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“Not necessarily. If you give me your phone, I can load the same app onto it. Angel leaves his tablet in the car in a lock box when he’s on a job and updates it every night. Irish—” Cass glanced over to where he still stood by the window. “He prefers not to use a tablet.”
“Which we have had many discussions about,” Ox interjected.
“I use my phone. Isn’t that why we have the app there too?” Irish countered.
Growler watched the byplay between his boss and colleague. There was no animosity in fact it seemed as if they’d had this conversation many times.
“And you don’t give me nearly enough updates. You always do a report after the fact, which doesn’t help anyone if something happens to you,” Cass admonished.
There was also a hint of…annoyance, anger… and something that Growler couldn’t put his finger on, but an unspoken message was being relayed.
Irish shrugged again. “I can look after myself.”
Cass rolled her eyes and looked as if she was about to say more when Ox held up his hand. “Enough. Not the time or place. Let’s turn our focus on the task at hand—the chase Growler was involved in. What’s the latest, Cass?”
For a moment, it looked as though Cass was going to argue more with Irish, but after a heartbeat of intense glaring between the two of them, Cass returned her attention to her computer—very interesting indeed.
Was there something going on between Irish and Cass? Or did they dislike each other? Growler couldn’t determine which one was right.
“Do you need me here?” Irish asked before Cass could say anything.
Ox sighed. “It would be ideal if you were here so that you’re familiar with what’s going on, but it’s fine. Go.”
Irish nodded and left the room. There were a lot of questions Growler wanted to ask about the last fifteen minutes. What was the story with Irish? He seemed to prefer to be an island rather than a team player. Could Growler count on him to have his six?
“Whatever you’re thinking, change it. No matter how it may seem, Irish is solid and will always be there when you need him.” Ox stared him down, and Growler held his boss’s gaze.
Again, he had to trust that Ox wouldn’t put anyone in unnecessary danger. “Copy that,” Growler responded.
“Okay, let’s get this meeting back on track. Cass, over to you.” Ox sat back and tapped his fingers on the table. Not in an impatient manner but as if the action soothed him.
“Thanks. So, here’s what I’ve pieced together so far.” Cass tapped at her computer and part of the wall separated to show a large television mounted on the wall.
The screen lit up to display four separate images. All a little grainy, making it hard to make out exactly who and what was happening. With a few clicks, the images cleared up and Growler could make out him and Astrid in her vehicle. The silver sedan that had been chasing them was on another screen.
“Fuck.” Growler thumped the table. “It’s impossible to make out the guy’s face. His cap is way low and has sunglasses on.”
During the chase, he hadn’t paid much attention to the guy driving, except acknowledging that he was following them. All Growler’s focus had been on making sure he and Astrid were safe. Not to mention the other people on the highway were as well. No innocent deserved to be hurt—he’d seen plenty of that while on his SEAL missions.
“I know, but”—a shadow of a smile crossed Cass’s face—“we have this.”
Another picture flashed on the screen. It was the image of the guy’s hand outside of the car, pointing his gun at Astrid’s car. The image seared itself into Growler’s mind. The moment when things could’ve gone very differently from how it had had been captured forever.
What did Cass mean when she said they had something?
Growler leaned forward, studying the image as if he could make out the very thing Cass was alluding to. All he could come up with was that the man held a Glock.
“You’re going to have to enlighten me here, Cass, 'cause I see nothing of significance except the make of the gun. Is that supposed to give me a clue about who this person is?” Growler grumbled after a few minutes.
He heard Cass tapping at her keyboard again, and the sound was getting annoying. He didn’t have time for games. Why couldn’t she give the information straight out? What was with the guessing game? Was this what she always did? If so, how did Ox stand for it? What he wanted was for her to relay what she’d found out in a quick and precise manner so that they could decide the next course of action.
Growler sat back, attempting to quell the annoyance thrumming inside of him, as the image on the screen changed and all that was displayed was the perp’s tattooed arm holding the weapon.
“This right here...” A circle appeared around one of the tattoos. A circle with two intersecting diamonds. It wasn’t huge and blended in with the man’s other ink. “…I think is a gang tattoo.”
“Which gang?” Growler queried, impressed that Cass was able to pick it out.
Cass sat back. “That’s the thing. It’s not one I’m familiar with. It’s not in the database I’ve created. But I know I’ve seen it before. Somewhere,” she said almost to herself her eyes dulled as if she was lost in her memories.
