Page 80 of Blind Trust
Relief washed through him, but it was momentary. “I thought she left?”
“So did I, but I guess she’s still in town, and she used Mason’s phone to call me. Told me she has something that can prove the US is involved in the weapons and counterfeiting.”
Nic’s internal alarm system was ringing loudly. “Lyla, Walsh directed us to stand down.”
Outside the restaurant, Lyla put on her coat while walking to his truck. “Okay, so then take me home.”
He didn’t need to see the daring look on her face to know she was being facetious. “I thought you’re staying at Jack and Brynn’s?”
“Now, why would I need to stay there?” She climbed into his truck when he opened the door for her. “Walsh says the assignment is over, which basically means the threat against me and my family is over too. I can go home now because there’s no reason to keep investigating into the person or persons who attacked us...right?”
Nic’s hand fisted over the brim of his cap. How did he counter that? And there was no way he was dropping her off anywhere, because the second he did, he knew she’d head straight out to meet R.D. anyway.
“What if this is a trap?”
Lyla pulled out her phone. “Call the number back and talk to R.D. yourself. If you think she’s being used and it’s a trap, then we won’t go.”
The muscles in his neck bunched because he’d walked right into the trick. He palmed her phone, and she hit the button to call Mason back. It rang. And rang. After the fifth one, it went to voice mail.
He handed the phone back. “No answer.”
If he thought that would prove his point, the arch in Lyla’s brow said otherwise. “Maybe she’s in trouble.”
“Maybe sheistrouble.” Walsh’s words about presumption leading them to jump in when they should wait played through Nic’s mind. “Lyla, we don’t know why Walsh asked us to stop looking into this, but I think we can safely assume he wouldn’t do that without good reason.”
“And I thinkwehave good reason to assume we should at least check this out. Think about it, Nicolás, R.D. was skittish just like Genevieve was, and now Genevieve is dead. We can’t let that happen to R.D. She asked us to help her disappear and then ghosted us, which means she didn’t even want us to know where she was. And now suddenly she’s calling me to come meet her? With proof that might help us convince Walsh to keep investigating? Don’t you want to be able to head to Syria without worrying about someone coming after me?”
Nic eyed her and curled his lip. “Low blow, Fox.”
Lyla’s lips tipped up. “But it’s the truth, right?”
Blowing out his frustration, Nic rolled his head back and stared up at the inky sky.A plague of locusts right now would be awesome, God. He waited. Looked around. No locusts.
Settling his attention back on Lyla and her relaxed posture that said she could wait him out all night if she had to was both aggravating and bewitching. Worst of all—she knew it.
“Call Mason.”
Lyla’s posture stiffened. “What?”
“Call Mason and make sure R.D. has his phone. If they’re together, then we can assume she’s safe for now, which will give us time to call Walsh before we meet her.”
“How am I going to do that if R.D. has his phone and she’s not answering?”
“Call his house.”
“I don’t have his number.” Then Lyla’s face drained of color. “Please don’t make me call the Davenports.”
Nic worked to control the laughter that wanted to escape at the exaggerated horror on her face. “I’m not going in blind to meet up with a woman we barely know.” The humor bubbling in his chest died down as his gaze roamed the healing wounds on her face. “I’m going to call Walsh, but I want you to confirm how R.D. got ahold of Mason’s phone.”
“Fine.”
Nic left Lyla and her disgruntled mood to call Walsh, having no idea how he was going to convince him to let them meet up with R.D. A quick glance back at Lyla made him smirk. She was rubbing her temple with her eyes closed, looking pretty miserable. He shouldn’t take so much delight, but if she was going to get her way, he’d at least make her work for it.
The call to Walsh went to voice mail. Nic tried the office. Maybe he was still there. No answer. Should he try his home number? Nic checked his watch. It was barely after eight. He hated disturbing Walsh and his wife, Sam, at home, but he figured Walsh would want to at least know what Lyla was up to.
He hit the call button and listened to it ring several times.No answer.Great.
“I don’t have good news,” Lyla said when he came back. “Masondid give his phone to R.D. this afternoon when she had a friend from New York call him and they met up at the mall. Mason said she was scared but wouldn’t tell him anything else.”
