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The woman paused for a fraction of a second, then tipped her head slightly. “Oh, you’re an old friend?” Her voice was light, as if she was in on the game, but didn’t care to call it out. Probably thought Ellie was an ex. “Ty’s in the back, working on the books. I’ll let him know you’re here.” Her hand paused on the rag, blue eyes cool and curious. “What should I tell him your name is?”
Ellie’s smile didn’t waver, not for a heartbeat. “Elizabeth. He’ll know who I am.”
The woman’s smile was small and understanding. She nodded once and moved down a hallway. Daniel sipped his soda, leaning against the bar casually to eye the patrons. Everyone seemed to know each other. Locals. No sign of any trouble. Still, his gut twisted uncomfortably. Especially when one of the men playing pool stared him down.
“Relax, Perez.” Ellie’s hand landed on his arm. Her voice was pitched low, although no one could likely hear her over the country music. “People like these can smell a cop from a mile away. You’re giving off undercover vibes.”
He shifted his weight to release the pressure on his injury. The swelling had gone down, but the thing still ached something fierce. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we are undercover.”
She chuckled. “Yes, but we’re not interested in arresting the locals. You’re making them nervous. Do I have to kiss you again?”
Daniel didn’t have time to reply before the bartender returned. She tossed a thumb over her shoulder. “Y’all head on back. The office is at the end of the hall, past the bathrooms.”
“Great.” Ellie slipped away from the bar. “Thanks.”
Together, they entered the dimly lit hallway. It was like something out of a horror movie. Soft padded walls. Bathroom to the left. An exit sign hanging crooked over a door to the right, and a broken neon light illuminating the sticky floor. Inexplicably, the scent of beer hung heavier back here than it had in the bar. Despite Ellie’s admonishment to play it cool, Daniel could feel his anxiety ratcheting up. Ellie showed no sign of tension in either her walk or the easy knock she placed on the closed office door.
“Enter.”
Ellie glanced at Daniel, and he gave a sharp nod to show he was ready. He sucked in a breath as she twisted the knob and the door swung open, revealing a shockingly neat office. An expensive laptop sat in the center of an oak desk covered in glass. Windows overlooked the back of the property, and a door on the opposite side probably served as a private entrance.
Tyler Mitchell stood near a whirling printer. He was dressed casually in a checkered button-down and dark jeans. A hefty belt buckle adorned his waist and rolled-up sleeves revealed a pattern of tattoos. Though his gaze flickered over Daniel briefly, it quickly settled on Ellie. The smile that followed was charming. Immediate. "Elizabeth, is it? I'm sorry, darlin', but I'm not sure I remember you. Have we met before?”
The hair rose on Daniel’s arms. He couldn’t explain it. Couldn’t rationalize it, but something about Tyler felt off. A gut instinct honed from years of working law enforcement.
If Ellie noticed the same, it didn’t show in her expression. She placed her hands on the back of a visitor’s chair. “No, Tyler, we’ve never met. But we have a common friend.” Her gaze locked with his. “Lena.”
His brow furrowed in mock confusion as he pulled out his desk chair and sat down, setting the papers from the printer on his closed laptop. “Lena?” He puffed out a breath. “I haven’t thought about her in ages. We were friends, but it was a long time ago.” His charming smile never wavered. “How do you know Lena?”
Ellie raised a brow. “Let’s cut to the chase, Tyler. You and Lena were high school sweethearts. I know that because she told me herself. I’m Elizabeth Conway, and I believe you know exactly who I am.”
Faster than Daniel could blink, Tyler whipped out a gun from underneath his desk and pointed it at Ellie.
Instinct and training sent Daniel’s hand moving toward the gun holstered at his hip, but Tyler redirected his weapon toward Daniel.
“Don’t do it, man. I’ve won shooting competitions thirteen years in a row. I’ll put you on the ground before you can draw your weapon and have time to spare to shoot her too.”
There was a thread of confidence in his tone, and Daniel instinctively knew it wasn’t bravado. He froze. His heart thundered against his chest as the gun swung back to Ellie.
She raised her hands in the classic sign of surrender. “There’s no need to shoot anyone. We aren’t here to hurt you.”
Tyler’s expression was hard. “Agent Elizabeth Conway is dead. So I don’t think I’ll take your word on anything. In fact, I’d like to have one good reason I shouldn’t just shoot you right now and save myself the risk of finding out just what you plan to do.”
TWENTY-FIVE
The air thrummed with a powder keg of emotions. One wrong move and this would end badly.
For everyone.
Ellie kept her hands raised and resisted the natural human instinct to stare at the gun in Tyler’s hand. Instead, she forced her gaze up. Undercover work sometimes required decisions to be made in a split second. This was one of them. She had little to go on beyond her own impressions. Behind the stony expression, there was genuine fear. Sweat beaded on Tyler’s forehead and his focus darted between Ellie and Daniel.
He didn’t want to shoot them. But Ellie would need to talk him down with logic. With the truth.
“The FBI faked my death because the Iron Fist put a price on my head.” She kept her tone steady and soft-spoken, but her voice was filled with conviction. “It’s true I was shot in the warehouse on the same day that Lena was killed, but I didn’t die. I am Agent Elizabeth Conway.”
Ellie kept her attention locked on Tyler, although she could feel the tension radiating from Daniel who was on her right. To his credit, he’d stepped back and let her take the lead. A difficultthing for many in law enforcement to do, but the goal was to get out of here alive.
“Last week, masked men attacked me in a church parking lot and attempted to kidnap my foster son,” Ellie continued. “That’s when I found out the evidence Lena had stolen was still out there somewhere. There are a lot of dangerous people looking for it, Tyler. I don’t blame you for being cautious. But I’m not a threat to you.” She gestured with her fingers toward Daniel. “Neither is he. Meet Texas Ranger Daniel Perez.”