Page 25 of Forged in Peril

Cameron gripped the edge of the desk, eyes intent on the screen. “And was anything there, right before the flash?”

Ben looked pained. “Well, yes,” he said tentatively, pulling up the new footage. Cameron felt his chest swelling with excitement as his brother hit play.

“–And no,” Cameron finished for him, shaking his head as he watched the clip. It couldn’t have been more than three seconds long, and even as Ben slowed the speed, he could see why his brother wasn’t more excited.

They could make out a person in what looked to be a hooded sweater, but thanks to the way the shadows fell and the location where he stood, they couldn’t even estimate his height or get an idea of his race.

“I know,” Ben said, sensing the disappointment that Cameron had not voiced. “I think it’s probably a man, but even that I’m not positive about.”

Cameron watched the footage several more times, coming to the same conclusion.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Grace strode into the office without waiting to be invited, making her way over to Ben and peering over his shoulder at the computer screen.

Cameron suppressed a grin, watching the way that Ben tensed up when a few strands of Grace’s bouncy curls landed against his neck.

The woman flirted with him shamelessly, and though it seemed obvious to everyone else in the office that the bubbly blonde set Ben’s heart aflutter, he usually pretended to be oblivious to her advances.

“Oh, hey, Cam,” she said, barely glancing in his direction.

“You’re working late, Hinton? Has an asteroid struck the earth or something without me noticing?” he teased.

“Ha-ha,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. “As a matter of fact, I wanted to get a look at the jerk who scared my new friend. Mostly, though, I need to know if anyone in the tech wing is looking for any office supplies.”

Cameron raised an eyebrow.

Grace was great at the important stuff, but was a master of procrastination when it came to things like replacing printer ink cartridges or, apparently, ordering paper clips.

“Now? It’s gotta be almost eight o’clock. Besides, I thought you did it already. Like, weeks ago.”

Grace winked at him before returning her attention to the screens. Cameron shook his head, chuckling under his breath. She was clearly here to talk to Ben, and as much as he enjoyed teasing her like the sister he never had, he wasn’t going to get in the way of her flirtation.

“Don’t worry about it, Grace,” Ben said, reaching over and clicking off two of the screens. “I think we’re pretty much done with this. I’ll try and put together a short list before I leave and give it to you in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Grace said, bouncing a high-heeled foot back and forth as he talked.

“And make sure one of the security guys is around in the basement before you walk to your car,” Ben added. Cameron could see the redness rising to his cheeks.

How sweet.

A few moments later, Grace headed out, her shoes clacking against the floor as she made for the elevator down the hall.

“She’s so obviously into you, bro,” Cam said as soon as she was out of earshot.

Ben ignored him.

“Get some rest. I’m gonna go do a pencil inventory, or whatever, and then I’m heading home too. I’ll send this footage to this wizard I know in Thailand, but unless he can work a miracle, I think we’ll have to admit defeat on ID-ing this scum.”

Cameron ran his fingers across his five o’clock shadow.

Admitting defeat was the last thing he wanted to do, but this clue, at least, seemed to have led them to nothing but a dead end.

CHAPTER

NINE

BRISTOL

The ringing filled Bristol’s mind.

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