Page 33 of Long Past Deadly

She dropped back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Somebody should kick you harder than I just did.”

His office door opened. A dangerous Navy SEAL filled his doorway with Harrison, Mackey, Niles, and Frank behind him. Hunt face showed neither friendship nor care. When he was pissed, he could wipe his face of all emotion. Quaid had learned that in the one mission they’d done together.

He stood and held out a hand to the one man he owed a longer explanation. “I’m sorry. I was grasping at straws and trying to get us armed and to safety.”

Hunt accepted the handshake, but Quaid knew from his expression the questions weren’t over.

“How long were you in the house?”

“Eight minutes and change. Car was in the garage within 60 seconds. We’d lost the guy before we arrived, but he knows which neighborhood.”

“How’d you leave?”

“Uber. Black Nissan.”

“And went where?”

“Coronado Patton. I have a black Suburban there. Well, currently it’s at the LA Downtown Regency Patton.”

“Yet, he found you again at the hotel. Planted an explosive on your food cart.”

“Yeah, I have no explanation. Barker is working the scene. And he’s not after me. He’s after Alanna. She knew his face and a name. We don’t have the full story yet. She’s been down.”

The other men stayed silent even though Frank shifted like he wanted to jump in. He owed the cop some time later, but for the moment, he’d throw him a bone. “Frank, my car is at Hunt and Cait’s, in the garage. You can tow it.” He winced. “See what you can find with forensics, but the guy never touched it.”

“Noted. His bullets did, though. Might find one embedded.”

Hunt rubbed his face. “Harrison said Williams was down, but we need to talk to her. Because the problem is…I recognize him, too.”

Quaid sucked in a breath. “How?”

Hunt’s expression stayed blank. “I can’t tell you.”

His gut clenched. “Please tell me she hasn’t stepped into some black ops thing.”

“I can’t. I need to review the exact context. You’ll have to let me check in at the office.”

That excluded all of them. Classified was classified. SEAL missions stayed secret. Coronado SEAL Operations was off-limits.

Mackey broke the silence. “We are searching downtown for Daniel Whittaker, our lead to the assassin. Delaney is helping. We’ll take a team out and do some searching this evening, same as we did when we hunted for Delaney.”

Cait stood, her tablet in hand. “I have Alanna’s results from the hospital. Let me go talk with her, but she’s down for at least another day. We have to do what we can to protect her hearing.”

“She can talk, though.” Harrison’s tired face was as blank as Hunt’s. SEALS.

Cait rolled her eyes. “Yes, she can talk. I’ll ask if she can manage some questions. Everybody needs to sleep. Doctor’s orders. And you should have called us when this happened.”

A lecture was coming, and Quaid took the friend route. “We wanted you and Hunt to have an undisturbed honeymoon. We covered you, but again I’m sorry.”

Hunt stepped to him and gripped his shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re okay. If it helped, it’s always there to use, just leave us a note next time. And leave one fucking weapon in one of the drawers.”

“Understood.”

Mackey added the last piece. “The FBI has nothing on this man. Alanna saw him once, in high school, with Whittaker. That’s the piece where we need every detail. Delaney is friends with Whit. I’m hoping he’ll be able to shorten the search.”

Hunt stayed silent, assessment in the set of his face.

Cait pointed at Mac, the doctor in full charge. “I’m operating on Delaney day after tomorrow. Don’t hurt him.”