Page 24 of The Veteran

KADE

Later in the day, I headed into the small backyard and paced the length of it while I called Ronan. I was used to cramped quarters from my time in the military, but I wasn’t accustomed to sharing my space with a captivating woman, and I was going stir crazy.

“Hi, King,” I said. “Tell me you’ve got something.”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Damn.” I’d been hoping they might have dug up actionable intel so I wouldn’t feel so much like we were sitting ducks.

“We’ve got our best men working on it. Willow wouldn’t accept anything else.” The affection in his voice was clear, and I felt a pang of envy for what my best friend had found with Willow. They had the kind of loving, accepting relationship I doubted I’d ever have. They deserved it though. That was the difference. Ronan was a good man, without any shadows in his past, and Willow was one of the best people I knew.

“Appreciate it.” I swept my gaze over the surrounding area, making sure the coast was still clear, and resumed pacing. “You still think it’s about the money?”

“Either that or revenge.” Ronan didn’t pull any punches. “If they think Sage can lead them to the money they stole, they’re not going to give up on her. It might actually be better if they only wanted revenge because at least that way they might decide it’s not worth it when they can’t easily get to her.”

I scowled. I didn’t like the thought of anyone wanting to hurt Sage. Not for any reason.

“You haven’t found any other angles?” I asked.

“No. The pathologist confirmed that Jessica was tortured and then her throat was cut. No hesitation marks, so it wasn’t an amateur.”

“Jesus.” Nobody deserved that. Least of all a woman who’d been in her own home, minding her own business, when a couple of monsters attacked her. Wrong place, wrong time.

“Zeke has been ferreting around in security footage archives from eight years ago. He thinks that Sage’s dad had the money on or near him when he was killed. He can’t find any sign of it having been moved electronically and the videos he accessed show that he had a large bag in his possession when he was caught on camera a couple of miles from his house.”

“I wonder where he put it.” It couldn’t have been anywhere obvious, or the police would have found it. They’d tossed the house and searched the restaurant where Mrs. Nichols had worked.

“He could have passed it off to an accomplice,” Ronan mused.

“Maybe. But considering he was trying to cut his team out of their share, it doesn’t seem like he’d be open to sharing with someone else.”

“Splitting the money two ways is better than five,” he pointed out.

“I guess so.” But I wasn’t feeling it. My instincts told me he hadn’t trusted anyone enough for that.

“How’s Sage holding up?” Ronan asked, changing the subject.

“Pretty well. She hasn’t tried to duck out on me, and even during the car chase, she didn’t lose the plot.” It was unnerving me, to tell the truth.

“Let me know if you want to sub out. Nobody expects you to stay with her 24/7. If you were anyone else, I’d have already told you to go home and come back when you’re rested.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t leave her. Not when I knew others couldn’t possibly care as much about keeping her safe as I did. I was the only person I trusted to protect her. I’d shared responsibility for watching over someone I cared about once before and I’d been let down. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” I told him. “Talk soon.”

“You got it. See you.”

We hung up. I dragged a hand through my hair and turned to see Sean doing a circuit of the property. I raised a hand in acknowledgment, and he nodded back. I wondered what he thought of my presence. It wasn't unheard of for me to participate in a bodyguard detail, but it was typically for high profile clients, and I usually wouldn’t be present for more than a shift—just long enough to make sure any protection measures were properly in place.

Did Sean resent me being here? Did he think I should let one of the usual guards take my place and go back to my normal job? I sighed. Even the possibility of stirring discontent among my staff wasn’t enough to make me reconsider my stance.

I returned my focus to the phone and found Joanna’s number. After a moment’s hesitation, I hit call. She answered after two rings.

“Detective Lee.”

“Hi, Jo. It’s Kade. Just wondering if there have been any developments you can share.”

“Actually, yes.”