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“We weren’t arguing,” I snapped.
“Peyton found another woman to rescue, but it’s been vetoed,” Tyler interjected. “There are a lot of eyes and ears searching for that tiny dick’s wife and kid.” She looked at me now, her expression softening as much as it ever did. “Izzy’s right, Pey. He has eyes on us. We can’t move with him around.”
“If someone needs help, we’ll make it work. It’s not like we don’t have more safe houses,” Reaper said. At least someone was on my side. I’d take it, even if it was him.
“No. There’s a lot that goes into extraction. This isn’t a simple snatch and grab. People pay attention in those nice suburban areas.” Izzy shook her head. “We have enough on our plate. Let’s just go through the back channels and see what we can do. There might be some strings to pull.”
“Someone needs help, and they found enough courage to ask for it.” Reaper’s tone had me standing taller. His determination was clear, but it was the fever behind his words that called to me. He’d always had a protective streak for people who needed help, and that streak was blindingly bright.
“We stayed hidden for years. You think we aren’t good enough to take on an Oregon suburb?” Logically, what Tyler and Izzy said made sense, but I couldn’t seem to let it go.
“Nosy neighbors are the demise of people like us. You’ve seenDesperate Housewives,” Adrienne joked.
“That’s enough,” Betty called. “You know that this is the one area I let you five be in charge. As per your contracts, I don’t have a vote, and this only goes through if it’s unanimous. All in favor, say yea.” She paused, waiting for someone besides me to say it. Nobody did. “All against, nay.”
Everyone cast their vote, and I was clearly the odd man out. With a sigh, I tamped down my disappointment. There were ways to do this without the team. Even if I’d never done it before.
ChapterTwenty-One
PEYTON
With all theconstruction and traveling, setting up my home office had fallen to the wayside. That meant I was still working on getting everything hooked up instead of being elbows deep in researching the woman who needed my help. In any other instance, I loved setting up my equipment, but the clock was counting down and any time wasted was a hindrance.
The newest album from Bad Omens played over my speakers, low and undistracting in the background.
A shouted “Peyton. Open up,” was followed by two pounding knocks against my front door.
I couldn’t hide that I was home. All the lights were on and could be seen through the large windows. I paused with my hand halfway to the doorknob.
What was I doing?
With renewed anger, this time at myself, I swung the door open. And there was Reaper, in all his glory, scowling.
“Something you need?” I meant to come across bored, but it came out snarky instead.
He took me in, from my messy, lopsided bun to my threadbare tank top and yoga shorts. His throat moved, and I loved seeing him uncomfortable.
“Is that”—he swished his hand at me—“how you dress for recon?”
“I don’t have time for whatever mind games you want to play.” I leaned against the doorjamb. “State your purpose and leave.”
“I’m not playing games with you.” He huffed a sigh. “Can I come in?” Reaper took two steps forward, forcing me to either try to block him or step aside. I chose the latter, figuring I could use a break from organizing my setup. A good verbal sparring match would be a nice change of pace.
Reaper went straight to the living room, and I followed close on his heels. He made a circle, checking everything out before he faced me. “What do you know about this woman? Details? History? Schedule?”
His questions threw me for a loop. “A bit. This isn’t something we need to do recon for though. Tyler and Izzy were right. I can do ninety percent online. That’s where I spend most of my time.”
“Okay. Was there more that you need to do for research?”
I thought about it. There was a process, a plan. Checks and balances to make sure we had every angle covered. “In a way, yes. I did the background before I brought it to the team. The next step would be going in and setting up cameras, which Chris usually handles. The footage allows us to learn their day-to-day patterns and plan a time to grab her.”
“You have what you need here? Or do you need to sneak back to the office to grab stuff?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused as to why he was asking but also thinking about all the equipment I had in my loft. Cameras included.
“You want to go check up on this woman. I know you do. I’ll go with you, have your back. We’ll get in, set the cameras up, get out.”
My earlier reconnaissance had netted me the intel that they had tickets to a show in Portland that night. If we were going to do this, it had to be tonight. There wasn’t any guarantee we’d get another chance like this for weeks.
