Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,27

and Dave were out of the office chasing down a lead about Weatherly. They were on their way back. Josh thought about diverting them to Waterslea but decided against it.

Gil and Max had been viewing CCTV on Max’s large monitor. He looked up as Josh said, “Gil can drive us.”

“Anything to get out of studying hours and hours of camera footage.” Gil yawned and stretched.

Josh was fully aware of Max’s eyes darting to look at Gil and then away again. He felt sorry for the kid. Gil was straighter than straight. He should know. Pre-Cal, he’d offered to be in Gil and Landry’s bed many times. They’d laughed at him and told him to dream on. He decided to focus Max’s attention elsewhere.

“Max, you chase down the information about the jewelry boxes.”

Max looked freaked out about actually talking to people, but Josh told him he would be fine.

His actual words were, “If Gil can do it, anyone can.”

Gil raised an eyebrow. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

Josh smirked at him. “Just a little.”

“Not at all,” Gil assured him.

Unsure about leaving Max alone in the office, Josh contemplated staying behind, but Rick and Dave were on their way back from a fruitless lead. Besides, he wasn’t leaving Cal to face Waterslea without him. Yeah, Gil was going but Cal needed Josh by his side.

Josh wandered over to Max. “Find out everything you can about the jewelry boxes. Any problems you call me. Don’t leave the office for any reason. You don’t let anyone in the office except Rick and Dave. If that bitch calls tell her I’m going to kill her.”

“Leave Max alone,” Gil said. “He’s a professional. Unlike you.”

“Fuck you too,” Josh said easily.

Max flushed at Gil’s unexpected praise. He bit his lip and looked away from them to his screens. What was even more amusing was the quick glance Gil flicked his way. Well, well, well. Josh opened his mouth to say something, but Cal interrupted, wearing a deep scowl.

“Come on. We’ve got to go. The girls are in danger.”

Josh snapped to it. He could interfere in office relationships later. Now they had a job to do.

Josh couldn’t help feeling the trip to Waterford had been one big distraction. Despite Gil’s best efforts, it had taken two long hours to get to Waterslea. Lillian had been pleased to see them and the girls had treated Cal as if he were Sir Gideon.

They were staying in the gate house until they’d decided on their future. Cal had agreed to keep paying their wages and they were in talks about finding a role within Angel Enterprises. All the women had been trained by Chopper. That made them lethal, and with a skill-set not often needed in the normal world. Josh had told Cal more than once he would be crazy to let them go. Cal had asked him what a bunch of middle-aged women chauffeurs trained to be assassins could do? Josh had raised an eyebrow. Cal had sighed and said he would investigate further.

With the help of the girls, he, Cal and Josh had searched the house and grounds but found no sign of Moles or Weatherly. Cal got more tense and growly as the fruitless search went on. After he snapped at Lillian a second time, Josh took him to one side and hugged him until Cal buried his face in Josh’s hair and murmured an apology for being a dick.

“You need to apologize to Lillian, not me. She’s doing her best. They all are, considering they’re living under lockdown,” Josh chided gently.

Cal shuddered, and his sigh was long. “I know. I’ll make my peace with her.”

Lillian accepted his apology graciously and they concluded that wherever Moles had hidden Weatherly, it wasn’t in Waterslea. If she was in the area, they couldn’t drive around forever just on the possibility they might find her.

Josh yawned as he walked into the office. He was on his own, Cal and Gil heading to the convenience stores for supplies. Fuck, he was tired. He needed sleep. Proper sleep in his bed. Perhaps he could persuade Cal to go home tonight. They were both snappy and exhausted. They needed time-out, even if it was for a few hours.

The freaked-out expressions of the men in the office drove all thoughts of sleep out of his head. He stopped in the doorway.

“What happened?” he demanded.

Rick pointed to the medium-sized box in the middle of the table. “We got a delivery.”

“What’s in it?”

Josh still wasn’t sure why they