Page 72 of Off the Grid
With a chuckle, the line went dead.
Little shit.Leo stared at the phone in his hands with a snarl across his lips.Oh how quickly he forgets who protected his ass throughout all of grade school. And helped him pay for college. And—Leo released a breath and rolled his eyes.Who am I kidding? If I were him, I would’ve done the exact same thing.
Apparently, being a smart-ass ran in the family.
Leo dialed another number, stalling yet again.
His partner answered on the second ring. “So, have you called her yet?”
Jesus. Can’t I catch a freaking break?“I don’t know who you’re referring to.”
“Jo wants me to tell you to stop being a stubborn asshole.”
“Jo said that?” Leo arched a brow. “Or you?”
Nate paused on the line. “Both.”
“That’s what I thought.” Leo rolled his eyes. At this point, they were practically spinning on a nonstop basis. “What else did Jo say?”
“That she doesn’t want to get involved. She’s meddled too much already.”
Really?Jo was a professional hacker. She’d practically made a career out of involving herself in other people’s business, and yet, she chose now to stay out of it? His hour of need? “Do I need to remind her I saved her life not too long ago?”
“Isaved her life.”
“With my invaluable assistance.”
“You both saved my life,” a feminine voice interrupted.Not getting involved, my ass.“And I’m eternally grateful, Leo. Really, I am. But you and McKenzie need to figure this, whatever this is, out on your own.”
Leo perked up. He’d talked Nate’s ear off about the days he’d spent with McKenzie—mostly to get his help deciding what, if anything, needed to be included in the official report. In case anyone was wondering, shower sex? Not necessary. Until this conversation, Leo hadn’t said a word to Jo and gossip wasn’t his partner’s thing.
“So… McKenzie told you about us?”
Jo sighed. “Goodbye, Leo.”
A soft click came through the line.People havegotto stop hanging up on me at pivotal moments in the conversation.
“That wasn’t a no,” he murmured.
“I thought you weren’t calling about McKenzie,” Nate muttered, undeniable mocking in his tone.
“I wasn’t,” Leo answered immediately. His partner scoffed. “No, really. I was calling to ask if you’d seen the report on the address I gave you, the house where I found McKenzie.”
“Yeah, I read it.”
“And?”
“Seems odd she’d be taken to a house in the Catskills that just happens to be owned by a corporation the FBI has never heard of before.”
Thank you!Leo leaned toward his desk, opening the document on his computer. The fire that had spooked McKenzie had in fact been electrical, and the burning house had been two doors down from the one they’d spent the night in. Yet, even still, an annoying tingle pricked at the back of his mind, whispering that something wasn’t right. “That’s what I told the boss. He agreed—the whole situation doesn’t smell right. He’s getting the tech team to dig deeper, but I have no idea how long that’ll take or if they’ll need to get warrants.”
“What’s your gut telling you?”
That I should call McKenzie…“That I’m missing something.”
“We’ve never seen the Russians use a shell corp with that name before. Maybe it’s a new alias?”
“Maybe…” Leo frowned.
