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Joe allowed the women to exit before him, and Hailey pulled out her car keys and punched the remote. The Jag beeped once.
Joe opened the door for Ayala, and as she slid into the back seat, he asked, “If you saw Porter before, didn’t he tell you about the sniper shooting at Hailey?”
“Oddly enough, he did not.” She dipped her head to reach for her seat belt, and her long hair hung like a curtain over the side of her face.
“Did he tell you why he was visiting you and how he knew you were at the hospital?”
Ayala snapped the seat belt in place. “He said Hailey told him about my incident last night.”
Joe shut the back passenger door and climbed into the front. “Agent Porter never mentioned the shooting to Ayala. Isn’t that odd?”
“You said it yourself.” Hailey cranked on the engine. “Fibbies play it close to the vest.”
“Did I say that?”
“Or maybe you were talking about Delta Force.” Hailey peeled out of the parking lot. “Are you hungry, Ayala?”
“Ugh, the thought of food literally turns my stomach right now. I’ll take some tea when we get back to your place, though...and I’ll get it myself. You two should head over to Mission Hope. Maybe you can put a stop to all this once you check out that locker.”
“We can only hope.”
When they arrived at the house, Hailey pulled the car into the driveway. She turned to Joe. “You can wait here. I’ll see Ayala in, show her around the kitchen and head right back down.”
Joe clicked open his door. “I need the exercise.”
Hailey caught her breath, realizing he still wanted to keep tabs on her. “Sure you do.”
Joe kept Hailey and Ayala in front of him as they climbed the stairs. As always, he’d kept watch to make sure they hadn’t been followed, even though the bad guys knew exactly where Hailey lived, and now he had to look out for snipers in the treetops.
Safely inside, Hailey patted the couch that had served as Joe’s bed last night. “Have a seat. I’ll make you some tea.”
“Don’t be silly. I can walk into the kitchen and make a cup of tea.”
“Let me at least get it ready for you.” Hailey charged into the kitchen as if she were ready to turn out a full-course meal instead of boiling some water.
Joe took up a station near the front window. “Should we check that security footage, Hailey?”
“We can do it when we get back. Do you want some water or anything before we head out again?”
“Just a glass of water, please.”
Hailey held a glass to the ice maker on the outside of the fridge and filled it with water. She took a few steps out of the kitchen when the teakettle blew.
Ayala pushed up from the couch and sauntered into the kitchen, taking the glass from Hailey. She brought it to Joe and joined him at the window. “See anything interesting out there?”
“Thanks.” He took the glass from her. “Not much. Not high enough to see the bay, either.”
Hailey called from the kitchen, “Milk?”
“Yes, please.” Ayala rolled her eyes at Joe. “Really, I can make my own tea.”
Hailey ignored her and continued banging around the kitchen. “What are you going to do the rest of the afternoon? You should take a nap. Bed’s all ready for you.”
“Maybe.”
Joe took a gulp of water. “And your laptop is still under the bed.”
Ayala jerked her head around so fast, Joe thought she saw something out the window.
“Did you see something?”
“I—I thought maybe something by the bench in that little park.” As she pointed out the window, the red stone on her ring caught the light, flashing a beam on her face not unlike the one centered on Hailey’s forehead last night.
Joe cupped his hand over his eyes as he peered through the window. “I don’t see anything. Hailey’s house has an alarm system. Just stay away from the windows and you should be safe enough here.”
“Tea time.” Hailey carried a steaming mug into the living room. “I left a few more tea bags on the counter for you, the kettle’s on the stove and milk is in the fridge if you want more.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll be fine here—go.”
