Page 17 of Obscurity
“Except for this.” Jason picked up a sheet with her final text message, the one that had prompted her father to hire Aegis.
There’s more to Grayfall than you think. The trees are watching.
Olive stared at the words that had seemed cryptic before. But now, after hearing Elias’s presentation about mountain folklore and local legends, the message felt even more ominous.
“What do you think she meant by ‘There’s more to Grayfall than you think’?” Olive sucked on her bottom lip as she thought through the possibilities.
“Could be anything. A drug operation. Human trafficking. Maybe she had an argument with a colleague or made someone mad.” Jason rubbed a hand over his eyes, fatigue evident in his voice. “Or it could be the ramblings of someone having a psychological breakdown after her world fell apart.”
She studied his face a moment, reading him like a book. “You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
“No,” he admitted. “I don’t. Three people missing. We can’t ignore that.”
Olive gathered the papers back into their file, her mind already working through the logistics for this investigation. “We need to talk to more people, find out what they might know.”
“Agreed. But we’ll need to be careful. We have no idea what’s going on here or how deeply it runs.”
She swallowed hard. No, they didn’t.
But a bad feeling swirled in her gut concerning this entire investigation . . . a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
CHAPTER 10
As their discussion about the case wound down, familiar tension settled between Olive’s shoulders.
The tension of her and Jason’s relationship, their past, of unspoken conversations.
She busied herself putting away her notes, though she felt Jason’s presence beside her like heat from a fire.
This cover required intimacy they couldn’t fake, in a room designed for couples who actually wanted to share space.
She leaned back against the bed, hating how nervous she felt. She prided herself on being calm, cool, and collected. “So, how was your last assignment?”
Jason leaned back also and shrugged. “I managed to track down the father. He wasn’t dead. He simply didn’t want to be a dad anymore and wanted instead to start fresh somewhere else.”
“Some people . . .”
He glanced at her and nodded. “Yes, some people.”
Another moment of awkward silence stretched between them.
“Olive, I know you’ve been avoiding me,” Jason finally started, the hard lines on his face softening some. “What I’m notsure about is why. Are you upset I’m working for Aegis? They approached me, just for the record.”
“I’m not upset. I think you’re a good fit.” Her words were sincere.
“Ever since I was hired, you’ve sounded stiff and distracted whenever we talk on the phone. Something is obviously going on.”
She wished she could deny his words, but she couldn’t. Instead of answering directly, she said, “I thought you liked working for Conglomerate.”
“I did, but I was ready for a change. Ready to be in the field instead of supervising security.” His gaze lingered on her.
She couldn’t deny that Jason made a great Aegis agent. But working with him complicated everything.Everything.
Rex had brought it up once.I take it you’ll be able to keep your professional boundaries in place?
Of course, Olive had said yes. What choice did she have if she wanted to keep her job? But Jason being her colleague threw her into an emotional tailspin.
She glanced at him now. Should she even open up this can of worms about why she was keeping her distance? It could compromise her ability to fully focus on the case right now.
