Page 64 of After All The Wreckage

I retreated to my favorite coffee shop by Georgetown with every intention of heading back to Argento Skies after dark. While waiting, I pulled up what I could on the company.

According to its website and what I’d read before, it didn’t have a D.C. location, and even having seen their name on the sign myself, I still couldn’t find a shred of evidence that said any different. I couldn’t even find a lease agreement. The office I’d seen was actually leased to a holding company that I traced to an offshore account and a shell company that screamedhinky.

Even the shell company was a dead end, without a list of board members to find anywhere.

Argento Skies itself was a family-owned business. My search popped up an article about its original CEO dying in a plane crash for unknown reasons a few years ago. He’d been piloting the small plane, and while there were literally hundreds of reasons it could have gone down, the fact that both his accident and my mom’s had never truly been solved felt important. Another coincidence I had to follow.

My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see the text.

NAN: I didn’t see you this morning.

This was really code for her being worried that we hadn’t talked since I’d lost my cool with her in the car last night. I still didn’t know what to say because I couldn’t give her what she wanted, but I also didn’t want her to worry about me.

ME: I’m working a case in D.C. I’ll be by to see Mom soon. Give her a kiss for me. I love you.

NAN: Okay. I’ll save you one of Harriet’s pumpkin muffins. Be safe. I love you.

Her response made a lump lodge in my throat.

I stared out the window at the darkening sky filled with clouds that had threatened rain all day. I needed to know more about this cloud seeding that Argento Skies did and why it would have endangered their CEO. With a bachelor’s in meteorology, Gage would likely know all about it. I could simply ask him. I could ask him and make sure he and his siblings were okay at the same time.

My heartbeat spiked at the thought of seeing him again. Of maybe kissing him again. He’d apologized for it, but he’d admitted to the attraction—the depths of it pulling at him as much as me. He’d tried to brush me off because he couldn’t make me his focus any more than I could make him mine.

So, where did that leave us? With desire and no relief?

I sure as hell couldn’t afford to waste more of my day thinking about it… about him.

I shoved my things into my bag and headed out of the coffee shop. As I stood next to my Rebel pulling on my helmet, my eyes fell to the bike’s mirrors and the reflection of a man leaning against the brick building across the street.

Mammoth shoulders. Black jacket. Aviators. Shaved head.

It was the guy from yesterday.

I whirled around, taking a step off the curb, and a bus blared its horn at me.

My pulse raced as I jumped back.

Damn it, Rory-girl. Pay attention.

By the time the bus trundled by, the man was gone, and I had no idea which direction he’d headed. It was obvious the man had picked me up at the Argento Skies office both days. I cursed myself for not running him through my facial recognition program. If I had, I’d already know everything there was to know about him. Now I couldn’t afford to go back to the building until I’d identified him and what he wanted with me.

Time I couldn’t afford was literally ticking by.

I jumped onto my Rebel and flew through the streets, heading back toward Cherry Bay. I wished I could talk to Mom and not just to hear her sayI love youagain. I wished she was there to help me chase down all the different leads flying around this case. There were just too many for one person, but somehow I’d have to pull it together and fast.

I drove straight to Shady Lane, and by the time I got off my bike, I had a handful of additional texts from Nan, one from Shay, and a voicemail from Dad. My phone rang, and I would have ignored it just like I was ignoring the other calls and texts except I was surprised to see it was Gage.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I know you said you’d call later, but Monte wants to talk to you.” The noise of the bar echoed around his words.

“He does?” I couldn’t prevent the surprise from entering my voice.

“Yeah. He does. Do you think you could come by the apartment? I take a break around seven-thirty to make sure Ivy goes down.”

I glanced at the clock on my phone. I’d have time to say hello to Mom and start a search for the aviator glasses man before heading over. “Sure. I can be there.”

In the silence that followed, I heard music and the laughter of the locals who filled the bar for Tango Tuesday. Finally, Gage responded. “After… because…” He sighed. “Just. Thanks.”