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She shook her head. “Figured you had a rapport with them.” And she did not want him to witness her panic if she had to make the call herself.
He nodded and made the call. “You guys have some barricades handy?” After a brief conversation with his counterparts, he smiled. “They’ve got it covered. We should’ve sat in my truck. More head room.”
“There are advantages to full-sized trucks, I suppose.”
“With this weather, things could go south fast.”
He was right. But the choice had been made, and they were here. A sigh escaped. “Tell me about it.”
“We’ve got an hour before the exchange. I brought dinner.”
How thoughtful. A smile tugged at her lips. “Is that what I smell?”
He opened the insulated bag and pulled out a sandwich for each of them. “They’re Monte Cristos, but I don’t know how well they held their heat.” He handed her one.
She opened hers and took a bite. “It’s still warm. This is fabulous. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. The other bag has waters.”
“You are an excellent stakeout partner. Do you know that?”
He chuckled. “I learned the hard way to be prepared.”
“There has to be a story behind that.” A gust of wind punctuated her statement.
His grin confirmed her suspicions.
Malachi rubbed his hands together to warm them. They alternated between running the engine to heat up the car and leaving it off to avoid wasting gas and so they could hear vehicles coming. Two cars had come down the road and both had turned around and left when they reached the barricades. Why anyone would choose a snowy day to visit the overlook, he couldn’t say. Sometimes photographers did crazy things for the perfect picture, and he could almost understand their reasoning. But when your average person went out for a drive in dangerous conditions for no good reason, that made zero sense.
There was no way of knowing what the buyer was driving, but he expected Reece would show up in his hippie bus, which should make him easy to spot.
Cate turned slightly in her seat so she was facing him. “You’re awfully quiet over there.”
“I could say the same about you.”
“I’m worried this thing will go south, and it’ll be my fault that the bears don’t wind up safe and sound since this stakeout was my idea.”
“Don’t do that. Yes, we want to get this guy Reece, but getting the buyer, too, makes sense.”
“I guess. So, now you know what’s been bothering me.” She smiled. “What’s your excuse for the silence?”
“It’s the lady who gave us the information. Something about her is disturbing. And familiar.”
“Familiar? How so?”
“I think she reminds me of my biological mother. That probably sounds crazy.”
“Not at all.” She tapped a short manicured fingernail on the console between them. “Were you adopted?”
“Foster care.”
“How long?”
“From the time I was eight.”
“Wow. That must’ve been hard.” She frowned. “Do you mind if I ask why you were placed in foster care? Never mind. I don’t want to overstep. You don’t have to answer that.”
He sighed. If anyone else had asked he probably wouldn’t have answered. A succinct ‘none of your business’ would’ve sufficed, but there was something in the way she’d asked. A sincerity. Maybe he should answer her. What could it hurt? After she got her cubs, they’d probably never see each other again. No time for her to pity him. “My parents were part of a cult that was raided by the FBI.”
