“No. You go. I’ll get Abbott settled with Addy and be over.”
She looks to Asa. “Let’s go. I’m ready for this to be done.”
Bella
“They haven’t spoken? It’s only been text?”
“Yep.” Ozzy is spinning whatever magic he creates in the back room of Crew’s compound. More large screens cover old walls and makeshift desks have been set up with plywood on trestles. This was thrown into operation overnight and Addy told me yesterday Crew asked her to shop for more office furniture since no one else has time. “Whoever he’s arguing with has their phone tied down so tight, I can’t break it. They know their shit and are keeping it under wraps, which makes me think it’s no terrorist. At least not an official one.”
I look down and read over the transcripts again that have accumulated over the last day…
Randolph – The drop was made days ago and you’ve done nothing with it.
Unknown – I’ll take care of it when I’m ready. Day job has been busy and my guy hasn’t been able to get to it.
Randolph – I’m paying for a timely service, not for when you can carve time out of your schedule.
Unknown – I’m at the airport. Making a quick trip to the States. Maybe I’ll run into you.
Randolph – I told you to stay the fuck away. We don’t need to be on the same continent right now. I need to keep this operation going through the end of the year when I announce my candidacy. After that, you’re off the payroll.
Unknown – I might be on your payroll but you can’t tell me where I can or cannot travel.
Randolph – It better not have anything to do with me.
Unknown – You really are the most self-centered SOB I’ve ever worked with. I have personal business.
Randolph – This is your last warning—stay out of the U.S.
Unknown – Gotta go. Boarding. We’ll share the same piece of land in less than seven hours.
I toss the papers on the plywood and kick off my heels. I didn’t bother to stop at Crew and Addy’s to change and now I’m regretting it. I’m definitely gaining my weight back and this dress is cutting off my circulation.
I look at Ozzy. “Have you exhausted all options of tracking that phone?”
He drags a hand down his handsome face. “I’m still working on it. This one is different. If I had my guess, it’s been encrypted by someone who knows what they’re doing. And by that, I mean someone like me.”
Ozzy is a bit different from the rest of Crew’s men. Is he a big, brute American? Of course. I assume it’s a prerequisite. But the rest of the men have somewhat of a barbaric side they have to work to control—it’s visible, simmering beneath their rugged surfaces. Cole is cut from the same cloth.
But not Ozzy.
I’ve gotten to know him over the last few days while I’ve had to sit for hours and stare at the mind-numbing screens while waiting for something to happen. Ozzy is different.
An engineer by trade, he doesn’t have a background in the military or other type of enforcement—not your typical soldier of fortune. He is not a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants man. He’s methodical in his risk-taking. Even so, he could snap the average human in half in a heartbeat and wouldn’t think twice of it, which makes him scary on a whole other level.
I tip my head. “So you’re saying there’s still the teensiest chance?”
He hikes a brow and a ghost of a smile plays on his lips. “What the fuck, Bella? First you ruin my phone by sexting your long-lost lover and now you’re busting my balls for not trying hard enough? I said I was working on it.”
“Indeed, you did. I was only confirming.”
“He hasn’t figured it out yet?”
I turn to find Cole striding into the control room in a pair of athletic shorts and one of the few T-shirts he still owns. I need to do some online shopping for him.
Ozzy flips Cole off and turns away from both of us. “Your woman is giving me enough shit. I don’t need more from you, Carson.”
Cole slides his hand down my side and cups the side of my bum where I’m leaning on a makeshift desk. “Are you giving him shit?”
I turn to Cole. “I don’t know what he’s talking about. I’ve been a sweet, sugarplum fairy.”
Cole lifts his chin to one of the screens. “Seems they’re getting busy at the church.”