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“Did Colton give you anything?” Assistant Chief Michaels asked.
“No. Ms. Elly Finnegan doesn’t believe he’s our guy.” He briefly summarized the disappointing results of the interview.
“How reliable is your witness?” Michaels asked.
“Very.” He didn’t hesitate. “She bumped into him, saw him up close. I’m convinced she would know him if she saw him again.”
“That’s just great,” Michaels muttered. “We’ve got a whole lot of nothing.”
“I know. But I still believe the shooter’s background is either as a cop or being in the military.” He went on to explain the way their most recent safe house had been found. “We’re barely managing to stay one step ahead of this guy.”
“We need another lead.” Michaels rubbed his hand over his chin. “Got any ideas?”
He desperately wished he did. “We’ll keep going through the witness list. This guy opened fire on the paradegoers for a reason.”
“Yeah.” Michaels sat back in his chair. “I appreciate the update, Kingsley. But there is one more thing you should know.”
“Like what?” Had he missed some other avenue to investigate this case?
“Captain Finnegan put in a request for you to be promoted to lieutenant. It took a while for the upper brass to approve your promotion and rank, but it’s official. Or will be at the first of the year.”
“Lieutenant?” Joe tried to hide his shock. He knew Rhy often leaned on him as the team leader, but to recommend him for a promotion? That was a surprise. “Thank you, sir.”
“You earned it.” Michaels waved away his gratitude. “Keep up the good work.”
He’d done a far from stellar job on this case, but he simply nodded. “Will do. Thanks again.” He turned and left the office.
The bump in pay would be good, especially if Elly didn’t want to keep working as an EMT. As soon as the thought entered his mind, he mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking? He didn’t have a claim on Elly. No matter how much he liked and admired her.
And even though he wanted nothing more than to see her again once this was over, he had Rhy and the rest of the Finnegan siblings to deal with. He imagined Rhy would regret submitting his name for a promotion if he knew how Joe had kissed Elly.
And how badly he wanted to kiss her again.
Enough. He couldn’t think about a potential future with Elly. Not until they had the shooter behind bars.
As he rounded the corner, he saw Grayson chatting with Elly. Steele wasn’t around, and he found himself curling his fingers into fists when he caught sight of Elly laughing at something Grayson was saying.
The stab of adolescent jealousy hit hard. Grayson was known to be a chick magnet. For whatever reason, women gravitated toward him. It was all he could do not to physically insert himself between Grayson and Elly.
“Hey, where’s Steele?” Joe asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice as he approached.
Elly turned to face him, her eyes brightening when she saw him. “I’m glad you’re back, Joe. Steele is arranging for another vehicle for us to use.”
“Great.” He forced himself to relax. Elly had looked pleased to see him. Maybe he wouldn’t have to punch Grayson in the nose.
Grayson’s dark eyes shifted between him and Elly as understanding dawned. Joe held his teammate’s gaze, refusing to back down. He knew he was treading on thin ice but couldn’t find the energy to care. He was way past trying to keep himself from becoming emotionally involved. That ship had obviously sailed. He decided it would be best for the entire tactical team to know he had personal feelings for Elly.
They’d need every minute of their intense skill and training to keep her safe.
“There he is now.” Grayson nodded toward the doorway. Steele crossed the room, holding up a set of keys.
“I’ve secured you a new ride,” he announced. “Figured I could return Quinn and Sami’s SUV. Grayson can follow along to give me a ride back.”
“Are they still at Rosie’s?” Elly asked.
“Yep.” Steele dropped the key fob into Joe’s outstretched hand. “We can meet up with you at the safe house.”
Joe frowned. “What safe house?”
