by Autumn Reed
I grunted, annoyed that Jax was right. About that, at least.
“And, maybe it’s time to give her a little credit,” he continued with an air of superiority. “She knows how to take care of herself; tracking her here was mostly a lucky break.”
“I give Haley plenty of credit,” I grumbled. And, it was true even if Haley didn’t realize it. I’d always thought she was quick, intuitive, and remarkably capable. Still, I would continue to worry about the girl I loved every second she was away from me.
A few minutes later, we turned onto Helen’s street, and I couldn’t stop my cringe. The neighborhood wasn’t atrocious, but there were enough rundown houses and yards to make me uncomfortable on Haley’s behalf. As we approached the house, I slowed without coming to a stop. The bungalow looked well-cared for, which was a relief, and I could just make out the small, detached building out back. Spotting a place to park two houses down on the opposite side of the street, I rounded the block and parked.
“What’s our move?” I asked Jax. Scanning the nearby houses, I could easily determine that we would have to move our immediate surveillance off-site. We were both wearing ball caps and sunglasses and were driving a nondescript black SUV. But, if Haley was being as vigilant about her surroundings as I hoped she was, we couldn’t hang out there for long.
Jax pulled a backpack from the seat behind him. “I’m going to plant a camera on the back of the main house directed at the door of the guest house.”
“In daylight?” I asked, surprised that Jax was willing to chance it.
“I’ll be there and back in two minutes. Don’t worry,” he said with a smirk. “I have a kick-ass cover story ready to go if Helen sees me.”
“And if Haley sees you?”
His lips spread into a thin line. “It’s too risky to hang out here and wait to verify if she’s even home. I’ll have to be quick.”
He tucked the small camera in his pocket, then leisurely strolled toward the house. I watched while he disappeared behind a group of trees before re-appearing about a minute later.
“Too easy,” Jax said, climbing back into the passenger seat. “But, let’s get out of here, just in case.”
We drove around the area for a few minutes to get the lay of the land, then checked into a hotel that was far enough away we didn’t have to worry about accidentally running into Haley. Jax was already watching the camera feed on his laptop for confirmation that she was living in Helen’s guest house. I hated wasting time sitting around, but it was the simplest way to verify her location.
While we waited for room service, I ignored the third call from Theo in the last half-hour and texted him instead.
Me: No news yet. Chill.
Theo: You could have at least answered my calls to tell me that.
Me: I have a splitting headache. No I couldn’t.
Theo sent an eye-rolling smiley face emoticon in response and I shook my head. As much as I loved him, there were times when my brother was seriously aggravating. But, I knew he’d been freaking out about Haley, so I didn’t blame him for his incessant calls and texts. When we actually knew something, he’d be my first call.
We were halfway through our burgers when Jax exclaimed, “Got her!”
Since the door was already closed by the time I got a glimpse of the screen, Jax backed the video up a few seconds and hit pause. Because of the angle, I could only make out the young woman’s side and back. She had long, straight, black hair pulled into a ponytail and thick bangs fell into her eyes. Her clothes were casual—light wash jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and sneakers. She looked different, but Haley’s profile was unmistakable. The curve of her smooth cheek and fullness of her lips. Her long legs hugged by snug denim. Yeah, it was definitely her, all right.
My hands itched to reach out and stroke her face on the screen, but I resisted, knowing Jax would think I’d gone insane. Reining in my urge to grab the car keys and go after her, I picked up my phone instead and called Theo. After letting him know we’d confirmed that Haley was staying at that address and asking him to pass on the message to Liam and Chase, I turned to Jax.
He was focused on the laptop, having gone back to the live camera, and pointed to an object leaning against the guest house that hadn’t been there earlier. “She was riding a bike,” Jax said. “So, where do you think she’s been for the last few hours or more?”
“Work?” I asked. “It would have to be somewhere relatively nearby, because she didn’t look like she just finished a long ride. Somewhere casual, maybe retail or food-related?”
“Agreed. Hopefully, she’ll work again tomorrow and we can set up full-scale surveillance. We should go early in case she has a morning shift.”
“Okay. Once Haley leaves, you follow her, and I’ll pose as the cable guy and set up the cameras.” We’d already arranged believable uniforms and identification for the cable company. And, to keep the homeowner from being suspicious, we set up an open appointment for routine maintenance tomorrow.
“No,” Jax said harshly. “I’m taking care of installing the system.”
“Why?” I asked coolly.
“It’s my responsibility to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.”
I pushed my fingers through my hair, attempting to keep my exasperation at bay. “You know I’m more skilled with the equipment, so I’m not sure why you need to do it.”
He glared at me as if he could intimidate me. “I’ve made my decision. You can follow Haley.”
“Why are you being so difficult?” I didn’t make a habit of arguing with Jax for the sake of arguing. But, I was right about this—I was the more qualified person for the job.
“Why are you pushing it?” he replied, his volume rising with each word.
“Because you’re being irrational,” I responded in a bored tone. I knew if I continued to bait him, he’d eventually blurt his reasoning.
“Excuse me, Mr.-I’m-always-calm-and-in-control,” he practically yelled. “We can’t all be as perfect as you are.”
And there it is, I thought, recognizing the stress he’d been trying to hide. He put forth a valiant effort, but I wasn’t fooled. Jax had been like a rumbling volcano ever since finding out about Ethan leaving the team, and I’d been expecting him to erupt any day. Might as well get this over with.
“Stop being an ass and tell me what your real problem is, because I know it’s not me. You’ve run yourself ragged the last few weeks,” I said, taking note of the dark circles under his eyes and the unusual paleness to his skin. How long had he gone without surfing? Usually, he wouldn’t stand for missing more than a few days at a time. “We’re a team for a reason. Other than relying on Chase out of necessity, you’ve been cutting the rest of us out at every turn.”
“Yeah, well, if you want something done right . . .” He trailed off, clearly implying that he only trusted himself right now.
“. . . You assign the most experienced team member,” I answered for him. “Let me take over some of the responsibility, and not just while we’re in Portland.”
“Trying to steal my job?” Jax asked harshly, but I could tell that he was thawing.
“Yeah, right,” I said with a scoff. “You know I don’t want to be in charge. I value my free time too much.”
“Because why work when you can watch TV with Haley?” he asked, finally letting a grin spread across his face.
“How do you know about that?” I didn’t think even Theo knew about my Arrow time with Haley, unless he’d been paying attention the night he arrived home from UCLA . . . or she told him.
“I have my ways.”
* * *
Thursday, May 14th
Sitting in the back seat of our rental SUV the next morning, I regretted talking Jax into letting me set up the surveillance at the guest house. Assuming Haley left, he would get to follow and watch over her while I would be stuck playing cable guy. Just glimpsing her on camera had helped assuage my worry, but I needed to observe her more to make ce
rtain she was really okay.
Having no idea when Haley might leave, we had shown up before the crack of dawn to keep watch over the house. So, when Jax suddenly said that she was riding toward us on her bike at six-fifteen, we both ducked.
“Shit,” I said. “It’s too early for me to set up the cameras.”
“I know,” Jax replied. “Let’s go ahead and follow her, then go from there.”
I climbed into the front seat and watched her moving away from us in the passenger side mirror. Once she was about a block away, Jax turned around and started following Haley, frequently pulling over to keep from catching up with her. About ten minutes later, she rode into a shopping area and chained her bike outside of a coffee shop. Bingo, I thought. Since she didn’t drink coffee, she must have gotten a job there.
Haley disappeared inside, and I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing my binoculars and watching her through the window. She was busy behind the counter, clearly preparing for the shop to open. Her movements were focused and methodical, and although she didn’t look miserable, her face lacked its usual sparkle. My chest hurt at the thought of her being unhappy, and I was tempted to abandon our plan and run after her, to wrap my arms around her and never let go.
Damn Douglas to hell, I thought. He is going to pay for hurting her.
Chapter 16: Theo
Monday, June 8th
“Theodore Winstead, pleased to meet you,” I said to my reflection, practicing for later that morning.
As Theodore Winstead III, a scholarly sophomore at Stanford University and heir to the Winstead family fortune, I would be spending the next six to eight weeks building my resume for a future career in politics. As Theo Bennett, I was infiltrating the San Jose campaign office of the asshat responsible for Haley’s departure.
Having spent countless hours digging through Douglas’s e-mails and listening to his phone conversations for suspicious activity, I already had a fairly good idea of the inner workings of his campaign. Unfortunately, the scumbag was too clever to do anything truly incriminating over the phone or in e-mail. And, that was where my plan to go undercover came in.
To all outward appearances, Douglas was a picture-perfect politician, but I had a hunch that his record of success was due to more than just hard work and luck. But a hunch wasn’t enough to give us a legitimate shot at taking him down—we needed proof.
Glancing at my reflection once more, I straightened my red and navy striped tie and resisted the urge to run fingers through my now much shorter hair. I wasn’t a stranger to altering my appearance as necessary for an assignment, but this was more drastic than normal, requiring head-to-toe changes—haircut, colored contacts, and conservative clothing that covered my tattoos. Anything for Haley, I thought, wondering what she would think of my new look.
Frack. It was impossible to stop thinking about her, and I honestly expected that she would already be home by now. Her absence still had me on edge, but at least we knew why she left and, more importantly, where she was. The remote surveillance Knox and Jackson set up was reassuring, but every time it was my turn to monitor her, I could see the sadness she was carrying, and it weighed on me. Of course, it didn’t make me feel any better that one of her male co-workers was constantly hovering, most likely flirting his way into her good graces. Resisting the urge to peek in on her, I shoved my phone and keys in my pocket and headed downstairs.
Chase glanced up at the sound of my shoes on the stairs, then continued to stare as I approached. Amused by the incredulous look on his face, I hoped Knox’s reaction would be as gratifying.
“Morning,” I said cheerfully, heading for the kitchen where Knox was scrambling eggs.
With his back to me, Knox merely grunted in response. He had an unnatural ability to wake up fully and quickly, but that didn’t mean he was pleasant to be around, especially before he had his morning coffee. It was even worse since Haley left, and I noticed he often opted to run on the treadmill instead of outside.
Leaning against the counter, I peeled a banana, waiting patiently for Knox to notice me. When he finally turned, he stopped mid-stride and did a double take.
“Something wrong, brother?” I asked nonchalantly.
He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Damn, Theo. You look . . . different.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” I spun while he continued inspecting my appearance.
“Seriously, I almost didn’t even recognize you.”
“That was the point. And, that means Douglas shouldn’t recognize me either. Not that he’ll be there.” Considering Douglas singled me out in his threats to Haley, my presence at his office was a risk, but I knew that he rarely, if ever, visited the satellite location.
“Any questions on your cover story?” Knox asked. “Do you want to run through it?”
“Nope. Liam kept my alter ego simple, and there’s not much to remember.”
“Perfect. Just stick to the part and don’t get too friendly.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, Theo,” Knox said in his bossy-big-brother tone. “We can’t fuck this up. There’s too much riding on it.”
“Trust me, I know what’s at stake. And, besides, this was my plan.”
He nodded, satisfied at least for the moment.
I joined Knox and Chase at the table with my bowl of cereal. “What’s on the schedule for today?”
“We’re wrapping up the Wilbur mission, and Jax mentioned a new client,” Knox answered.
“Another one?” Chase whined. “I thought we were on ‘probation’?”
Knox chuckled. “You know better than that. Officially, we may be on probation, but Patrick will always trust us, and expect more from us, than any other team.”
“I know. I was just counting on a little break now that finals are over.”
“Gotta keep up appearances,” I teased. “Speaking of . . . how long do you guys think we’ll be able to maintain the story that Haley is on a ‘leave of absence for personal reasons’?”
Chase groaned. “I don’t know, but at least Melissa won’t be hounding us about her anymore.”
“Something happen to the office blabbermouth?” Knox asked.
“She’s leaving for a summer internship that she hopes will lead to her dream job. At least, that’s what Logan told me,” I said between spoonfuls of cereal.
“Logan tell you anything else?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure Kara’s suspicious of the whole Haley situation. Ethan leaving Jaguar was a useful distraction for the office gossips, but even that’s died down now.”
Realizing the time, I rinsed out my bowl and made the commute to Douglas’s campaign office. I was looking forward to finally doing something productive toward bringing Haley home. And, as much as I enjoyed being at Zenith, it was always nice to get out of the office, even if only to trade it for another one.
When the elevator doors opened, I strode toward the receptionist, who looked up at the sound of my entrance. “Good morning. Can I help you?”
“Good morning. I’m Theodore Winstead,” I introduced myself with a tight smile. I hated acting like a snob, but it was all part of the role I had to play.
“Welcome, Theodore.” She rose and shook my hand. “I’m Miranda and we’re thrilled to have you on board. I’ll give you a quick tour and then get you settled in.”
Curtailing my usual urge to chat, I nodded and remained silent. As Knox said, my goal was to blend in and keep my head down.
Miranda showed me how to log on to the computer system and asked if I had any questions before leaving me to complete my task. Fortunately, my first assignment was laughably easy, which would free up time for me to focus on the real reason I was there—getting the evidence we needed to take Douglas down for good. Between helping Chase move into the loft, searching for Haley, and taking on regular assignments with one less team member, we were all running ragged. The sooner we took Douglas down, the better, and
I vowed that I would be instrumental in his demise.
Chapter 17: Haley
Tuesday, June 9th
“Hales!” Jess squealed. Seconds later, her smiling face appeared on the computer screen, hair wrapped in a towel and skin still damp and flushed from a shower.
“Jess!” I smiled back, genuinely glad to see a familiar face.
“Is that coffee you’re drinking—have you joined the dark side after all?” she teased as I sipped from my Percolate to-go cup, making sure to keep the side with the name facing me.
“No,” I laughed. “I discovered chai lattes. And no matter how many times you ask about coffee, I’m positive the answer will be the same.”
“I know. I just can’t imagine being surrounded by the smell of coffee all day long and not drinking some.”
Over the past month, we Skyped at least once a week, if not more, and it was probably the most I had gotten to talk to her since she left for college. I didn’t have much going on, but I told her about some of my quirky customers at the coffee shop and she shared stories from her summer job at a veterinary clinic.
I readjusted my legs, folding them beneath me on the couch. “How was work?” I asked.
“Great! Max finally got his clean bill of health today, and I got to watch a surgery where the vet removed a string from a cat’s intestine.”
“Oh, um, that’s . . . cool.” I tried to be supportive, but that sounded disgusting. Jess laughed before updating me on the details of the past few days.
“And now you’re getting ready for dinner with Charles?” I asked, referring to her latest, and most likely temporary, suitor.
Jess started applying her moisturizer and then makeup. “Yep. What about you? Made any new friends where you’re living?” Before I could answer, she gave me a sad look, her puppy dog eyes on full display. “And, don’t you think it’s about time you tell me where that is? Best friends don’t keep those kinds of secrets, Hales.”
