Page 34 of Fierce Hope
The team fell silent as she continued, “There’s ... someone from my past. Sebastian Deveaux.” Her throat worked as she swallowed. “He was like an uncle to me—my father’s partnerin cons. They had a falling out, but he might know where our suspect is.”
His jaw tightened immediately. “We’ll handle contacting him. It usually goes better that way.”
Relief flickered in her eyes, a flash of vulnerability that hardened his resolve. No way she’d face the ghosts of her past without backup.
“Think Deveaux will cooperate?” The question came out softer than intended.
“Maybe.” She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, fingers digging into her own biceps. “If we can convince him we’re not trying to cause trouble. He always had ... a soft spot for me, even after everything went wrong.”
Kenji’s usual playfulness vanished, replaced by focused intensity as he pulled up databases. Zara already making notes, mapping surveillance scenarios.
Axel and Griff clomped up the stairs, gym towels around their shoulders.
“What’s the sitrep?” Axel asked.
Deke checked the internet search displayed on Zara’s oversized monitor. “Looks like we’re heading to Palm Springs, kids.”
Griff actually smiled. “Nice.”
Kenji raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Griff blinked. “I could use some vitamin D.”
“For sure,” Axel jabbed Griff with an elbow. “You are running pale, little man.”
Griff toweled off his face. “You should talk, blondie. You’re so white I need to wear shades.”
Ignoring them both, Kenji pressed back from his desk. “Oooh weee. This Deveaux guy’s got an impressive résumé, and by résumé, I’m talking quite the collection of federal and state indictments. We better pack extra Kevlar for this one, yeah?”
“Seb won’t hassle anyone who’s with me,” Jade insisted. “Besides, he retired more than fifteen years ago. Dropped his money into legit enterprises. Now he sits back and watches the stock market rise.”
Deke hoped.
He moved to stand beside her. Close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
“We’ll get answers. Whoever’s behind this is going to regret ever coming after you.”
She turned, gratitude and worry warring in her eyes.
As the team outlined their approach to interrogating Deveaux, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were about to uncover something much bigger than any of them had anticipated. Something that had been waiting in the shadows of Jade’s past.
Patient.
Watching.
20
“Trouble sleeping?”Deke asked, glancing up as Jade padded into her living room wearing gray sweats. She’d changed after their team meeting, but exhaustion still lined her face.
From his position on her small couch, he watched her cross her arms—a defensive gesture he’d noticed she made when feeling exposed. She eyed the sparse condo, taking in the bare walls, the single framed photo of her with church friends, the conspicuous absence of any family mementos.
She lived in generic surroundings, like someone prepared to disappear at a moment’s notice.
The heating system hummed quietly in the background, and outside, the city had settled into its nighttime rhythm. But Deke remained alert, aware of every creak and whisper in the building. His mind kept circling back to the evidence board at headquarters, to the name that had made Jade go pale.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For giving up time with DJ to be here. I know this can’t be easy.”
Deke attempted a wry smile, though the mention of his son sent a familiar pang through his chest. “Probably better for him to have a break from me right now anyway. He’s ... not exactly thrilled with me these days.”
