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Better watch your back. You never know when a dirty cop might catch a bullet or a knife in the back like he deserves.
Noah shook his head. “What do you bet Wilson or Kepler did this?”
“That’s a sucker’s bet and I’m not taking it.”
“We have a crime team and lab.” Violet removed a plastic bag from her pocket. “We’ll have this picked up by our employer and checked for prints and dangerous substances.”
“If Noah’s right, the lab won’t find anything,” Teagan said. Ironic the same people who should have been protecting all four of them were the most likely ones to come after them for false offenses.
The medic shrugged as she secured the bag and slipped the evidence into her pocket. “You never know. The person responsible might have made a mistake.”
“Doubtful,” Seth said. “Despite that, we need the evidence processed in a way that we can build a case for the prosecutor.” He grimaced. “Sosomeonecan build a case whether or not we’re back on the job.”
An icy chill swept over Teagan’s body. She casually surveyed the area, looking for the cause of her sudden awareness. No obvious signs of a watcher but someone was definitely close by, watching their every move. “Let’s talk about this in more secure surroundings,” she said to Seth. “I don’t like how this feels out here.”
“Same.” Violet turned toward the SUV. “Feels like spiders crawling on my back.”
Yeah, giant ones. Another glance around the area netted no results. Still, Teagan couldn’t shake the feeling that they were under observation.
Seth unlocked the vehicle, and soon they were on the way back to his house. Although the drive should have taken ten minutes, the detective spent several minutes turning squares to make sure they didn’t lead the enemy right to their doorstep. When he finally turned into his driveway, Seth parked beside Violet’s vehicle.
Violet’s phone signaled an incoming message. She glanced at the screen. “A Fortress operative is five minutes out. He’s delivering the phones for the other detectives and will take the threat back to the lab for processing.”
Seth and Noah exited the SUV and came around to help Teagan and Violet from the vehicle. Teagan had to admit she felt funny allowing that. She’d been taking care of herself for so long it felt weird to allow Seth to do things like open the door for her. She liked it, though.
After they’d searched the house for signs of intrusion, Teagan pressed the start button on the coffeemaker. The operative might like a to-go cup of coffee for the journey back to Nashville.
At the five-minute mark, Violet’s received another message. “Oh, good. Jake Davenport is outside.”
Teagan smiled. She hadn’t seen Jake and his wife Lacey in too long. “Tell him to come to the back.”
Seth eyed her. “You know this guy?”
“He’s a medic on one of our black ops teams. You’ll like him.”
A moment later, a knock sounded on the back door.
Violet unlocked and opened the door to admit the medic who carried a mailer in his hand and had a mike bag slung over his shoulder. “Sorry you were stuck being the delivery man, Jake.”
“No problem.” He handed the mailer to Violet. “Three satellite phones as requested plus five watches. Also, I brought my mike bag so I can insert trackers on Seth and Noah. Zane said I was to pick up something for the lab, too.”
Violet handed him the plastic bag with the paper inside.
“Have a seat, Jake.” Teagan waved to the stools at the breakfast bar. “Coffee is almost ready.”
“Ah, you’re a lifesaver, Teagan. Thanks.” He held out his hand to Seth. “Jake Davenport. I’m a medic with Fortress.”
“Seth Dixon, former detective with Ardmore PD.”
Noah introduced himself as well.
“Z gave me a summary of what’s going on. I’m sorry you had to resign to go undercover.”
“We are, too. Hopefully, we’ll figure out the target and the timeline of this militia’s goal, then return to our jobs. I’m afraid that’s doubtful, though.”
“Well, you have three loyal friends who willingly walked off the job to watch your back. With them and Artemis, you’ll have an easier time finding what you need and getting out of Dodgewithout injuries. Artemis is one of the deadliest teams we have. You’re lucky to have them on your side.”
Seth captured Teagan’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Believe me, I know.”