Stolen. Part 13

"What's wrong?"

She turned off the monitor. "An FBI agent named Deanna Brighton came to talk to me today. She's looking for you. I can be on the next flight to New York. Just say the word."

"No," he said quickly. "Please-stay put."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." He wasn't okay-she heard it in his voice-but she didn't say anything. He continued, "She's had it in for me for a while."

"Since Stanford."

Silence. "How do you know?"

"Duke called. She talked to him, too. He's worried about you." And furious, but Lucy left off that part.

"Trust me, Lucy."

"Always."

"I'm sorry you were dragged into this."

Lucy decided not to tell Sean about Brighton threatening her or about the photograph. Instead, she said, "I'm not being dragged into anything. I didn't like her tone. Suzanne is there if you need her."

"I can handle Brighton."

"You must have really p.i.s.sed her off."

"I have that effect on people."

Lucy wanted him to tell her why, but he sounded rushed and distracted.

"If you need me, I'm here."

"This job has gotten a little sticky. But I'm not doing anything that I'm not supposed to. I promise you that, Lucy."

"I didn't say you were."

"Duke did."

"Your brother's worried."

"I gotta go, Luce. I love you. Be careful."

"That's exactly what I was going to tell you."

"Always, princess."

He hung up. Lucy slowly lowered her phone. He'd been preoccupied. He hadn't even asked her why she was using his computer.

She turned the monitor back on. Time to do a little research. Sean would try to protect her, not to worry her, but she was already worried and she didn't need his protection.

This time, he needed hers.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Tuesday

Sean couldn't spend another day working in the apartment with Noah. They'd hardly spoken. Sean had spent the night alternately worried about Lucy and her visit from Brighton, p.i.s.sed off at the agent, and researching the board members of PBM, trying to find a connection-any connection-to Jonathan Paxton. He might have found something. He wanted to talk to Hunter, without anyone else around.

Sean left early, picked up a breakfast burrito from a corner shop, and ate it while he walked to meet Hunter at Bryant Park, near the library, which was on Sean's list of places to go today.

Sean trusted Hunter. Maybe because he was a big conspiracy nut, but mostly because he was a good guy. Sean wanted to talk to him about Evan and Carol. He was certain that Hunter had done his own research on them when they joined the group.

Sean spotted Hunter walking down the path, looking at his feet, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie. He hadn't changed since college. Like Sean, Hunter had entered college early, but he stayed longer. Probably had a Ph.D., or at least a couple master's degrees tucked away. He functioned well in college, where his intelligence and oddities were respected and even encouraged. The real world, outside the safety of the university, terrified Hunter in ways Sean understood, even though he didn't share the same fears.

Hunter hadn't shaved, but he had showered-his shoulder-length hair was damp. "Hey, buddy," Sean said. "I got you a breakfast sandwich."

Hunter grinned. "Thanks."

They walked while they talked, because Hunter wasn't a guy who could sit still for long. "I'm glad you called," Hunter said between bites.

"I was getting stir-crazy. Patience has never been a strong suit."

Hunter snorted and said while chewing, "You can say that again."

"Did Colton tell you I talked to him about being followed?"

Hunter nodded, swallowed his food. "Asked me to beef up surveillance. I plugged in the picture of that Fed. If she comes within a hundred feet of the carriage house, or me, I'll know." He held up his phone.

"You've always been smarter than me."

"Naw," Hunter said sheepishly. He took another bite of the sandwich. "So is that why you wanted to talk?"

"A few other things. I'm worried about Colton."

"Why? I've never seen him happier. Seriously, dude, he's glad you're back."

"I only signed on for this one job."

"He doesn't believe it." Hunter glanced at Sean and swallowed. "You're not lying."

Sean shook his head. "This is important to Colton, and I want to help him." Both were true. "But I can't stay here forever."

"C. thinks it's because of your girlfriend."

"It's because of a lot of things." Sean needed to steer the conversation back to Evan and Carol. "How well do you know Carol and Evan?"

Hunter frowned. "Why?"

"I want to know if one of them betrayed Colton."

"No," Hunter said quickly.

"You're sure?"

He looked pained and fidgeted with his food. "I hate digging around on my friends."

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Hunter stopped walking and almost got knocked over by a jogger. Sean guided Hunter to a bench at the edge of the park, where he made him sit down.

"That fed is the b.i.t.c.h who arrested me at Stanford."

"Did you tell C.?"

"I found out late last night. But she knew I was in New York, and she followed Colton to the pub. I don't care what he says, I know she did-we saw her on the carriage house surveillance tapes."

"Yeah, but C.'s pretty good at slipping in and out. He'd know if someone was following him."

"He's distracted."

Hunter didn't say anything, and Sean knew he'd seen the same thing.

"Start with Carol. What's her story?"

"C. met her over a year ago. She was working at a museum."

Sean frowned. "She's not in this business?"

"Not then. But she really looks out for him. And they kind of bonded, because her sister died of leukemia, just like Travis."

Sounded like a setup to Sean.

"And she has no problem with what Colton does?"

"She's totally into him."

"Does she still work at the museum?"

"Part-time. She graduated from RISD in art history or something. She's a real good artist. Those paintings at C.'s place? In the living room? All Carol."

Sean remembered the bold contemporary art. Not his style, but it was certainly high quality.

"She has her work in an art studio someplace. I was there once, but there were so many people-you know-I left early."

Hunter didn't like crowds or strangers.

"Colton trusts her," Sean said, mostly to himself.

"Yeah."

"And Evan?"

"Why don't you talk to Skye? She brought him in. Two, three years ago. Three years is a long time."

Meaning a long time to prove himself as loyal. Three years was how long Sean and Colton had worked together at MIT.

"Oh, I get it," Hunter said. "You don't want to talk to Skye because you used to sleep with her."

"That's not it," Sean said. "It's just been awkward, okay?"

"She looks at you when you're not looking, you know."

Sean had almost forgotten how observant Hunter could be. He often disappeared in a room because he was so quiet. "She knows I'm not interested."

"Why don't you just talk to C. about this?"

"I tried. Sort of. Sean hadn't wanted to make Colton suspicious."

"You know, he's been trying to get you back for a long time, and I think it bothered him that your brother never liked him."

"Duke was family."

"I don't know why you're back just for this job."

"Because I quit RCK and I needed the money." Sean hated lying to Hunter. By the look on his face, Hunter believed Sean completely. "Colton always said I could come back. I never thought I would, but C. was a better brother to me than my own flesh and blood." Right now, that felt like the truth.

"Family's complicated," Hunter said.

"You're telling me." Sean redirected the subject again. "Has C. told you anything about Thursday?"

"I know what I'm supposed to do." Hunter inched away. Almost imperceptibly, but he was getting suspicious of Sean's questions. d.a.m.n, he had to be more careful.

"I'm concerned about the people C. is working for." Sean needed to put Hunter at ease. "I think they're manipulating him because he is so desperate for information about Travis's drug trials."