“Austin, you and Gibson stay here with Nina. Jay and I will provide backup,” Jamie said, standing.
“Are they going to shoot us?” Nina’s voice wavered.
“No,” the four of us answered together.
“If they get past the—”
“They won’t,” Jay said. At the same time, I said, “Then we’ll stop them.”
“But—”
“Nina,” Jamie said, squatting next to her. “They’re trying to intimidate us because they don’t know who they’re messing with.”
They know. The CIA officers who hired the parade of goons harassing Nina would’ve armed them with all the intel they needed.Nina doesn’t need to know that.
They’d have the same information I had. I smiled.Which means they’ll make the same mistake.Them underestimating the SSI team worked in our favor.
“They won’t hurt anyone, will they?” Nina’s eyes strayed back to the screen just as one of the goons looked straight into the camera.
“If we find out you’re lying, we’ll bring the full force of the law on your heads.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” John said. He pointed to the door. “If you’re done threatening us, you can leave.”
I always knew my uncle was tough, but I’d never seen him in action, so watching him stare down two professional killers who towered over him impressed the fuck out of me.
Sheppard & Sons might be a small town PI company, but they weren’t a team to be trifled with.
It occurred to me that the official police reports we’d accessed may have downplayed SSI’s role to discourage other civilians from going vigilante.
Within seconds of John locking the door behind the guys, Jamie and Jay returned.
“Breathe,” I whispered, squeezing Nina’s hand again.
“I, I can’t live like this.”
“It won’t be like this forever. I promise,” I said, hoping I wasn’t lying through my teeth.
Chapter 33
Nina
The video on the screens changed to the area outside the building. “I’ll run the plate,” Jay said.
“Any hits, G?”
“Not yet.”
Everyone who’d been downstairs entered the room.
“Winchester?” John asked.
“We’re working on it.”
“On what?” I asked. Everyone spoke in code, and I was tired of being left out.
“We’re ID’ing the men,” Austin answered.
Wiping my tears, I whined, “Why didn’t you just say that?”God, I sound bratty.
