Page 45 of Forged in Steele

Maybe a walk. Or he could check in with Tim and Deb again, who were going home in the morning. He’d stopped in after dinner, but it was too hard to see their happiness while the Pratts suffered. He would have to settle for text updates from them until after Luna was found.

Maybe Bristol had a good idea. She’d gone to check in with her family in the training room where they were still diligently reviewing video. Sure, they’d been looking at the monitors all day and had come up empty too. Could be just as frustrating in that room, but he wanted to be with Bristol.

He could no longer deny that he still had feelings for her. Wasn’t sure if he wanted to deny it.

He headed for the door and stopped next to Reed, who was still working on finding anything actionable on Nelson Osborne. “I’m headed to the training room. See if the Steeles found anything.”

Reed nodded. “If anyone will find a lead, it’s the Steele family.” Reed stretched his arms overhead. “I’ve always thought the family name was appropriate. Or maybe it’s the other way around. They’re like steel because of their name. They’re all forged in steel. You know, strong under pressure.”

“I’m beginning to see that.”

“Bristol might be the youngest in her family, but she’s as much of a force to be reckoned with as the others.” Reed cocked his head. “You two still have a thing?”

“Not sure about that.”

“Trust me. You both do. It’s obvious.”

“Maybe,” was all Jared would admit. “Call me if something comes up.” He turned away to leave.

“Running away from it won’t solve anything,” Reed said. “I oughta know. Did it for years.”

Jared looked back to find Reed’s sincere look. “If you want to talk about it after this is all over let me know.”

Jared gave a firm nod and strode out the door and down the hallway. He’d never been one to talk about his feelings. Not since he was a kid and his parents ignored them. They only acknowledged things that had to do with living their lifestyle. But his questions about God and sacrificial living had been ignored. He would never forget when he’d told his parents he wasn’t going into law like they wanted, but joined Navy ROTC at Oregon State. At first they’d refused to pay for his college and ROTC only covered the last two years. Surprisingly, before his dream was ended, they had a change of heart and decided even if they believed he was on the wrong career path, he needed to have a college degree.

He pushed open the door to the training room and everyone looked up and locked onto him. Bristol stood near her cousin Teagan who’d continued to manage the guards and made sure the Pratts remained safe. She’d also led the family in reviewing the video in a logical fashion, and Jared could easily imagine her leading the family business.

Jared appreciated her intensity, which seemed to be her normal MO, but he thought it might be taxing over the long haul. She wasn’t married. He had no idea why, but maybe her job leading Steele Guardians took up all of her time. Or maybe she just didn’t want to get married. Jared didn’t think he would ever do so. Why couldn’t that be true of Teagan too?

He crossed the room to Bristol, all gazes tracking him. She’d probably finally told them that he was the guy who’d bolted on her that summer at camp. But maybe not. Their expressions didn’t show hatred or anger, just curiosity. If she hadn’t told them in all these years, why would she now? He was but a blip on the radar of her life at this point. A storm on her horizon. As soon as they located Luna, he would be gone again. Likely banished by her this time.

He didn’t like that thought. Didn’t like it at all.

He snapped out of his own head and ignored their attention to cross the room. He stopped near the first row of computers, where Bristol looked over Teagan’s shoulder.

“Please tell me you’ve located something to help,” he said, not liking how desperate he sounded.

Teagan frowned. “We’ve located something, but not sure it will help. Take a look at this.”

He circled around the computer, coming nearly hip to hip with Bristol. He willed her with his mind to touch his hand again, but she didn’t. Maybe he was hiding his mood better than he thought, or maybe she didn’t want to touch him in front of her family.

Teagan started a video playing. “We think this is the suspect checking out the birthing center last week.”

A woman dressed in jeans and hoodie and keeping her face away from the cameras, strolled across the lobby and entered the elevator.

“She could be any one of many women,” Jared said, not impressed. “Other than height, why do you think it’s her?”

“We pick her up again here.” Teagan clicked another video open on the computer.

The woman appeared approaching the birthing center. She kept her head down and stood outside watching. She was shifty and nervous, moving like a wounded cat looking for help.

“This goes on for about thirty minutes until she talks to one of the nurses.” Teagan advanced the video ahead, then hit play.

A nurse exited the birthing center, and the suspect approached her. Her back was to the camera but the nurse’s face showed clearly.

“We need to find out who this nurse is and interview her,” Jared said.

“Way ahead of you,” Teagan said. “Coglin identified her as Mary Raney.”

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