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“Yeah, me neither,” Killion finished her sentence again. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry,” she corrected with wide eyes and surprise. “I enjoyed it. I mean, if you…”
“Oh no. I mean sorry for being… so forward,” he said, clearing his throat. “I enjoyed it too.”
“For sure,” she said, looking anywhere but at him.
“So you were saying…”
She slid off the table and moved to the other side of the room. “Actually, I think you were saying.”
“Right.” Killion leaned against the wall, arms crossed with one ankle over the other. “What I was saying… The same person, group, or organization is after Hen and Wit. They are behind getting both of us there. Ayelish was contacted by someone else. Someone who knew the abduction was coming.”
“Was it an attempted abduction, or worse?” she asked.
“Given the bounty, high payout, and that they are to be turned in alive, I think it’s going to fall under blackmail, extortion, ransom, and the like.”
She nodded quickly. “I agree. They know something or have something, and someone wants whatever that is.”
“This is good. Once we get a report from the program, we have a direction to run on,” Killion added. “I just wish we knew more about Hen. We’re missing something. Given the overlap between those two…”
“Wit’s lookout knows Hen too and missed the mark?” Relay concluded. “I mean, it only makes sense at this point that if help was sent for Wit –– someone was looking out for Hen… maybe the same person.”
“But they didn’t. Or we’re missing something.” Killion shook his head. “We’re close, Riley. Really fucking close.”
“I know. We make a good team, O’Reilly. O’Reilly, oh wow.” She giggled and pointed at him. “You’re O’Reilly and I’m Riley.”
He chuckled. “Funny. And you’re right. We do make a good team. Whoever is looking out for Wit very likely is looking out for Hen too and, for some reason, didn’t get the memo on him in time. Ayelish is a clue.”
“They knew Ayelish and Wit were together, so that really narrows the possibilities. It has to be someone close to us –– to the teams –– to connect the dots.” Relay paused for a chuckle. “I doubt Ayelish is dating both of them. We’ll need to dig into Hen’s life a little more. See who he has in common with us, you guys, Wit…Ayelish.”
“Uh, maybe I can help with that,” a tearful Ashlyn said from the doorway to the Lair. “I, uh, I got it too late.”
“Sis?” Killion was quick to her side and looked her up and down as if looking for whatever was harming her or hurting her. “What is it? What happened?”
“I got it too late. I actually…” Ashlyn held up her phone. “I was on a case, out of range. I didn’t even notice it until now. He could’ve been taken.”
“Who, Ash?” Killion reached for her phone and read the open message. “Wh-Why? Why do you have this? Why would someone send you this?”
Killion handed the phone to Relay, and her shoulders sank as she read the message and offered a sympathetic look. “Oh, Ashlyn. You and Hen?”
She nodded her head, and a sob escaped her. “I’ve been standing here listening, and I think you’re right. The language and details match. This is the same message Aye got for Wit. I was supposed to help him, and I didn’t.”
“But it’s okay,” Relay said as Killion turned around, making his way to his computer and went to work.
Relay looked over her shoulder at him and saw the concern he wore. Concern for his baby sister. The Dozen and Keepers may be on good terms at the moment, but they weren’t always, and there was no guarantee that they would be after this case.
“It’s going to be okay. This is nobody’s fault. He’s safe. We all know now, and we all kept him safe. You couldn’t have known.” Relay looked back over her shoulder at Killion in hopes he was listening. “And Hen’s a really good guy. The best kind.”
“He is.” Ash smiled. “I can’t help but think this is someone closer than we think. Someone connected to both Ayelish and I if they knew about our relationships with Wit and Hen. An operative? Informant who caught on? An old case?”
“I’m already working that angle,” Killion said without looking up from his screen.
“There’s a reason they didn’t just come forward with the information. I did my due diligence, and you won’t be able to trace that message. I already tried. Just like Aye’s.”
“Okay,” Killion said and continued to work. “Like I said, working on it.”
“Killion, you can’t really be upset with me?” Ashlyn stormed to his side. “What the hell is wrong with you? You were okay with Wit and Aye, but not Hen and me?”
