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“Hell. ” They didn’t need that. Rowdy knew Natches. His cousin could be as impulsive as hell, and he rarely thought to cover his own damned ass until it was too late.
Rowdy pushed himself to his feet and paced the interior of the office. He knew the operation that had played out the year before and it still kept him awake at night.
“What was left untied?” He turned to Dawg. “The operation last year, the money Johnny got as a down payment on the missiles, was it found?”
“Not hardly,” Dawg grunted. “Cranston was pulling his hair out by the roots when it didn’t show up. ”
Timothy Cranston, that rabid little bastard of an agent in charge. He should be shot with his own gun. Rowdy had had the extreme displeasure of meeting him several times. He still didn’t like him.
“Who else would have helped Johnny, Dawg?” Rowdy asked then, his voice heavy, his chest still tightening, even after all this time.
Johnny had been their cousin, and he had used them all. He would have killed them all if he could have. He had definitely planned to kill Dawg’s wife, Crista. Him and his lover, Jim Bedsford.
“They picked up the team Johnny used to steal the missiles,” Dawg said. “Johnny and Bedsford are dead, and only they knew where the million in down payment was hidden. Hell, what’s left to find?”
“We’ve missed something,” Rowdy suggested then.
“What the hell could we have missed?” Dawg cursed. “His agent is back and Natches gets an anonymous call informing him of that fact? Doesn’t make sense, Rowdy. If the girl came back to get hot and sweaty with Natches, why the call?”
Rowdy frowned at that. If it hadn’t been for the phone call, he’d have assumed that getting hot and sweaty was exactly what was on Miss Dane’s mind. But why would someone call and warn him?
Rowdy felt the hairs at the back of his neck lift in warning, and he rubbed at them in irritation.
“Yeah, that’s my answer, too,” Dawg admitted. “My neck is tingling like hell. Something’s getting ready to go down. ”
“And Agent Dane is putting Natches right square in the middle of it,” Rowdy realized. “So we cover him?”
“And cause him to shoot us?” Dawg snarled in disbelieving amazement. “You know how much he likes shadows, Rowdy. We try to cover him and he’ll try to kick our asses. ”
That left one last option. “I have some contacts I can call on. ” Rowdy was pulling the names up in his head as he spoke. “I’ll see what I can find out. ”
Dawg nodded. “I’ll do the same on my end. Call some of the old agents from last year’s op and see what they have to say. ”
“Someone has to watch out for Natches,” Rowdy insisted. “At least check up on him. ”
Dawg stared at him askance. “Fine, you do it. You’ve had Kelly longer than I’ve been with Crista. I kind of like my body in working order right now. ”
“You and me both. ”
Dawg breathed out roughly. “Flip for it or take turns?”
Rowdy dropped back in the chair. “I guess take turns. ” He was imagining the pain once Natches caught them. He was hell in a fight, and he would definitely fight.
Dawg slunk down farther in his chair. “I should kill Cranston. ”
Rowdy grunted. “Give Natches time; he’ll do it for you. ”
And that was what they were both afraid of.
TWO
The next morning Chaya met with the team that had been pulled in to work the investigation Cranston had managed to get operational status for.
The six men were older, late thirties to early forties, and would blend in well. Their various covers worked for the area and would provide rationale for their seeming nosiness.
That would work in her favor, Chaya thought as she headed back to her room after the first, early morning meeting. They would gather bits and pieces of the gossip drifting around about the events of last year, and then Cranston could begin a list of persons of interest and the questions Chaya would ask.
They were working in the blind though, and she knew it. The problem was they had been working in the blind for five years. It had to end here. She just couldn’t do this much longer. The reason she was back this time was Cranston’s bribes. Her resignation was still awaiting the stamp of approval.
