Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,26

don’t know. I don’t remember much about him. If you could get hold of my debrief from the agency, I might have mentioned his name.”

Cal nodded. “Stephen might be able to find it before Mullins hides it.”

Josh made another note to contact Stephen. “We should ask Max.”

“Who is Max?” Jesse asked.

“He’s our forensic wizard. He was the one who found out who Chyna really was.”

“Okay.” Jesse slumped in his chair and Josh felt guilty for dragging bad memories out into the light. “I don’t want to see it. The debrief, I mean. It was hard enough to tell my handler, Sam, but now she’s gone and this has happened.”

“We’ll find her, Jesse,” Cal promised him.

“Weatherly or Chyna?”

“Both.”

Jesse didn’t look reassured by Cal’s promise. “She’ll go after you all next. Nothing is going to satisfy her except the annihilation of the people she blames for her brother’s death.”

Cal shook his head, his face set in grim lines. “She won’t get that far.”

“She nearly has,” Jesse pointed out.

“You need to keep your head down too,” Josh said. “You and Dan are still targets.”

Jesse looked sour. “I can’t scratch my arse without Dominic making a comment about it.”

“Welcome to my world,” Josh said. “The man had eyes everywhere. He’s probably listening into this conversation. Hi, Dommy baby.” He waggled his fingers at the screen.

Cal sighed. “Jesse, you were Josh’s boss. How the hell did you keep him under control?”

“One, he’s your lover. If you don’t know by now you never will do. Two, see one.”

“Thanks,” Cal said dryly.

“You’re welcome.” Jesse turned to look at something off-screen. “I’ve got to go. Dan’s making brunch and he’ll get annoyed if it goes cold.”

“How’s he doing?” Josh asked.

Jesse tried to smile but it was a poor attempt. “Today’s a good day.”

Dan’s recovery from being stabbed was slow, both physically and mentally, and not helped by their sudden exile to Seattle. He was desperately homesick.

“I’m surprised Evan hasn’t gotten on a plane to find you yet,” Josh said.

He winced as he remembered that Dr. Evan Wells was the vet at the Lyon Road practice which had been on Chyna’s list of fake addresses. Evan was Dan’s best friend and a mutual friend of Cal and Josh.

“He’s under strict instructions to stay away. That doesn’t help. I can’t help feeling they both blame me for their separation.”

“It won’t be forever,” Cal said. “Sorry, Jesse, we’ve got to go. We’ve got a side trip to the Isle of Wight.”

“Okay, that’s left field. What’s on the Isle of Wight?”

“Jewelry boxes. Bye.” Cal clicked off, stopping Jesse mid-question.

“That was mean,” Josh said, a grin on his face. “That’s the sort of thing I’d do.”

The trip to the Isle of Wight was abruptly shelved when intel came in that Chyna Moles had been seen near Waterslea. Max delivered the news with obvious reluctance.

The blood drained out of Cal’s face. He swayed and Josh forced him to sit down with his head between his knees.

“You’re too big for me to pick you up if you faint,” he said when Cal tried to sit up. “Stay where you are.”

Josh ignored Cal’s grumbles as he called the Waterslea house to alert them.

Lillian heard him out. “The girls and I are ready for anything, Josh. You make sure Cal knows that.”

“Good, but we’re going to come up and check.”

“There’s no need,” she assured him.

“There’s every need. That woman is too dangerous to ignore. I know you were trained by Chopper but…”

He stopped and Lillian said, even grimmer than before, “I understand.”

“We’ve called the local cops.” Josh looked over to Max who gave him the thumbs up, not stopping his conversation on the phone. “They’re going to do a drive-by this afternoon. Stay together. Don’t let anyone go off alone.”

“We know the drill.”

And now there was the hint of exasperation in her voice.

Josh understood but he wasn’t going to apologize for wanting to keep what was left of the Ross household alive.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” she said.

“See you then.”

Josh disconnected the call and took his hand off Cal’s neck. Cal sat up with a sigh of relief.

“I thought you were never going to let me sit up,” Cal grumbled.

Now he had color in his face and his hair was deliciously mussed.

“Quit bitching,” Josh said lightly. “They’re fine. Lillian’s girls are ready to kill on sight.”

Cal didn’t break into a smile. “I didn’t show you the armory, did I?”

Josh thought that for a country that banned guns, everyone he knew seemed to be strapped.

Rick