Page 29 of The Veteran

I cleared my throat. “How’s the Michelangelo project going?”

The Michelangelo project was a case we’d been asked to look into on behalf of a wealthy client who’d had several pieces of art stolen. There was rumored to be a team of top-notch, high-end art thieves pulling off heists in Chicago and the surrounding area, but they’d supposedly been targeting the kind of people who didn’t like to report thefts since the goods stolen from them had often been stolen from someone else to begin with. Unfortunately for the thieves, they’d miscalculated this time and our client had come forward.

Vic winced. “Still not a lot to show. I’ve been asking questions about the underground art scene, but nobody is talking.”

“Damn. Does the client know?”

“Yeah, and he wants us to keep going. I think they hurt his pride when they broke through that supposedly impenetrable security system he had, so he doesn’t care how much money he has to throw at us to bring them in.”

“Good for us, I guess. What else is new?”

Vic and I chatted for a while longer before I returned inside. I brushed my teeth and lingered outside Sage’s bedroom, needing to know she was safe but not wanting to disturb her. Eventually, I eased the door open just enough to see inside. She lay curled on her side, her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted. Everything in me stilled. God, I wished I could cross over to her and drop a kiss on her cheek, then climb into bed beside her and cuddle her close. She let out a soft sigh and my heart gave a rat-a-tat-tat. She was so beautiful. So sweet despite everything that had happened to her. That took true strength.

I backed away and closed the door. I rested my forehead against the wood and gritted my teeth. I was all tied up in knots over Sage and I couldn’t even bring myself to care.

12

KADE

My phone rang while Sage was going through her morning yoga routine. I answered it and stepped into the kitchen, grateful for the distraction. Every time I watched Sage’s graceful movements, I felt more like there was a beast inside me, desperate to break free. One of these days, I’d snap and bend her wonderfully flexible body over the couch and kiss her senseless.

I clenched my free hand into a fist and barked, “Yeah?”

“Kade?” It was Ronan. “How’s everything going?”

“No sightings of Getty or Baker,” I replied. “No other trouble either. I think we’ve given them the slip.”

“Glad to hear it.” He spoke briskly. “Joanna and Hanson interrogated Raymond Parrish yesterday evening.”

I frowned. “The other guy who was involved in the murder of Sage’s father?”

“That’s right,” he confirmed. “He didn’t give up any useful information. Joanna suspects he knew about the jailbreak and was supposed to be part of it, but he got caught up in the riot and wasn’t able to get away. If that’s the case, it’s possible he thinks Getty and Baker will get the money and come back for him.”

I considered that. “Did the cops try to make him question their loyalty?”

“According to Jo, they gave it a shot, but he wasn’t buying their story.”

“Damn it.” If Parrish remained loyal to his co-conspirators, we wouldn’t get anything out of him. “Are we allowed to talk to him?”

“Yes.” There was a smile in his voice. “We’ve been approved to have a conversation with Parrish later this morning.”

“I want to be there.”

“I thought you might. Are you comfortable leaving Sage with Sean, or would you prefer to have another bodyguard sent out as well?”

I felt a pang of frustration. I didn’t want to leave Sage with someone else, even for a few hours, but I knew logically that she’d be fine. It was just a deep-seated mistrust of the world that made me want to see to her needs personally. I gritted my teeth. It wasn’t fair to treat my team as if I didn’t trust them. It must impact their confidence—both in themselves and in me as a boss. But damn, I didn’t want Sage to leave my sight.

I forced myself to say, “Sean will be fine.”

“Great. I’ll text you the details. See you there.”

“Thanks, King.” We ended the call. I pocketed my phone and turned to find Sage standing in the doorway. “I didn’t realize you’d finished.”

“I was curious who was calling,” she said. “Any news?”

I hesitated, debating how much to tell her. “The police questioned Parrish, but he wasn’t able to give them any useful information, so King and I are going to see if we can do any better.”

She raised her chin. “I want to be there.”