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As for Jack, the detective had learned little about him, and since they didn't have a body, he hadn't yet gained authorization to look through Jack's bank accounts and phone records. And Androtti, while relatively friendly, hadn't been interested in sharing too many details with him while the FBI was not yet officially involved. There was often a territorial tug-of-war between agencies, especially in a city like New York, where every agency wanted to take the lead whenever possible.

But he was fine with focusing on Jack and letting the police and ATF handle the blast. His main priority was making sure Jack was alive and helping him get out of whatever trouble he'd gotten himself into.

"Hi, I'm Melody. What can I get you today?" The pretty blonde waitress gave him a friendly smile.

"I'll have a beer for now. I'm waiting for someone."

"You got it." She set down two menus and went back to the bar.

As Melody left, the door opened, and Rachel stepped inside. She wore dark jeans and a blue sweater under a black jacket, her dark-brown hair falling around her shoulders, her piercing gaze sweeping the room until it came to rest on him.

An uncomfortable knot filled his throat as she smiled and moved toward him. He'd told himself that she was not that beautiful, or that sexy, and even if she was, she couldn't stand him, so he needed to get a grip on whatever crazy attraction still seemed to be there despite the length of years and the amount of anger between them.

But he'd felt this same jolt the first time he'd seen her when they'd collided outside the bar in Germany. He'd never felt so completely off balance after just one look. It was why he'd gone back inside with her, why he'd flirted with her, why he'd hoped it was the start of something, until he'd found out who she was.

"Good, you're still here." Rachel pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. She took off her jacket, which only drew his gaze to her beautiful curves covered in cashmere.

Clearing his throat, he forced himself to look at her face. "I thought we agreed you were staying out of this."

"That was before Officer Mishra showed me a video clip of Jack getting into a van with someone wearing scrubs the night he disappeared," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

He sat up straight. "There's a van? Is there a license plate? An ID on the medical person who was with him?"

She frowned. "No. The camera position limited what could be seen. The van pulled up by the loading dock. They must have gone down the stairs, through an employee door, and out to the back of the building. The man in scrubs was covered from head to toe."

"Was Jack trying to get away?"

"Not that I saw. The clip was only a few seconds. The man in scrubs helped Jack into the van. Or he kind of pushed him in. But Jack wasn't struggling. Maybe he was still out of it."

"Or he knew the person, and they'd come to get him. Did he have his phone with him when he was admitted to the hospital?"

She thought about that. "I don't know. I would assume so, but I never saw a phone. When I was with him, he was fully dressed. He wasn't put into a hospital gown until he was admitted. His phone and wallet would have been kept with his clothes in his room." She paused. "I did try to call his number earlier, and it didn't even connect to voicemail. Can you trace his phone? Can the police?"

"The police are still trying to figure out what crime they're investigating. All they have is a bomb going off in an apartment, which is bad, but also basically an arson investigation."

"It was meant to kill Jack."

"But it didn't. There's no body, so no murder."

"There's attempted murder."

"Which would be easier to investigate if Jack was around."

She sat back as Melody dropped off his beer and a small bowl of pretzels. "Can I get you something?" she asked Rachel.

"A sparkling water."

"Coming right up."

"Do you want lunch?" he asked. "I haven't eaten yet."

"That sounds good."

They studied their menus for a moment. When the waitress came back with her drink, she ordered a chicken Caesar salad while he opted for the French dip.

"Did you learn anything from Detective Androtti?" Rachel asked when they were alone.

"Not really. He's running a standard investigation, and it's early. Getting back to what you saw, did you get a copy of the clip?"