Page 35 of What Started In Deception

“That’s a deal.”

He started the truck and pulled through the empty spot ahead of him, joining the busy stream of traffic, turning onto her road a few short minutes later.

“This looks like your stop,” he said as he pulled into the driveway.

“That it is.” She got out, punching in the code for the garage, waiting for the door to go up.

Ty grabbed the items from the back seat, including the cooler she’d carried. “It’s a lot lighter after we ate and drank almost everything.”

She took the cooler from him, dumping the ice onto the concrete, then tucked the container in the corner to dry. “I can grab this stuff.”

He handed over the fabric cooler next, then the pillows and blanket. “Thanks for letting me tag along tonight.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Give me a call on Monday, and we’ll figure out when you want to head over.”

“How about at five? I want to get my laps in at the gym after my workshop.”

“Sounds good.”

“Can I bring anything?”

He shook his head. “I’ll let you know if that changes, but I can’t think of anything at the moment.”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you on Monday night.”

“I’ll see you then.” He walked back to his truck and got in.

She tossed him a wave, then pressed the button on the garage door, watching him back out before it closed.

“I guess that’s that,” she said with a nod. Two nights of spending time together hadn’t been too bad at all, but it looked like she had the next twenty-four hours off from her fake relationship.

Chapter Ten

Ty walked into the hole-in-the-wall diner sixty-five miles west of DC, spotting Danny Hill, the case agent in charge of their small part of the Boston field office’s much larger operation into targeting and dismantling the uptick in organized crime in the Northeast. He headed Danny’s way in the mostly empty restaurant despite the lunch hour, sitting across from his co-worker in the scarred booth. “Hey.”

“How was the drive?”

Ty shrugged, noting that Danny was giving a goatee a try, which didn’t look half bad on his fortysomething friend. “I can’t complain. Traffic was hauling ass on 81, which worked just fine for me.”

The waitress walked over in a slightly pathetic version of the clichéd pink diner outfit. “What can I get you?”

“Just a glass of iced tea. Plain, not sweet, please,” he said, not interested in eating whatever they might be serving on the menu.

“Sure thing.”

Danny sipped at his coffee as the waitress walked off. “How are things going down in Oliver Heights?”

Ty nodded. “Pretty good. Lydia and I have eaten a few meals together. There was a movie at the local park last night, so we went to see that. I’d say it’s slow, but it’s coming.”

“Has she said anything to you about the senator and her cousin?”

He shook his head. “We’re definitely not there yet.”

“It would be great if you could get her to talk. The brass is already up my ass.”

That was nothing new. The higher-ups always wanted answers yesterday. Unfortunately, it rarely worked that way. “I need to take my time—or as much as I can. She’s very protective of her family. If I push too hard, she might walk away.”