Page 14 of Off the Grid
His partner sighed over the line. “Leo, on a scale from one to ten, where one is a pleasant purr and ten is a jackhammer against the skull, you’re an eleven. How’s McKenzie?”
He ignored the question. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you knew.”
“How the hell would I know? I don’t hear myself when I’m sleeping.”
“I guess I figured someone else already told you.”
“Is that why you sleep with earplugs when we’re on assignment?”
“Obviously. Why else?”
“I don’t know, I just assumed you were weird like that.”
Nate snorted. “Are you done having an existential crisis?”
“I don’t know.” Leo shrugged, rubbing a palm over his scruff. “This is a lot of information to take in all at once.”
“Buy some nasal strips and get a grip,” Nate retorted. Leo scoffed. His partner ignored it and plowed on, getting back to the topic at hand. “McKenzie?”
“The ice queen is fine. I found her at her apartment, and she refused my help. So I chased her down the subway, hopped the barrier, and nearly got arrested, no thanks to you—”
“Well, fare beatingisagainst the law.”
Leo heard the barely contained laughter in his partner’s voice. “And now I’m stalking her at her place of work. If I get arrested for police harassment, I’m taking you down with me.”
“It can’t be that bad. She’s a pastry chef. Ask her if she makes your favorite—cronuts.”
Leo rolled his eyes, yet inside he paused.That’s actually not a bad idea.“Any update on the other friend, Addison?”
“Forensics is still working on a crime-scene report, but we pulled some footage from an ATM across the street. A man matching Ryder’s description showed up at her bakery after hours last night, and then two Russian henchmen started shooting shortly after. Based on the tire tracks in the back, my guess is Ryder took off with Addison. Motive is unclear, but Jo thinks he did it in a misguided attempt to save her friend’s life.”
They both snorted at the same time. A few years as a Fed could turn any kindhearted soul into a cynic.
“Any leads?” Leo asked hopefully. The sooner they caught Ryder, the sooner McKenzie would be safe, and the sooner he could hop on a plane to Hawaii.
“None.”
He sighed. “Okay. My phone broke, so I’ll call again in a few hours for an update. I’ll swing by the field office for a backup after I escort McKenzie home tonight.”
“Sounds good.” Nate paused. Knowing someone for so long made it easy to anticipate when they weren’t quite finished speaking, so Leo waited patiently, even though he already knew the words that were brewing. “And thank you, Leo. I mean it. Thank you.”
“Don’t sweat it, Parker. What are friends for?” Not partners. Friends. “Oh!” he cut in quickly before Nate could hang up, remembering McKenzie’s words from before. “There is something you could help me with. McKenzie mentioned her father before, as though he might have been the reason I showed up outside her door. What’s the story there?”
“Her father?” Confusion colored his partner’s words. “No clue.”
“Something in her tone made it sound important. I was going to run a background check before my phone broke. Could you run one for me? Let me know what you find when I call back in a few hours.”
“Already done.”
“Great. Thanks, man. Oh, and tell Jo I have a new dessert for her. Profiteroles.”
“Profiteroles?”
“Go with it. She’ll know what I’m talking about.”
Leo didn’t need to see his partner to know he was currently shaking his head in incredulity. “Bye, Leo.”
