doors opened on the tenth floor. Declan had the unit farthest on the right near the stairwell. When they entered his residence, he didn’t apologize for the state of his place.
Stacks of unpacked boxes, some opened and some still sealed, laid in a row.
He had one couch, a leather recliner, and a coffee table. Strewn on its glass top were tactical magazines and stacks of books.
“Still don’t watch television?”
Declan shrugged. “No need. I’d just use it for the news, but I can get that on the tablet or my laptop. Want a beer?”
“Sure.” Kade surveyed his surroundings. “What do you do for entertainment?”
He walked to the kitchen. “Ever heard of reading, Spear?”
His friend chuckled. “When your fiancée is a staunch supporter of the performing arts, you can’t just not have a television.”
Snagging two beers from the fridge, he popped the cap off each and handed one to Kade. He leaned against the counter and took a long pull from the bottle. “You haven’t told me why Congressman Tomlin didn’t press charges.”
“He decided to forget the incident. Can’t you leave it at that?”
Kade was messing with him judging from the twinkle in his eyes and the twitch at the corners of his mouth. The grumpy soldier was a memory. Now his friend was quick to smile and was rarely in a bad mood. It was sickeningly sappy.
But he was thrilled for Kade and Yara. They deserved all the happiness after what they went through.
“Nope. Start talking, man.”
Kade contemplated his beer. “Let’s just say we found other shit on the congressman. Nothing to do with his predilection to underage teens, but we have damaging information that would turn off a majority of his conservative base.”
“Who’s we?”
“Garrison.”
“What the fuck? Is he dragging us into his shit again?”
“Well, not me,” Kade said. “But you definitely.”
“Let me guess. You volunteered me?”
“No. He said you were who he needed, and it was for your own good.”
“Motherfucking spook,” Declan snorted. “Let me get this straight. He expects me to do his shit, no questions asked.”
“Pretty much. Says he saved your ass, he’s collecting a favor.”
Declan crossed his arms. “Tell me exactly what he wants and maybe … I’m gonna do it.”
“You know we have a gig with the net streaming giant, right?”
“Primeflix? Teaching their actors survival skills. Isn’t it for some kind of sci-fi supernatural series?”
“You really need to watch TV or start streaming shows at least.”
“No thanks.”
His friend scratched his jaw. “Yara said you had movie-star good looks. Were you an actor? Wasn’t in your file.”
“You were talking about Primeflix.”
“Their main producer is Revenant Films.”
Lead weighed down his chest, making it difficult to breathe. “Go on.”
Kade eyed him closely. “You knew Peter Woodward and his daughter.”
“Why the fuck is Garrison digging into my old files?”
“It seems that it was buried in the Army’s special section recruitment databases.”
Declan took another pull from the bottle. “Not doing this. Not stepping back in fuckin’ LA.”
He looked anywhere but at Kade as uncomfortable emotions rattled around the chambers of his heart. Seconds passed and his friend stayed silent but the burn on his face from Kade’s intense stare forced him to meet his eyes. “If there’s something you want to say, say it.”
Kade cleared his throat. “Gabrielle Woodward—you were married to her.”
Hearing her name was like the proverbial gunshot to center mass.
“I’m not sure if that’s a question or a statement.” Declan couldn’t help the sarcasm that crept into his tone. “I’m assuming it’s the latter. So, let’s cut this introductory bullshit and get to the point.”
His friend exhaled heavily, a somber expression darkened over his face and suddenly, a sensation akin to panic seized Declan’s chest. “Is … is Gabby all right?”
“Peter Woodward was found dead in his Beverly Hills mansion a week ago.”
“And Gabby?” he pressed fiercely. “How … how is she?”
“As far as I know, she’s fine.”
His mouth turned dry and he swallowed with difficulty. Declan drank his beer, trying to buy himself time as he absorbed this news while wrestling with the memories that came roaring back, trying desperately to keep them in a compartment he could control. “Was he murdered?”
“Still under investigation. Detectives working the case are trying to see if it’s more than robbery and homicide. Garrison thinks it’s related to what he’s investigating.”
His eyes narrowed. “What is he investigating?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
Declan snorted a derisive laugh. “And he expects me to pack up my things and do his bidding?” He hated himself for wanting to jump on that plane to make sure his ex-wife