaned back in her seat, thinking of all times she’d spent with Jaxon. “I remember, Jaxon and I went out to dinner once, and a guy came to the table acting kind of creepy. He was a big guy, super muscular with tattoos across his knuckles and neck. He asked Jax how he was doing, and I could tell it unnerved him. Then the guy asked to be introduced to me, which Jaxon did.”
“You get his name?”
She shook her head. “Not that I remember. He told Jax to be careful and that eyes were on him, then he left.
“I went to use the restroom and when I got back Jaxon had my purse and was standing by the table. He said we were leaving and practically dragged me out of there. He wouldn’t even give me a minute to tell the waiter to cancel our order.”
“Would you have noticed if he’d put a flash drive in your purse?”
“Probably not if it was in one of the zippered side pockets. I don’t go into them on a regular basis.”
They’d been driving uphill and topped a long grade where they were greeted by a sweeping view of the eastern slopes of the Sierras.
Lake Tahoe shimmered like a sapphire gem in the distance.
Owen turned at a sign indicating a day-use picnic area.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
While Keeley used the bathroom, Owen carried the bag with their lunch to a picnic bench in the shade of a giant pine tree. Chipmunks darted around the tables and scurried over rocks, searching for crumbs. The temperature had dropped as they’d climbed in elevation, and with the light wind Keeley was glad she’d brought her coat. A family sat at another picnic table where two toddlers chased each other as their parents unpacked large bags.
Owen uncapped a thermos and filled the cup lid with coffee, handing it to Keeley. She sipped and smiled at him. “You added creamer.”
“That’s how you like it.” He made it sound matter of fact, like of course he added creamer. He didn’t use creamer himself, but he’d made the coffee the way she liked it.
She was beginning to realize even while claiming they were nothing more than friends, he did little things for her without making a big deal of it. It made her heart ache.
He pulled open the bag of chips, shaking out a pile on Keeley’s napkin before grabbing a handful for himself.
