Hard to Let Go (9 page)

Nick eyeballed the three of them. “Just didn’t want to interrupt the female bonding time.”

“Well, dude. You totally failed, then,” Kat said, smirking.

Nick arched a brow at her. “I thought I said no ball busting.”

“And I thought I said I’d
try
not to bust your balls. Oops. Looks like I failed, too.” She downed another cracker and sipped her wine.

Shaking his head, Nick asked, “Sunshine, do you remember when I said that you meeting Kat would be tons of fun for me?” He gestured toward Kat as Becca laughed and nodded. “Well, this was what I meant.”

“Suck it up, Nicholas.” Kat batted her eyelashes at him, knowing full well he hated his full name.

“Bite me,
Katherine
.”

Kat winked at Becca and then turned a big sunny smile on her brother. “So, did you have, like, a real reason to bother us?”

“Actually, yes,” he said, fishing something from his back pocket. He handed a cell phone to Becca, then crouched by her knees at the corner of the sofa. “You have two missed calls and a voice-mail message, all from the same person. Landon Kaine.
General
Landon Kaine.” Nick grabbed Becca’s free hand. “Becca, why in the world would the C.O. of our former base be calling
you
?”

Chapter 9

B
eckett was having pretty much the same exact luck as Marz and Charlie. Which was to say, none.

He’d agreed to stay and help them research the list of names they’d acquired from Kat’s personnel files. As much difficulty as they’d had last week finding intel on just one Seneka employee—Manny Garza—Beckett had thought they could use the help to research this list of five. More than that, the busy work gave him something to occupy his hands and mind. Otherwise he might find himself doing something very stupid. Like finding Kat. Getting her alone somewhere. Getting her underneath him.

What the hell was wrong with him, anyway? He wasn’t a monk. In fact, he’d been with any number of women since he’d been ousted from the Army and returned stateside. But most of them had been one-night-only deals. A way to sate a need—for both of them—and move on. Not once had he had the urge to pursue any of those women. Not once had he felt drawn to any of them. Not once had he felt anything at all for them. At least, nothing beyond the physical.

None of them had penetrated his ancient numbness.

Until Katherine Rixey.

It was as uncomfortable as all hell.

Beckett ran the last of his searches on Gene Humphreys Washington. And just like Garza, who was also listed in the personnel files as a security specialist, there was absolutely nothing on the guy. He might as well have been a ghost. Or a figment of their imagination. “Anything?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at Marz and Charlie.

Marz scrubbed his hands over his hair. “No. It’s Garza all over again.”

Charlie turned in his chair toward them. “I’ve had some hits, but nothing useful. Greta Wendell appears on a church Web page and has social media accounts. Nothing jumps out as relevant to us or our situation on any of it.”

“Oh, wow. Someone from Seneka actually exists in the real world,” Beckett said, tone full of sarcasm.

“Yeah,” Charlie said with a nod. “Wexler is more like the guys you two researched, with one exception. Because he’s on Seneka’s executive board, he’s been named alongside John Seneka himself in media coverage of various investigations into the company and overseas controversies involving them. Beyond that, nothing useful.”

Reclining back in his chair, Marz laced his fingers together behind his head. “You guys won’t mind if I remove my limb and use it to hulk-smash something, will you?”

“As long as it’s not my head, I’m cool with it,” Charlie said, totally deadpan. The kid had a killer dry sense of humor when he unleashed it, which wasn’t that often, even with Marz, with whom he was probably the most comfortable. Well, besides Jeremy, of course.

Marz chuckled, but the sound was tired, frustrated. “Look at you rockin’ the humor, Charlie. Before long I’ll have you dancing on tables.”

Charlie grimaced. “I don’t . . . dance.”

“No?” Marz said, winking at the blond man. “Why am I wishing Jeremy was here for this conversation?”

As Charlie’s face turned red, Beckett shook his head and chuckled under his breath. Leave it to Marz.

“Glad he’s not,” Charlie said, humor and embarrassment mixed in his voice. He crossed his arms. “He’d probably wear his ‘I’ve got a pole you can dance on’ T-shirt just to spite me.”

Marz burst out laughing. “Charlie Merritt! I didn’t know you had that in you,” he managed, still laughing.

Charlie gave Beckett a
Did he really just say that
? look, his embarrassment easing in favor of amusement. “Dude. Think about what you just said and remember you’re talking to a gay man.”

Marz’s expression went comically confused for a moment, and then laughter exploded out of him. Bent-over, grabbing-his-side laughter.

As Beckett started to chuckle, Charlie did, too.

Just then, Nick came into the gym, and Becca, Jeremy, Emilie, and Kat followed him in. Beckett’s gaze latched onto Kat, who looked more relaxed than she had earlier. A little pressure released from Beckett’s chest at the sight, and he had to tell himself to stay the hell where he was when she got closer.
Damnit.
He fisted his hands and folded his arms across his chest.

“Oh, God, is it eleven already?” Marz asked, forcing himself under control.

“No,” Beckett said, checking his phone. “It’s ten after ten.”

“What’s up, hoss?” Marz called.

For the first time, Beckett noticed Nick’s face. And the guy was
not
happy. Beckett’s gut braced for a nosedive. What the hell could’ve happened now?

“We maybe got a situation,” Nick said.

“Nick, I really don’t think so,” Becca said as the four of them reached the far side of Marz’s desk. Jeremy took his usual spot against the corner of the desk nearest Charlie, while Emilie came around and gave Marz a kiss on the cheek, then sat on the table behind him. Kat stayed at Becca’s side.

“What’s going on?” Marz asked. He’d sobered up quick at Nick’s words.

“Becca?” Nick said—and his effort to gentle his voice was clear. “Play it for them?”

“Okay,” she said, her pretty face pinched in concern and confusion. “Ready?” she asked. Everyone nodded, and then a man’s voice sounded out from a recording on the phone.

“Hi Becca, it’s Landon Kaine
.
I’m in the area for a few days and wanted to stop by and visit for old time’s sake. Figure it’s the least I can do for not keeping in touch this past year. I’ve got some free time on Thursday, so gimme a call today if you can. I’ll be up late.”

Prickles ran over Beckett’s scalp. At the name. At the voice. At the fact that Kaine was here, now. Beckett hadn’t known the commanding officer at FOB Chapman well, but he was aware that Merritt and Kaine were close. And in the days and weeks after the ambush, Kaine had been the ranking authority on all things related to the investigation and their ultimate other-than-honorable discharge.

“Well, ain’t that somethin’,” Marz said, turning to look at Beckett, his eyes full of
What the fuck?

Beckett gave a single nod, sharing the sentiment. “That’s, uh, damn coincidental.” Though, really, he didn’t believe in any such thing.

“Somebody fill me in,” Jeremy said, flicking his tongue against the piercing on his bottom lip. “Who’s Landon Kaine?”

“He was a good friend of our father’s,” Charlie said, looking over his shoulder at Jeremy.

“He was also the commanding officer at our base in Afghanistan,” Nick said, skepticism plain in his voice. “And he presided over our discharge.”

“The general and Dad were close,” Becca said, looking between Jeremy and Nick. “They went to West Point and came up through the Army together. General Kaine visited my father socially over the years. Came to our house. Came to the funeral last year.”

“And when was the last time you heard from him, Becca?” Nick asked, turning toward her.

Her gaze went distant for a moment, and then she shrugged. “At the funeral, I guess.”

“Until now?” Nick asked.

She nodded. “Well, yeah.”

Nick’s gaze landed on Marz, then Beckett. The man’s eyes were filled with gut-deep concern.

“Think you might want to get Easy and Shane down here,” Beckett said. His gut was right there with Nick’s.

Nodding, Nick whipped out his cell and fired off two texts.

In the tense silence that followed, Becca sighed. “Why can’t this just be what it seems to be?”

“It could,” Nick said. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “Or not. And the chance it could fall into the ‘or not’ category is something we have to consider.”

Within a few minutes Shane, Sara, Easy, and Jenna had joined their group around Marz’s desk.

“What’s up?” Shane asked, a wariness in his voice.

Nick looked at Becca, and she replayed the message without him needing to ask.

“Well, ain’t that a good goddamn,” Easy said. Jenna laced her fingers with his, and Easy brought their joined hands up against his chest.

The men exchanged another loaded round of looks.

“You really think this is . . . what? Some kind of setup?” Becca asked, her hand sagging with the phone.

“Probably only one way to find out,” Beckett said, knowing Nick wasn’t going to like hearing that.

And the storm that rolled in across the other man’s expression confirmed Beckett’s suspicion. “You think she should call him?”

“Only way we learn anything,” Beckett said, careful to keep his tone neutral. This situation made him recall another from not that many weeks ago—the gangbanger who’d tried to nab Becca from the staff lounge at the hospital had contacted them through a reward flyer and offered information on Charlie’s whereabouts. But he’d only wanted to talk to Becca. In person. Nick had gone ballistic at the idea of her taking the meeting, even with them hidden around the location to protect her. And that had been
before
the two of them had gotten serious.

Nick met the gazes of each of the other men. “You all agree?”

Begrudging nods all around. No doubt the others felt his pain, since they were all involved in relationships now, too.

Thank fuck Beckett wasn’t.

Although, before that thought had fully formed in his head, his gaze slid to Kat. Arms crossed, expression concerned, eyes tracking everything that was being said—vocally and silently—in the conversation, she looked ready to jump in, ready to fight, fucking fierce.

What if it was her?

Ice slithered into Beckett’s gut. He clenched his muscles against the sensation, not liking it one goddamned bit. And not willing to examine it either.

“Son of a bitch,” Nick said, raking a hand through his hair.

“So, um, does that mean I should call him?” Becca asked, hugging herself.

A tense chuckle rose up from just about everyone. Not Nick, obviously, who looked at Becca and cupped her face in his hand. The way she leaned into his touch—almost like it was instinct to get closer to him—did some things to Beckett’s chest he didn’t particularly like. He felt . . . weirdly . . . envious. Of the ease of their connection. Of having a connection at all.

“I think you gotta have her call the guy, Nick,” Kat said, drawing Beckett’s gaze. “
Especially
if you think he represents some threat. Otherwise, how will you even know what you’re dealing with?” Her tone was firm but conciliatory.

After a long moment Nick nodded, though his gaze remained on Becca. “Okay. A call. Using a burner phone, so your location can’t be traced. And on speaker phone so we can hear the whole thing. That means I need someone on that door”—he pointed across the room—“so no one comes in mid-conversation. Everyone who stays in this room needs to say absolutely silent. If he asks, you can explain you’re on speaker because you’re driving.” He looked at Jeremy. “Where’s Eileen?”

“She was sleeping in my room when we came over,” he said, expression unusually serious.

Nick gave a single nod. “Good. Anyone with a phone, silence it now. Nothing compromises Becca in any of this.”

There was a flurry of activity as everyone checked their cells.

“I’ll make sure no one comes in,” Sara said.

“Not even if the building’s on fire, Sara. Okay?” Nick called as she started across the room.

“Not even. I promise.” She jogged to the door and disappeared into the hallway. Since the Ravens had been involved with rescuing Jenna from the Church Gang, they seemed to hold a special respect and affection for both the Dean sisters. So no question they’d listen to Sara if anyone tried to enter.

“I’ll grab a phone,” Beckett said, rounding Marz’s desk to the boxes of supplies, weapons, and ammunition that lined the wall on the other side. He grabbed one and set it up. “Here you go,” he said, handing it to Becca.

She nodded. “Thanks. So, am I setting up a meeting with him or not? Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be thinking twice about doing so. Will it seem weird if I don’t?”

“No weirder than him popping in out of the blue for a visit.” Nick sighed and looked around the group. “But, let’s just play this out. If you did meet with him, it would need to be somewhere high traffic where there was no chance of him grabbing you—”

“Nick.”
Becca’s eyes went wide. “Do you seriously think—”

Kat put her arm around Becca’s waist. “Let him plan for the worst. It’ll put everyone’s mind at ease.”

“I agree,” Charlie said, frowning. “Don’t forget someone tried to grab you before.”

Becca’s shoulders sagged. “I know. Okay.”

Jeremy put his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Places that would be normal for Becca would be around her house or around where she works, right? Around the hospital might be too risky, though, because of what happened to her there. So, is there anywhere around where you lived, Becca?”

“There’s a coffee shop on Eastern Avenue right across from Patterson Park that’s like a four-block walk from my house. It’s usually busy and there are always people working in there on the free WiFi.” She looked at Nick. “Know where I mean? Cute place on the corner?”

“Yeah,” Nick said with a troubled sigh. “Something like that could work. Let’s do this, then, before it gets much later.”

Beckett rose and stepped closer, wanting to hear what Kaine had to say. Most of the others followed suit as everyone closed ranks around Becca.