Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,23
didn’t work, he’d dangle a pair of handcuffs in front of the supervisor.
“Please have a seat in the lounge.” Barbie waited until Owen and Gigi were seated on a comfortable couch before making a call.
While she spoke in a voice too low to carry across the lobby, security guards posted by metal detectors on either side of Barbie’s desk kept tabs on Owen and Gigi. Owen held the gaze of the nearest guard until the man scowled and broke eye contact. Shifting his attention to the other guard netted the same result. Those two men weren’t nearly as dominant as they pretended to be.
Ten minutes later, a muted chime announced the arrival of an elevator. A man in a designer suit stepped from the car and walked toward them. He signaled for the nearest guard to follow him.
Owen stood and reached out a hand to tug Gigi to her feet. He noted the guard’s hand resting on the grip of his weapon as he swaggered closer. An intimidation tactic or did Gate Guard run Owen’s name through a security system? Either way, he didn’t like the guard’s twitchy behavior.
He moved slightly in front of Gigi to better protect her if the guard’s control slipped, a real possibility given his body language. A second later, he felt Gigi’s small hand on his back.
Owen’s heart skipped a beat, grateful beyond words that she agreed to give him a chance. Although Gigi didn’t know it, he was playing for keeps. No other woman held a candle to her. He just hoped she felt the same way about him. He could track behind enemy lines for weeks on end and face down the fiercest opponent without fear. The possibility of Gigi ultimately rejecting him sent cold sweat sliding down his spine.
Suit held out his manicured hand. “Deputy Montgomery, I’m Addison Cramer, software development division supervisor.” He shifted his gaze to Gigi. “Who are you?”
“Gina, Montgomery’s partner.”
With a nod, Cramer turned his attention back to Owen. “I understand you’re looking into the disappearance of Ellis’s girlfriend.”
“That’s right. We need your help.”
“I questioned my employees, and they don’t know the woman you’re looking for. Ellis wasn’t a talker, you know. He kept things close to the vest, including his relationship with her. My employees are busy, especially with Ellis disappearing like he has. We don’t have time to talk to you and your partner.”
Owen didn’t correct Cramer’s assumption that Gigi was a cop, too. Law enforcement utilized civilian consultants on occasion. “You don’t want us to locate Ellis?”
A scowl. “Of course I do. My people are scrambling to cover his work. We’re all overworked trying to cover his work and our own.” His tone said he believed that Matthews had disappeared of his own free will and inconvenienced his whole department without consideration for the hardship the others suffered.
“The sooner we find him, the faster he’ll return to work. Your cooperation and those of Ellis’s coworkers will help us return him to his job sooner.”
“You’re from Morgan County, and you’re searching for this missing woman. What’s your interest in my employee?”
“I believe Ellis and his girlfriend were taken by the same people.”
Cramer stared at him. “Ellis has been kidnapped? But why? Has there been a ransom demand? If so, you can forget Huntington Tech paying a ransom. We’re a government contractor. Every penny has to be accounted for.”
Also true for every other company in operation. Pretty cold blooded to hang your own employee out to dry if a ransom demand came through. Owen wouldn’t want to work for Huntington Tech. He knew for a fact that if he was taken hostage, Fortress wouldn’t rest until they freed him. “Is there someplace more private where we can discuss this?”
Another scowl. “Here is fine.”
“We can talk in your office or in the Maple Valley Sheriff’s Office interrogation room. Those are your only options.” He didn’t intend to broadcast his questions and concerns all over Huntington Tech. Judging by the way Barbie was hanging on every word of their conversation, the receptionist would be spreading news of his investigation all over the company by day’s end.
Blood drained from Cramer’s face. “Am I under arrest?”
Owen refrained from rolling his eyes. “Remember the end goal, Cramer. We both want to find Ellis and bring him home along with his girlfriend. Answering a few questions and allowing me to conduct quick interviews with your employees will move my investigation along faster.”
The guard took an aggressive step forward, hand stroking the Glock’s grip.