Page 51 of Once a Killer

Bree leaned forward. “What did you tell her?”

“I said that was your job. Asked if she’d talked to you again. She gave me some vague answer and told me she preferred to talk to the person in charge.” Diego smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Personally? I think she was angling for better coverage in your article, Bree.”

“Bitch,” Bree said, no heat in her words.

“Interesting side of Hayley,” Jameson said, his gaze switching from Bree to Diego. Back to Bree. “I’ve thought from the beginning that she was an opportunist. Ready to grab whatever advantage she could.”

“What about Brewster and Joe?” Bree said, perched on the edge of the couch.

“Neither of them said much to me,” Diego answered. “They both looked like they were wrapped up in their work.”

“Good to know at least two of my engineers were focused on their programs,” Jameson said.

Diego shrugged. “Could have been smoke and mirrors. Showing you what they thought you wanted to see. McKay spent a lot of time watching both of us. Lewandowski glanced at the office a bunch of times, too.”

“Curiosity,” Jameson said with a shrug. None of his engineers had acted any differently than he’d expected to the sight of Bree’s so-called boss. “Tomorrow will be back to normal.” He shifted to face Bree. “Tell me how it went with the car guy.”

She recounted their interaction, repeating it almost word for word. Finally she shook her head. “I think he’s a pro. He sat across from me and hardly moved, but I’m sure he had a gun in his pants pocket. I got a creepy vibe from him. Like if I had looked away for even a moment, he’d have fired that gun and killed me. And I’m pretty sure he won’t be living in that house after today.

“I kept my gun visible the whole time, and I kept my right hand on the grip. I asked a lot of questions. I don’t think any of his answers were the truth. And I won’t be surprised if we see him again, even though he said he was done with this job.”

“He say who’d hired him?” Jameson asked.

Bree shook her head. “Said he didn’t know. That it was all anonymous, done via email with an untraceable account. Didn’t believe that, either. But he’s on notice that we know who he is. And I’m sure he knows that if I found him once, I could find him again. I kept the threat of the police on the table. We’ll see what he does.”

Diego glanced at his watch. “Got a plane to catch in three hours. I’m going to head to O’Hare. Get to the gate early so I can watch for anyone watching me. I’ll grab something to eat there.” He stood up and walked over to Bree. She rose, as well, and wrapped her arms around him. Squeezed hard.

“Thanks for being my backup today,” she said, letting him go and smiling up at him. “It was good to see you. We’ll catch up the next time we’re both in Montana.”

“Yeah. I’ve got a gig in a few days. So I probably won’t be there when you finish with this one.” He punched her shoulder. “Watch your six.”

“Always do,” she said. “You do the same.”

He nodded, then grabbed the duffel bag he’d left on the living room rug and shook Jameson’s hand. “Nice meeting you, Jameson,” he said. He narrowed his eyes. “You take care of my girl, hear?”

“It’s my job to take care of him,” Bree objected.

“Then take care of each other.” He lifted his hand, opened the front door and clattered down the stairs.

“We should have driven him to the airport,” Jameson said, guilt swirling through him at the long commute Diego faced.

“Hell, no,” she said immediately. “Too much exposure. I’ve read about the Kennedy Expressway. It’s a nightmare this time of day. Bumper-to-bumper cars. Three lanes of traffic, everyone too close to everyone else. Diego’s a big boy. He can get to the airport on his own.”

“Pretty cold for someone who’s a good friend,” Jameson said, turning to study her.

Bree shook her head immediately. “He’d say the same thing. I need to limit your exposure, not put you in the middle of a giant traffic jam with no way to escape.” She shuddered. “A bodyguard’s nightmare.”

“So we just have our usual evening?” he asked.

“Dinner and scintillating conversation?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Exactly,” he said. What’ll it be tonight?”

“What are your other favorite restaurants?” she asked.

“There’s a Greek place I like.”

“Perfect. I’d like a Greek Salad and fish.”

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