Page 9 of Collateral Damage
She’s silent for a few beats. “Oh wow. Things must be bad. You’re actually considering getting an assistant?”
“I don’t have a choice. Adena was right. She was carrying more slack than I realized.”
She releases a heavy sigh. “This sucks. I can’t even track her.”
“We made contact. She’s safe. That’s all we get for now.”
Technically, we shouldn’t have even gotten that much. Jagger Rouke’s handler, Nolan, pulled more than strings to let me have the physical address.
He broke every rule in the DEA playbook.
“When can I talk to her?”
“I don’t know. Soon.”
“Vague.”
“It’s all I’ve got.”
She sighs again, more dramatically, with just a hint of tears I’m sure Zack will take care of. “I miss her. But I’m happy for her.”
“Then hold onto that. She’s where God’s sent her.”
“You make it sound like she’s a missionary or something.”
A smile plucks at my lips. “She is… in a way.”
Delilah’s yawn is barely concealed when she replies. “I’ll go track down that list.”
“It can wait until tomorrow. But if you see Caleb, let him know. I’d rather take referrals from current team members than start cold.”
“Will do. Who’s going to interview them?”
I pause and consider that. Interviews take time. A lot of time.
“We’ll handle the vetting process, background checks, then Jake can handle the actual interviews off-site.”
“Roger that, boss.”
“Night, Delilah.”
I move to end the call, but she’s quicker. “Say goodnight to Dr. Barbie for me.”
“Her name is Ava,” I grind out.
Delilah chuckles. “I know. I just like hearing your voice get all scrunchy. I’ll be on standby mode… just in case you need backup, ‘kay?”
I grunt as polite a response as I can manage and hang up on her before she can rattle me further.
Aside from Delilah pushing for details I can’t give her, I can’t shake off the tension working its way through me. It’s more than unease. It’s something stronger. Something palpable I can’t put my finger on.
Snow is supposed to give people away. That’s the lie civilians believe. Fresh fall, clean yard, nothing but white—everyone assumes no tracks means no one came near the place. In reality, snow only exposes the careless.
Someone who knows what they’re doing never crosses open ground. They plan their approach before they ever step onto the property. Stick close to the structure. Follow the roof runoff where the snow’s already disturbed. Use wind-scoured patches where nothing settles long enough to hold a print. Short steps. Controlled weight. No heel strikes. No rush.
That kind of movement isn’t instinct. It’s learned. Repetition drilled into muscle memory until it becomes automatic.
And if there were tracks, they wouldn’t stay long. A branch dragged lightly on the way out. Walking back over your own prints. Timing the exit while snow’s still falling so nature finishes the cleanup.
