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She laughed and pushed against him. “I kinda like you too, Ramos. Now, let’s go so we can go back to my place,” she said, winking at him.
He grabbed her around the waist again. “Kinda like me?” he said, smiling at her.
“Kinda. Like how the redwoods are kinda big, kinda.” She squirmed as he nuzzled her neck. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.”
Home. A warm flush crept over him at those words.
Once they turned out of the drive, Lesley snapped her fingers. “I was going to mention something to you. We’ve got a private who’s been losing her shit lately with all of this going on.”
“Rankin?”
Lesley turned toward him, brow furrowed. “You know her?”
“She came in earlier. I also met her when we processed Smith’s room. Poor kid is scared to death.”
Lesley settled back into the seat. “Good. I’m glad she stopped by. She’s a good troop, and I hate this for her.”
“She did good when she came in. We’ll make sure she’s okay.” Antony grabbed Lesley’s hand and brought it to his mouth. “I’m glad you pay attention to the people you work with. Too many don’t.”
“I told myself when I became an NCO that I would never forget where I came from. Once that happens, you’re a failure as a leader.”
“You’re gonna make a great Command Sergeant Major someday.”
Lesley laughed. “Not a chance. I’m done at 20. All I have to do is figure out what I’m going to do after.”
“Same. Haven’t given it a lot of thought since it’s a couple years down the road yet.” He put her hand on his leg and spun the wheel, bringing them into the parking lot of the Warehouse. He pulled into a space and turned toward her after he shut off the engine. “I appreciate you coming with,” he said, running his finger along her jaw. “I have no clue why Randall wanted you here, but I’m glad you are.”
Lesley leaned into his touch. “You’re with me. It’ll all be fine.” She leaned forward and kissed him before sliding out the door.
Jeff stopped the couple at the door. “Hunter didn’t show up for shift,” he said. “Didn’t answer his phone for a while. Boss just got a text saying that he quit.”
“Can we get into his locker?”
“Lemme get Dave up here.”
A few minutes later, an older man with silver hair came to the front. He shook Antony’s hand and turned toward Lesley.
“I’m Dave Watson, the owner. I’m sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances, and I’m truly sorry for what happened to you.”
Lesley took his hand. “I wish it could have been different as well.”
“Come with me.” Dave led them past the bathrooms and down a short hall to a door with a keycode. He fumbled with the lock twice before getting it open. “We changed the code earlier, and it’s not stuck in my head yet,” he said. “Locker still has his name on it.”
Jeff came in and silently handed Dave a set of bolt cutters and left.
“When you’re ready.” Dave stood back and let them enter ahead of him.
Antony set down the small field kit he brought and pulled out a pair of gloves and his flashlight. “Go ahead.”
Lesley sat down on a bench and watched Antony work. As soon as he put the gloves on, his demeanor changed. It was subtle, the way his jaw set and the focus he had on the locker. Once Dave cut the lock, he removed it and placed it in a bag. “I’m not going to dust this,” he said. “It’ll just make a mess, and there are too many people in and out of here, anyway. We won’t find anything useful. This just completes the chain.”
He opened the locker.
“Huh. That’s weird.” Dave was looking over his shoulder. “He always had stuff in there.”
“When was the last time he came in again?”
“Let me go check the schedule. I’ll also get Jeff to pull footage from the last time we saw him. It won’t be from back here. Cameras in the locker room is a step too far for my taste, but maybe we can see him leaving.”
