Page 60 of Smoke Screen
“I don’t know,” Zeke said. “He’s a well-known collector. Maybe he’s heard something.”
Cruz sat forward again, squaring up to his keyboard. “Let’s finish up with these pieces so we know what we’re dealing with.”
Maddy went back to the whiteboard, rattling off details about the diamond necklace and tiaras belonging to the queen. They worked through the Pierre pieces next with Cruz and Rohan asking question after question.
By the time they reached the last of the seven photos, Phin decided he might blow his brains out from mental fatigue. Details for Cruz, a trained pilot and math wiz, were essential. Phin? He couldn’t deal. Too much information sent him into the weeds where he got lost.
And bored.
He checked his watch; 10:30. Maddy had to be fried. “It’s late.” He peered up at Maddy, still standing at the end of the table. “Are you tired?”
“I’m fine.”
“When it comes to women, fine never means fine.”
Zeke let out a laugh. “Amen, little brother. Cruz and Rohan, what else do you need from Maddy tonight?”
“I’m set for now,” Rohan said.
“Ditto,” Cruz added.
Phin stood. “Good, because I’m beat.”
“I can keep going,” Maddy said.
Phin shook his head. “I know. But trust me on this one. You need to rest. I’ll call you if we need something tonight, but rest while you can.” He stood and met Zeke’s gaze. “I’ll walk her to her room. Do you need me to come back?”
“No. Everybody get some shut-eye. Cruz, I’m not kidding. I can’t have you down here all night. Tomorrow, we’ll prep the Thompsons for the possibility of a ransom request. I’ll call Ash and see if the feds have anything we can use.”
Maddy gawked, her head lopping forward like a stack of tumbling bricks. “Is the FBI working with you?”
“Not exactly,” Phin said. “Our brother isn’t stupid. He knows what we can do. If it benefits his investigation, he shares.”
“Do you get credit for that?”
Rohan huffed. “Not in this lifetime.”
And that irritated the hell out of Phin. Nothing he—or anyone else at this table—could do about it but try to make their client happy.
“Okay,” Phin said. “We’ll hit it again tomorrow. Who knows, maybe we can piss off our brother by one-upping the feds?”
11
On the wayout of the Annex, Rohan scanned Maddy’s hand, giving her access to the Friary and her room, after which Phin made her test both entry pads to make sure she could get in. Last thing he needed was her going for a walk and not being able to reenter.
Test complete, she stood in the threshold of her room, one hand on the door while he remained firmly in the center of the hallway, hands in his pockets.
Nothing to see here.
Where the hell was Rohan now? Phin needed him to freaking show up because Maddy holding that door open and looking at him with her killer eyes wasn’t helping him squash the myriad of sexual fantasies plaguing him.
“So,” she said, “I’m going to wind down and sit on the patio. Would you—”
No. No. No. Please don’t let her ask …
He’d charmed his way into enough beds to know it was coming. Most times, he didn’t have to try all that hard. It just … happened.
Like sneezing.
