Page 41 of Forged in Steele

“Could be.” Reed picked up his pace. “We have any information on his finances yet?”

“Not yet, but Hunter’s working on it.”

They reached the room where a member of the task force stood guard outside. Jared nodded at him and swiped his card for the lock.

Osborne jumped to his feet. He wore a uniform of black pants and white shirt boasting a patch for another local security guard firm. “I have nothing to say to you so you’re wasting your time.”

Holding out his ID, Jared introduced himself. “Why don’t we sit and just clarify some facts that we already know?”

Jared tried to sound laid back, but with Osborne’s grimace, he wasn’t sure he accomplished it.

Jared turned a chair around and straddled it to look even more relaxed. “So you worked for Steele Guardians?”

“For a year.”

“And then you had a problem. Showed up high at work.”

Osborne crossed his arms. “No one ever proved it.”

“Because you refused to have a blood test.” Reed sat and leaned his elbows on the table.

Osborne jutted out his chin. “They couldn’t make me do that.”

“But if you weren’t high and took the test, you wouldn’t have lost your job,” Jared said.

“No skin off my nose. Plenty of jobs out there.” He tugged at the patch on his shirt. “Got one in a day.”

Most likely because they didn’t know you were high. “But you really didn’t need to go to work that fast, right?” Jared asked. “I mean after your big payoff to reveal who was guarding the birthing suite, why work?”

A flash of recognition lit Osborne’s eyes, but it was just that—a flash and it disappeared. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’re talking about a kidnapped baby made possible by subduing the guard from Steele Guardians,” Reed said. “And you covering so the woman could take the baby and exit the stairwell.”

Osborne smirked. “If you’re so sure about what I did, show me something that proves it.”

Unfortunately, Jared had nothing.

Osborne’s smug smile said he knew it and was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Jared looked at Reed, and he gave a nod of acknowledgment.

They both knew this man was guilty and time sitting in a holding cell just might convince him to talk.

Jared hadn’t given much information to Bristol on his interview with Osborne. He’d just said he believed Osborne was the guy who tied Aaron up. Reed was taking lead on getting proof of Osborne’s involvement, including looking at the women in Osborne’s life in the event one of them took Luna. Then Jared invited her to join him in talking with the Pratts again. This time to find out why they called Holloway. Not just once, but so very many times.

Bristol peered at the couple and tried to keep her tone neutral, but she had to take a few cleansing breaths to manage it before she continued. Not even their faces that had grown so tired and worried seemed to make it easier not to judge them for contacting a man like Holloway. Jared seemed to be having the same problem. Who wouldn’t when it looked like these people had planned to be involved with illegally buying a baby, but just stopped when they had their own child?

Mrs. Pratt crossed her arms. “We didn’t need to use Holloway after all.”

“But if you hadn’t gotten pregnant,” Jared stated. “You were prepared to buy a baby from him.”

“Not me.” Mr. Pratt crossed his arms. “I shut it down before we knew Sonya was pregnant.”

“Or so you think you did,” Bristol said. “Your wife was still communicating with them when she was three months pregnant.”

Mr. Pratt fired a shocked look at his wife. “You were?”

“We didn’t know about Luna yet.” She tightened her arms.

“But you were still talking to that man?” Mr. Pratt gaped at her. “I thought we decided that we couldn’t get a child from someone when he might steal a child from its parents.”

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