The Mercenary Next Door (Rogues and Rescuers #2) - Lucy Leroux Page 0,71

her arm around Laila, surreptitiously checking her watch. “We’re going to return it after we check it.”

Mason scowled. “You are not going back.”

“But we have to,” Laila protested. “Before he wakes up…”

Mason closed his eyes as a wash of red swamped his vision. There was a long beat of silence. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low. “Are you telling me that Joseph is home right now?”

Laila bit her lip, but both women stayed resolutely silent.

Ransom cleared his throat to break the tension. “All right, what’s done is done—let’s make the most of it.”

He plucked the phone out of Laila’s hand. “As for this, having the code is good. What would be better would be to clone everything on it. And we happen to know someone who can do that.”

Mason frowned. “Who?”

Ransom smirked. “You know who I mean—you vetted all the recruits.”

Realization dawned, but his expression didn’t lighten. “We hardly know Toya.”

The woman in question, Toya Almari, had a strong background in intelligence in addition to being an experienced special-ops agent. Ian and Elias had considered it a coup when they’d convinced her to sign on with Auric. Mason had trained her along with the other newbies, but their relationship was distant. He wasn’t her boss since she was destined for another team.

They definitely weren’t on friendly enough terms for Mason to ask her to break the law.

“How do we know she would be willing?” he asked, acknowledging the woman had the requisite skills.

Ransom, however, was certain that she would help. “I’ve talked to her. Trust me. She’ll do it.”

And to Mason’s surprise, she did. What shouldn’t have surprised him was Laila and Rosamie’s fascination with the former special-ops agent.

It took less than a half an hour for Toya to come down and meet them, a black bag full of gear at her side.

When Ransom tried to explain why they needed the phone’s information, she’d held up a hand. “This one said a girl died and this phone might shed light. That’s all I need to know.”

“We also have to return the phone. The owner is passed out at the moment, but that might not last long,” Laila said before Rosamie began to pepper Toya with questions on what she was doing.

Toya patiently answered most. She copied the phone’s data to her computer and held on to it, promising to send it a report of any relevant information after she had decrypted and cleaned it up, separating user data from the phone’s operating system. “Don’t worry about putting the phone back. I’ll do that.”

Mason frowned. “Copying it is more than enough. You should let me return it.”

“No, I should,” Laila said. “It’ll be simple with the key. I can just toss it back on the couch or inside the door.”

“No.” Both Mason and Ransom said it at the same time.

“Which is why I will do it,” Toya said, suppressing a laugh as she held up the phone. “No offense, but you two are way too conspicuous. And you ladies are familiar faces as well from what I’ve gathered. But I have some experience in this sort of thing.”

“But—”

“Trust me,” she said, putting a hand on Laila’s arm. “I know how to blend.”

Mason put out his hand. “I owe you one.”

“I know,” Toya said, the corners of her lip lifting. “And I will collect,” she added, shaking on it.

Laila threw her arms around Toya. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, darlin’,” Toya said, patting her back and squeezing her. “I hope it helps.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Do you think Toya would come drinking with us?” Rosamie poked her head between the seats. Mason gripped the steering wheel of the Mustang, the cords in his neck standing out in stark relief.

Laila bit her lip, willing her best friend to shut her mouth.

“Isn’t it a little soon for you to be planning a girl’s night out?” Ransom observed from the backseat. “You know…under the circumstances.”

“Jasmine’s boyfriend has planned a pub crawl for her memorial—all her favorite places.” Rosamie shrugged, trying to make herself smaller as Mason twisted to frown at her. “You never met her, or you’d realize how much she would have liked that.”

Mason grunted noncommittally. His hands were still tight on the wheel, but at least it no longer appeared as if tendons in his neck were going to burst.

Rosamie was about to say something else, but Laila twisted and shook her head in warning.

She said nothing as he drove them all to Ransom’s place, promising to let them know the minute Toya sent them the