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“I like the way you think.”
“It’s a gift.” More of a curse, at times. His mind never stopped. Every room he entered—and every relationship—had to be reconned. Evaluated.
“So we pull this pastor’s rear end out of the fire, and then we find J-man.”
“Exactly.” They needed to stop the blackmailer quickly. There was no telling what kind of trouble Jason was running from. They needed to get on that. Immediately.
“You think it’s the Consortium.” Tai wasn’t asking.
“Don’t you?”
“Unfortunately. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but my gut’s telling me it’s them.” Tai dragged the covers up over his chest. “Why would they pay off the team then come after Jason three years later?”
“Who knows? Maybe he did something that made them twitch. Those guys are easy to spook. If they have the slightest concern someone’s gonna talk…” He didn’t finish the thought out loud. Tai would be thinking the same thing. They’d make the poor soul disappear, just to be on the safe side. “Jay knows better,” he added.
The bed sheets rustled as Tai tried to get comfortable. “Agreed. Maybe this has nothing to do with the Consortium. Jay admitted he ran some independent ops. He leave any decent intel in that journal?”
Bridger thought about the cryptic notes. Either Jason hadn’t yet figured out much about the shadowy people pursuing him, or he’d made the notations purposefully obscure.
Both possibilities concerned him more than he wanted to admit.
He switched off the bedside light. “Whatever the reason, we need to find him.”
“And hope the rest of us don’t have to disappear again. That’s getting old.”
No joke. Not that leaving would help. If the Consortium intended to silence them, there’d be nowhere to hide.
10
Slipping backinto her brother’s hangar before the sun crested the White Mountains might not have been Jane’s smartest plan. The old propane furnace barely kept the place above freezing. She shivered. After an hour of digging through the mess left by whoever searched the place, her hands were chilled through. She flexed her stiff fingers and waggled her insulated mug. Empty. She was discouraged, and in need of more coffee.
And she was completely convinced she wasn’t going to find a way into her brother’s mysterious past. Not without help.
Luckily, she had another avenue to pursue. It was possible Jason’s absence had something to do with Pastor Zack’s blackmailer. Anyone who’d threaten a man’s wife could certainly threaten the good Samaritan trying to help.
Either way, she had no intention of sitting by while Bridger and Tai handled things. She was a doer. Like her only sibling, she thrived on action.
And Bridger North wasn’t the boss of her.
No one was, save her Lord and Savior.
Her breath misted in the cold air as she checked her watch. Her best employee, Wes, would be opening the store today. If she skipped her bookkeeping for the morning, she could grill the pastor. Alone.
She’d known the man since he took the post, six years ago. He’d be far more likely to admit things to her than to two scary-looking strangers.
Intent on her plan, she locked the hangar and swung by Hattie’s for a couple lattes on her way out to the church. She passed the Redemption Creek Inn, wincing at the sight of Bridger’s hopped-up Jeep. Even though it was too late, she slumped down in her seat until she could barely see over the steering wheel. Some spy she was, driving straight past their place.
She should have taken the back roads. Still, what were the odds they’d be watching the highway? Even if they did see her, it wasn’t like they knew where she was going.
It was just past eight when she pulled into the gravel lot between the church and the parsonage. The sun had crested the brown peaks, glinting on the windshield of the two church vans, and the pastor’s SUV, the only cars in the lot.
Drinks in hand, she headed for the door. It opened before she could set down a cup to knock. Pastor Zack poked his head out, fully dressed, his hair freshly combed.
“Jane!” He covered his shock with a thin smile. “What can I do for you?”
She thrust a latte at him. “We need to talk.”
He continued to block the doorway. “I wish I could. I’ve got somewhere to be in a few minutes.”
