bookcase?”
Owen nodded. “Might not mean anything, but it’s interesting.”
“Doesn’t the military use drones?”
His lips curved. “Drone strikes saved my life more than once while I was on missions.”
“Maybe Ellis was working on drone software for the military.”
“It’s also possible another project attracted the attention of the wrong people.”
Disappointment filled Gigi. She wanted answers, fast. “Ellis might have been carjacked and left injured or dead somewhere.”
Owen squeezed her hand.
On the outskirts of Knoxville, Owen located another coffee shop and ordered coffee for himself and another iced green tea for Gigi. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really, but you must be starving.”
“Text Emma and ask if she’ll cover for you for another two hours.”
Although doubtful she’d be able to eat, Owen’s first instinct was to care for her. She texted Emma and received a reply seconds later. “She agreed and says everything is quiet. Emma promised to contact me if things get busy.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Not usually, but strange things happen when you deal with guests. I once had to strip a guest’s bed and replace the sheets with fresh ones because her sheets were slightly wrinkled. Apparently, her housekeeper irons all her sheets before putting them on her bed.”
He snorted. “I would have handed her a set of clean sheets and told her to change them herself.”
“That’s why you’re not a B & B owner.”
“I don’t have the patience for it.”
“Most of the time, I enjoy getting to know my guests. Many become friends.”
Minutes later, Owen parked in the lot beside a family-owned cafe just off the interstate.
Gigi glanced around when Owen escorted her inside. Almost empty in the middle of the afternoon, the place reminded her of a country restaurant.
A gray-haired woman approached them. “Two for lunch?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Owen said, smiling. “We’d like a table in the corner, please.”
“You must be military or law enforcement.”
Owen chuckled. “How did you guess?”
“Whether in uniform or out, all of you want your backs to the wall.”
“Safest place in a room.”
“I’d rather be near the window so I can enjoy the sunshine and watch people walking on the sidewalk. Follow me.” Mildred, their hostess, led them to the corner table on the left side of the restaurant. “This work for you?”
“It’s perfect. Thanks, Mildred.”
“What can I get you to drink?”
After they placed their drink orders, Mildred hustled away to seat another couple who entered the restaurant.
“Have you been here before?” Gigi asked.
“Once with David when he was in a dark place and needed to get away for a few hours.”
“That must have been when Emma was in WITSEC.”
“Yeah. The loneliness and pain of her loss rode him hard.”
“It was a horrible time for all of us, especially for your brother.”
“I’ve never seen him like that, and hope never to witness it again. He was devastated, more like a shadow than a powerful, take charge SEAL. If Emma had been allowed to call him, David could have dealt with her absence. But the way the feds handled the situation left everyone thinking she was dead.”
Gigi smiled. “Your brother wouldn’t have allowed Em to face the isolation of WITSEC alone. He’d have joined her or taken her into hiding himself.”
“Perhaps. David also might have ordered two of us to go into hiding with her while he and the rest of my brothers went hunting.”
“The Hunt Club made a serious mistake when they targeted Emma.”
Mildred returned with their drinks. “Ready to order?”
Gigi requested baked potato soup and Owen ordered a double cheeseburger with fries. After Mildred left, Gigi said, “The cheeseburger sounds good, but I can’t handle something that heavy today.”
“If you change your mind, I’ll share.” His eyes twinkled. “For a price.”
Amused, she tilted her head. “What’s the cost of sharing your meal, Deputy Montgomery?”
“Ten kisses.”
She caught her breath at the increasing heat in his eyes. “What happens if I want to pay the price without the meal?”
Owen blew out a breath. “You’re killing me, baby. You can have as many kisses as you want, anytime you want. Sharing fries is optional.”
“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”
When their meals arrived, Owen told her about his training at PSI. Fascinated with the process, she asked about Crime Town and the Search and Rescue dogs as well as the training for the S & R teams. “Did you work with the dogs?”
“They work with their human partners or the PSI trainers. I enjoyed spending time with the dogs when they weren’t working and I had down time.” He started to say something, then stopped.
Gigi wrapped her hand around