Becca stared at him. “I’ll be all over it, but I won’t be able to show it to anyone else. When we catch this guy, anything I use from this to find him can’t be used to bring him up on charges.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how you guys work under these conditions.”
“I don’t know how you do some of the things you do, either.” Becca gave him a pointed look before turning to Nina. “Sulyard will freak when he finds out you went to see Odell.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now. I want to make sure that you don’t get in hot water, too.”
“On that note—” Quinn slid a phone across the table to Becca. “We both have untraceable cells. I bought one for you, too. I programmed in both of our phone numbers.”
Becca clutched the phone like a lifeline. “Perfect.”
“Were you able to get my case files?” Nina asked.
“They’re in the car.”
“Then we’ll walk out with you.”
Quinn dropped a few bills on the table on the way out to Becca’s car. She pulled a file box from her trunk, and Quinn opened the rear door of the pickup’s cab. He reached for the box, but Becca ignored him and stepped past him.
After their testy interactions inside, Quinn had to think Becca was ignoring his offer of help to get to him, but Nina knew that wasn’t the case. She was one of the most independent people Nina knew, never letting anyone do anything for her.
She hefted the files over the tailgate and suddenly gasped. Still holding the box, she backed away from the truck.
Nina moved closer. “What’s wrong?”
“I think we found Hamid’s missing monitor.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
NINA AND QUINN boarded the houseboat and found Ty lounging on the deck. Quinn went straight to Ty, partly to ask him if he had a phone at the hotel and partly to do something to keep his mind off the monitor discovery.
Quinn felt Nina standing behind him as he waited for Ty to make eye contact. “Did you have a phone at the hotel? Maybe send a few texts?”
“No,” he said. “Why?”
“There were some unusual texts from that location. We’re trying to figure who sent them.”
Ty narrowed his eyes. “Right, and you thought of me first.”
“You have been known to bend the rules, Ty.”
“I know, geez.” Ty jumped to his feet. “I’m not stupid. I get it. I’m a screw-up. How many times do you need to tell me?”
“I didn’t say that.” Quinn waited for Ty to calm down a bit. “I need to know the truth.”
“I didn’t send the texts, so lay off.” He huffed and glared at Quinn before stomping off to the other side of the deck.
There was that attitude again. Quinn’s frustration flared. He took a step to go after Ty. To let him have it like their father would do, but Nina rested a hand on Quinn’s arm, reminding him that this was a perfect time to break that cycle.
He pulled in a deep breath, expanding his lungs to bursting and let it out. Repeated the motion several times. The SEAL creed came to mind.
The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men.
He had no problem with keeping his cool on the job, but with Sulyard earlier? And with Nina and his family, especially Ty? He hadn’t managed it of late. He’d definitely lost it when he and Nina split up. And he’d wanted to strangle Ty so many times. . . . But Quinn was going to do his best to stop that.
He’d focus on the things he loved about Ty. His sense of humor. His dopey grin. The loving kid who’d somehow lost his way in the last two years. That kid was still in there somewhere. Quinn would find him again.
Nina’s hand still rested on his arm. Perhaps she believed he needed to be restrained. She had to be disappointed in him. He turned. Her hand dropped.
Quinn’s frustration with Ty dissipated at her soft look of concern. “Sorry you had to see that. I wish I was half as good with Ty as you are. All I do is make him mad.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You want to fix his problems. I simply want to let him know he’s loved. It’s pretty much the main difference in the way men and women react.”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that.”
“Well.” Her lips quirked up. “You’re also a type-A person who jumps in with both feet before thinking about the best course of action. Guess that applies to your relationships as well.”
He sensed a change in her tone. “You’re talking about us now.”
“Maybe.” She stared off into the distance. He could almost see the gears churning in her mind.
“You’re right, you know,” he said. “About me. I react, then think, when it comes to people I care about. That’s what happened when you gave me that ultimatum. I didn’t think about it. Just acted.” He paused to search for the right words to explain himself. “The team’s my family, Nina. It has been for years. We’ve taken bullets for each other. Unless you’ve had someone willing to die for you, you can’t really understand what it means to end that kind of connection. I couldn’t let my team down.”
“I appreciate the explanation, but there’s really no reason to bring it up again.” She sighed and took a step back. “You’re not leaving the team, so there’s no point.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” he said, the words flying from his mouth before he thought about it.
Her eyes widened. “Where’s that coming from?”
That’s exactly what he was wondering. Where had it come from?
He looked away. Brought his hand up to shove it into his hair. Feeling the scarred skin tighten, he dropped it and stared at the damage.
She took his hand and traced the scars. Her fingers were soft and tender in areas where his nerves still functioned. “You never did tell me what happened.”
He wanted to share with her, but she’d admitted she still worried about his deployments and didn’t really didn’t need to know the horrific details. “That mission is still classified.”
“See, here’s the thing, Quinn. You say you want to talk about things. Then you back away, claiming things are classified when you know you can share enough for me to understand. But no. It’s all on your terms.” She dropped his hand. “You won’t even let me see how bad the damage is.”
He felt his anger rising. Anger at the situation. Anger at the injury. Anger that he used to be able to control before the explosion.
“You want to see?” He ripped off his shirt to display the scars that ran up his arm and over his shoulder. “There. See? Not a pretty sight.”
He waited for her to cringe, but she gently took his wrist in her hands and turned his arm to study it. She ran her fingers over the surface, her touch as light as a butterfly. He’d expected her eyes to fill with pity if she ever saw his burns. It was something he’d gotten plenty of at the hospital. He’d heard the nurses when they didn’t know he was listening, talking about how hard it must be to bear the damage when he was in his physical prime. He’d expected Nina to act the same way.
Instead, her eyes burned with compassion. With love. That set his heart beating hard. He wanted to wrap that damaged arm around her back and jerk her into his arms. To kiss her senseless. To beg for her to give him a second chance. To agree to give up everything and be at her side no matter what. But that wouldn’t be fair to her. Not when he didn’t know if he could follow through.
She looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Quinn. I can only imagine how painful this must have been. I wish I could have been there for you while you were recuperating, helping you work through what happened that day. Whatever it was.”
He’d wished that too—day after day, while undergoing debridement of his wounds, when he’d lay in bed reliving the explosion. He’d missed her. Missed her goo
dness. Her smile. Her love. He couldn’t have that. Couldn’t promise what she needed. But he could at least give her one thing she asked for. He could tell her about that day.
“The building exploded in front of us,” he said quietly. “Knocked us all on our butts and punched the air right out of me. Sully was in front of me when it hit. A wall landed on top of him and immediately caught fire. When I could breathe again, I saw him. Trapped. I ripped the rubble off him before his clothes started burning. The flames must have caught my sleeve, but I didn’t notice them until after I’d freed Sully. I dropped to the ground, but by then, the damage was done.”
“Thank you for telling me.” She moved closer, circled her arms around his waist, then laid her head on his chest.
He rested his chin on her soft curls and blew out all the past turmoil between them in a long breath. This felt so good, like he’d finally found that place he’d been searching for. A place to put down roots.
He pulled back, traced the side of her face with his finger, then let his arms fall. “Seeing you again has given me a lot to think about.”
“Me, too.”
A strong wind pummeled the boat, sending it rocking. A moment of unease darkened her eyes.
“Do you want to go inside to get away from the water?” he asked.
She shrugged. “The more time I spend near it, the better I’m doing.” She turned to the river. “It’s hard to believe something this beautiful terrifies me.”
“I think most people have some irrational fear.”
She glanced at him. A shaft of moonlight highlighted her face. She was more beautiful than the river, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Didn’t want to take his eyes off her. Ever. Thinking of losing her again sent his own irrational fear swimming through him.
He jerked his gaze away and slipped his shirt over his head. “I should go see if Ty’s okay.”
“Want some advice?”
“Sure,” he said, though he really wanted to bolt.
“It’s natural for you to come across like your dad. He’s what you saw, growing up. But forget how he dealt with the two of you. Pretend Ty’s one of the guys on the team and talk to him.”
“I have things in common with the guys. But Ty? We’re nothing alike.”
“Yes, you are. He adores you, Quinn. He may not show it because you’re always riding him, but if you lighten up, he’ll open up. You just have to try it.”
She could be right. In fact, she likely was. He’d give it a go. “Okay, then. Wish me luck.”
“You’re an amazing man.” She grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers with his. “But you’re way too busy looking for the next adrenaline fix, trying to prove you’re not your dad, to even know that about yourself. You’re not your dad. You’re nothing like him. You care—deeply—and value people. Let Ty see that, and the two of you will be fine.”
Her words mimicked his earlier thoughts, and the truth hit him hard. It was time to let this thing with his dad go before he ruined his relationship with his brother. Before he lost a chance at ever repairing things with Nina.
“Thank you for being so wise,” he said, then kissed the top of her head.
“Quick, let me write that down so that when we’re old and gray, I can remind you that you once said it.” She flashed him a cute grin, then went inside.
Old and gray. Together. He liked his addition to her comment. He headed to the other side of the boat and found Ty sprawled out in a lounger.
“Mind if I sit here?” Quinn asked.
Ty’s phone was in his hand, as usual. He didn’t respond.
Quinn’s irritation instantly rose, but he tamped it down and took a seat. “The river’s something to see in the moonlight, huh?”
Ty glanced at Quinn, then stared over the water. “Yeah.”
“Reminds me of when I’d come home on leave. If Dad was home, we’d all go fishing.”
“Yeah.”
“We had a lot of fun.”
“Yeah.
“Too bad you hate fishing so much or we could do it again. You know, you and me.”
“Who says I hate fishing?”
Quinn shot him a look. “I figured that’s the reason you stopped coming with us.”
He shook his head. “I like fishing okay. Dad stopped asking.”
Quinn replayed the past, trying to remember when Ty no longer joined them, or if he’d ever talked about Ty with his father. Quinn couldn’t remember a specific conversation. He’d just always had the feeling that Ty didn’t do anything other than play with his computers.
“Guess I assumed it.” Quinn stared over the river again. “Would you like to do it again after this mess gets cleared up? Just you and me.”
“Sure.”
“Okay, then, we will,” Quinn said, his shoulders lighter than they’d been in years.
WILEY BLENDED INTO the darkness as he crouched next to a small storage shed on the houseboat’s deck. They had no idea he was there. Watching. Listening. Smiling over Brandt’s crazy fear of the water. Big baby. Then there was the big, tough SEAL. Getting all sappy and mushy with his brother.
Wiley almost barfed . . . until a moment of jealousy bit into him. He’d wanted a family connection like this, but got parents who didn’t have a feeling bone in their bodies. Actually, they couldn’t feel anything now, at all. He smiled grimly. But in the past, when he was younger, it would have been nice. He’d wanted to be loved.
He’d gotten indifference.
He’d be taking this away from Brandt, too. No way the kid or the SEAL would hang around when she was found guilty of Hamid’s murder and went away for life.
Ah, yes, he was still on top. Still the victor. If he managed to hack the database. Thanks to Brandt, he was now one step closer. She’d shown him where to find Tyler. As soon as the kid was alone, Wiley would snatch the brat out of their safety net.
QUINN HAD DONE it. Broken through Ty’s wall with a simple suggestion. Nina smiled and returned to the dining table. She shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation, but she cared about them both and wanted them to get along better. Both. Yeah, it was time to admit it. She was still in love with Quinn, and she didn’t have a clue what she should do about it. If there even was anything to do.
The pair came back inside and settled into chairs. The air in the room felt lighter.
Quinn pulled out a chessboard. “Want to play, Ty?”
“Sure.”
They were both trying so hard. She felt like a proud mother, and her anxieties melted away. She’d avoid thinking about Quinn’s earlier hint that he might consider leaving the team and enjoy this moment when her little family was in a good place.
She turned back to the database log files on her computer.
“Good thing Q put a computer in his supplies or you’d be out of luck, Nina,” Ty called out. His obvious respect for his brother made her smile widen. Even Quinn grinned.
She clicked on the first log file. An hour later, she located a big red flag.
“Got something here,” she announced and clicked on a few screens before sitting back in surprise. “Hamid’s deleted post isn’t connected to Odell’s login, but a guy named Kip Ulrich, who also has administrator rights to the website.”
Quinn joined her at the table. “Exactly what does that mean?”
“It means he can make changes to anything and everything. But what’s bothering me is that Odell didn’t mention a second admin.”
“That’s odd, isn’t it?”
“Very.” She scanned Ulrich’s record. “He was one of the members who viewed the cache.”
Excitement sparked in Quinn’s eyes. “You think he’s involved, then?”
“Don’t get too excited,” she warned. “As an administrator, Odell has access to all
of the logins and could have used Ulrich’s login to make these changes. Or he could have made this guy up so the deletion of the post wasn’t tied to him.”
“Do we have contact information?”
She nodded.
Quinn shot to his feet. “Then I guess it’s time for us to pay this mysterious Kip Ulrich a visit.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
SEVERAL EMPLOYEES sat outside the large office building at Ulrich’s workplace. They were eating what Quinn could only assume was lunch for the late shift of workers. An average-size male stood and wound through the tables. He was wearing black pants with suspenders and a short-sleeved white shirt with bowtie. His gaze ran up and down Nina, making Quinn want to deck the squirrely guy.
“I don’t like this, Nina,” Quinn said. “Ulrich looks all kinds of weasely.”
“Well don’t let it show. He’ll clam up, and we won’t get a thing out of him.”
“Let me guess. You want to do all the talking.”
She glanced at him. “I’m that predictable, am I?”
“Yes, and honestly, I like it. It’s something I can count on.”
She looked surprised, but Ulrich stepped up to them, drawing her attention.
“Agent Nina Brandt.” She shot out her hand.
Quinn suspected it was because she didn’t have credentials to display.
Ulrich didn’t take her hand. “I know who you are.”
Quinn found his combative attitude odd, but Quinn didn’t want to give the guy time to request her ID, so he herded them toward a private space to talk.
“Thanks for seeing us at such short notice,” Nina said.
“Let me be clear, I’m only doing it for Ham. I like him. If he’s in trouble, I’ll do anything I can to help.” He sat on the edge of a stone bench and planted his hands on his bony knees
Quinn glanced at Nina to see if she noted that Ulrich was talking about Hamid as if he were still alive. Nina gave the briefest of nods in acknowledgement.
“How well do you know Hamid?” She sounded casual as she sat next to Ulrich, but Quinn saw the distress from Hamid’s death lingering in her expression.
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