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“Uh, can I sit down?” Toni asked, and Spencer felt like an ass all over again.
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” He stood and grabbed her a chair amid snorts and snickers from his fellow teammates. He kicked Scotty’s shin hard to get him to move back, then pulled up a seat for Toni right beside his. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a polite smile.
He slumped back into his own chair and did his best not to stare at her like some besotted baboon. Whatever game he might’ve had where she was concerned was completely gone. “Would you like something to drink?” he managed to say, his throat tight with adrenaline.
“Uh, sure.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“Cool.” Spencer hailed the bartender. Once the guy brought her drink, he all but fell out of his chair, rushing to pay for it. Not good. Not good at all.
“So, Toni,” Kyle said, giving Spencer a get-it-together look. “Commander Brighton said you had new information we might find useful?”
“Yes.” She pulled a folder out of her bag and slid it across to Kyle, who started scanning the contents immediately.
“Looks like your father had another meeting set up two weeks from now in Tennessee?” Kyle said when he looked up again.
“Yes. That’s why I volunteered to bring this over here personally. I know that my father is working with the FBI, but I believe your team is the one that is prepared to take the necessary steps to stop this mess, once and for all.” She gave Spencer a quick glance before dropping her gaze to the pockmarked tabletop.
The other couples drifted off to the dance floor when a sappy slow song came on, leaving only Spencer, Toni, and Kyle.
“So, you made it home okay,” Spencer said. It wasn’t the most brilliant conversation starter, but it was the best he could come up with.
“Obviously,” Toni said, giving him some serious side-eye. “The new bodyguard you found was really nice. I decided to keep him on permanently, as a matter of fact. He’s been great at helping me practice my Arabic, plus having him around has really cut down on the number of people willing to harass me in public.” She cocked her head toward the entrance, and Spencer glanced over to see the hulking silhouette outside the pub. “Bakir makes a good deterrent.”
“Bakir would make a good building,” Spencer said and smiled.
“That too.” Toni winked, and his insides went warm. “It’s good to see you again, Spencer.”
“You too, Toni.”
“Aw, so sweet. You guys are giving me a toothache,” Scotty crooned, complete with kissy noises. Hayley smacked him gently on the butt as they made their way back to the table.
“A busted jaw would give you a toothache too,” Spencer growled.
“Enough,” Kyle said. “Are you sure this information is accurate, Toni?”
“Should be. It came directly off my father’s computer at Coran Williams Publishing. I stopped there right before I came here. Why?”
“Because this lists the location of someone we haven’t been able to find.”
Spencer’s eyes widened. “Natalie?”
“Yep.”
Gage resumed his seat and pulled Anna down onto his lap. “She’s in witness protection, right?”
“According to these files, Coran was able to track her somehow. There’s a trail of receipts that leads all the way to Nashville.” Kyle flipped through a few more pages, his scowl deepening. “And there’s surveillance shots of her too. In front of Ryman Auditorium.”
“But Natalie hated country music,” Scotty said, his nose wrinkled.
“Maybe it’s supposed to be part of her cover.” Spencer leaned back and downed the rest of his beer, his arm brushing against Toni’s. “Anything else in that file?”
“Oh, yeah. Looks like Natalie wasn’t the only person Coran was tracking.”
“Who else?” Hayley asked.
“Well, Arrieta, of course. Plus, a couple of other terrorist bigwigs. There’s five pages of intercepted radio communications between SHEEPSKIN and several of these various terror cells.” Kyle shook his head and pulled out another photo, then squinted at the corner of it. “Whatever system your father was using, Toni, it was pretty goddamned effective. There’s something else on here too. With the reprinting, I can’t tell if it’s something important or just a watermark.”
