Page 143 of You Found Me
“Do what you can.” He keyed open the safe where he’d stashed his weapon and checked it before placing it in the holster. “Okay. Here’s where we stand. Our protectee is safe for now, but her cover and location are blown.”
“I’m honestly shocked it held this long,” Annie said. “I expected her to be on that stage with Mason last night.”
“She’s been surprisingly quiet, actually,” Spencer chimed in. “She hasn’t been in any of the other videos posted from the festival.”
“This was an accident, and more my fault than hers,” Ward cut in. “I let my guard down.” He was the one who should have known better, on several levels. “That’s on me.”
“You can’t control her every move. And you can’t be everywhere,” Annie said in a calm, reasonable tone that just made him feel worse. “You do have to sleep sometime.”
Oh yeah, he’d slept all right.
He resisted the urge to punch something. Barely.
He couldn’t change the past, and he shouldn’t be taking his screwup out on his best and brightest.
Focus, focus, focus, he told himself.Work the problem. “Good news is we have a little time if our guy was in Rochester when he saw the vid the same time we did. Let’s see if we can use this fuck-up to our advantage.”
“Use it how?” Annie asked suspiciously.
“We know where he’s headed. We can be ready when he gets here.” He was damn sure going to make the most of his mistake by using it to catch this asshole.
“You can’t know exactly what he’ll do,” Annie said. “It’s a major assumption that he was even in Rochester.”
“It’s an educated guess.” Ward paused in his prep work to stare at the phone. “Unless you have a better idea?”
“No.” Annie drew the word out in a patient sigh. “I agree he’s been in information withdrawals for a month, and this is a nice juicy fix. He’ll jump on it, especially after the fake out we tried. We’re relocating her, right?”
“Yes.” Ward continued loading his utility belt with items that might come in handy. Two clips. Knife. Zip ties. “Spencer, stay vigilant. She’ll be coming in hot, and I don’t want any surprises. Annie, you and Diggs get here as fast as you can. Every second counts. Be aware our stalker is probably taking the fastest route here and may be ahead of you. I’ll get set up on my end while we’re waiting.”
“Wait…what are you setting up?” Annie asked. “We’reallbugging out, right?”
“Not this time,” Ward said with grim determination as he pictured how it would play out. “You and Diggs are going to relocate our protectee. When you get to the secondary location, the three of you lock it down and keep her safe until you hear from me.”
“And what will you be doing while we’re watching the paint peel?” Annie asked, this time with an edge of suspicion and disapproval.
“Waiting for him.” Ward pulled his tactical go bag out of the closet and double-checked the contents. Rope. Duct tape. Foldable shovel. Water. Ration bars. Portable battery. It looked like the kind of kit a camper would put together—or a serial killer.
Satisfied, he zipped it closed.
“Very Butch Sundance,” Annie said with heavy sarcasm laced with concern. “But you’re missing your sidekick. You shouldn’t face this guy alone. You’re the one who taught me that the opponent doesn’t have to be good. He just has to get lucky.”
“I won’t be alone.” Ward ended the call.
What irritated him was that the stalker’s luck was a result of Ward’s failure. He’d let his guard down. Gotten comfortable. Now there was a trail of digital neon that led straight to Della.
They were blown. Exposed.
Because of him.
Ward rubbed his face with both hands. The self-blame wasn’t getting him anywhere. He forced himself to put aside the mental ass-kicking he richly deserved, but it wasn’t easy.
Next steps. Focus on next steps.
He needed to call Dad. He needed to arrange backup protection for his family. For the bar.
Hell, even for Ken Doll the Instigator.
He typed out a quick text to Brick as he headed downstairs.