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Liam let it bounce and caught it.
The work side of things had been pushed to one side of Gage’s mind. Not just because they were waiting for evidence techs to process the scene—both of them. Detectives were going through footage, and Gage had no desire to stare at Clare on screen, over their shoulders.
It was after eleven anyway, and the guys needed to blow off steam.
“Vanguard can process physical evidence faster than the department can,” he said. “You know we’re always on the lookout for quality third party companies that know what they’re doing to take some of the load running trace evidence. Not everyone understands how to handle chain of evidence.”
Liam sighed. “I looked her up. Army veteran, local business owner.”
Gage frowned.
“I know a guy.” Liam shrugged. “There’s nothing in Clare’s army personnel file about a dependent, so if she had a kid, they don’t know. Just a lot of stuff about commendations. Special operations. Words like ‘exemplary’ and ‘fast track.’”
“Great.” So what happened to their baby, the one she’d been carrying the last time he’d seen her? Gage scratched at the back of his neck. “Let’s just focus on the case, yeah?”
The door at the far end of the gym opened and Jasper walked in, followed by Blake and Dakota. Blake’s dark-colored eyes studied Dakota. Gage got a read on how they were doing just by watching them walk.
Jasper was nervous but had the situation under control because he was going to use all the skills his Senator father had taught him. Dakota had closed off, but he was here and that apparently meant they should all be satisfied. Blake, it seemed, spent every minute wondering what would explode next. Not the first time Gage had wondered what was in Blake Reed’s past that made him think that way.
Jasper unzipped his sweater and tossed it on his duffel bag. Sneakers squeaked the floor, and Liam bounced the basketball. Jasper lifted his hands. “We gonna do this or not?”
Dakota said, “I’d rather hear about the shouting match Gage got into with a witness at the bank.”
Gage accepted the ball from Jasper and turned. “The gal who yelled at me wasn’t a witness. She wasn’t even there.” He bounced the ball a couple of times.
No, not a hostage. Just a young woman he’d thought for a second might be his daughter. The one Clare gave birth to after she broke it off with him. So what happened to his child if that young woman wasn’t her? Did Clare have a kid—probably in college by now—and she wasn’t planning on letting him into their life?
Exhaustion from the rollercoaster day he’d had settled on him.
Gage bounced the ball and took a shot again. It bounced off the rim. Blake ran in and caught the rebound, scooping it in the basket before his feet hit the ground. The guy could’ve been a pro ball player, but given the elbows he liked to throw, Gage didn’t quite know what to make of Blake.
Out of all of them, he kept his personal life close to the vest. Or hidden under it.
On the outside he was the same color as them—blue. But each one had different upbringings. Jasper’s dad was a senator. Gage was raised by a single mom. Blake had a big family because he always had a sister, brother, or cousin calling to ask for a favor. Dakota had a much older brother, Will, who was some kind of federal agent. He’d grown up spending summers with the guy when he could, mostly to escape their father.
Overhead lights glared at him. The guys fell in, and they got the game going. A couple kids from the neighborhood who hung out in the game room when they weren’t messing around in the gym and getting into trouble came in the gym. One had a ball, so they probably wanted to play. He was about to ask when they all sat on the bench to watch.
Since there were five of them, not an even six, they settled on what amounted to dog fight basketball. Basically a free for all of every man for himself—with some showing off rolled in.
When Dakota’s phone rang for the third time, Gage held on to the ball and turned to him. “You gonna answer that?”
“Why?” Dakota motioned for Gage to throw him the ball. “It’s just my brother, Will.”
“And you’re avoiding him why?”
Dakota shrugged. “The Lord told him I had a need. Something like that means he needs to bug me just to tell me he’spraying for me.”
Gage had plenty of buddies or knew guys on the force who were Christians. Clare had been one when they dated in high school. To him it just seemed like a bunch of rules, and if it wasn’t how he planned to live his life anyway then why change for some arbitrary reason? He liked who he was.
He threw the ball to Blake, who said, “Your brother calls, you should answer.”
Dakota shot him a look. “You don’t know nothin’ about it. Your family is draining you dry, so all you’ve got is ratty sneakers you’re about to walk out of.”
Liam was already moving. He got in front of Dakota while Gage spun to Blake. “Don’t let him.”
Blake could be vicious fighting for a cause he believed in. That cause didn’t need to cut Dakota down to size when the guy was already fragile dealing with whatever was going on. Gage was almost certain after that sprained ankle two months ago, Dakota had been on pain meds that might be the issue now. Trying to get off them. Battling recurring pain. Freaking out that his SWAT career was over if he couldn’t beat the injury.
Gage said, “Let it go for now. Just play.”
