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As the group dispersed, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. He hadn’t voiced his concerns about Jane. He knew he should trust his teammates, but something held him back. Okay, not something. His pride. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of his crush on the woman. And he clearly never should have confided in Tai. The man would never betray his trust, but that wouldn’t stop him from poking at Bridger.
When it came to teasing, the man was unmerciful.
The room emptied, except for Tai, who parked his butt on the edge of the rickety kitchen table. “Okay, spill it. What happened in town? It’s Jane, am I right?”
Before Bridger could deny it, his friend’s eyes narrowed. He licked a forefinger and pantomimed putting a mark on a wall. “Score one for me. I’m totally right.”
He wanted to deny it, but starting up this new venture was hard enough without hiding things from his friends.
And there was the small chance he was overreacting. It killed him to admit it, but his feelings for Jane could lead him to overreact. Maybe. A little.
“Come on,” Tai coaxed, bending down to meet Bridger’s downcast eyes. “You know you wanna tell me.”
He snorted. “Is this your version of an interrogation?” He shook his head sadly. “Because your technique’s––”
Tai put up a hand, interrupting him. “Wait for it…”
Bridger groaned and clasped the back of his neck, squeezing the tight muscles. “Fine. Okay. I ran into Jane by the bank.” He raised his head, meeting Tai’s eyes. “She lied to me.”
“A nice kind of lie, like telling you that lame hoodie looks good on you? Or the bad kind?”
Bridger plucked at his own sleeve, trying to focus his eyes on the fading logo splashed across the chest. So what if he’d had the thing since flight school? He loved it. “This isn’t––” He held up a hand. “Never mind. It was the bad kind. Something’s got her stressed out, and she denied it.”
Tai looked confused. “And we’re concerned why?”
“Jane isn’t a liar.”
“Agreed.”
He slapped his hands against his thighs in a helpless gesture. “I think she’s scared. Mad, too, but mostly scared.”
Tai considered that for a moment. “You’re the nonverbal decoder genius. If you say there’s something going on, there’s something going on. What do you want to do about it?”
“No idea.”
Tai’s grin turned a little evil. “Good thing I have one.”
“Let’s go with an idea I won’t hate.”
His friend slapped him on the arm. Hard. “No can do, bro. Not only are you going to hate it, you’re going to hate it a lot.”
“Great.”
“Leave this to me.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Fine.” Tai sighed dramatically. “Then watch and learn, son. Watch and learn.” He motioned for Bridger to follow him outside.
Bridger had to jog to match Tai’s pace as the taller man hurried toward his workshop at the front of the barn. The guy was heading straight for his collection of drones.
“You’re talking surveillance,” Bridger said accusingly.
Tai didn’t even slow down. “You think? But if you have a better idea…”
Negatory on that. Unfortunately.
Bridger thought furiously. Tai wouldn’t proceed without his say so, but he couldn’t think of another plan. The minute he satisfied himself that Jane was okay, he’d have Tai pull out the drones. Best case scenario, he was totally wrong.
