Page 7

The sound and smell of bacon lure me from the comfort of Quinn’s bed. Shuffling out of the bedroom, I find Quinn in the kitchen, sprinkling spinach leaves inside of an omelet.

“Do you know if Tony eats eggs?” He asks me, his brow furrowed slightly. “I made sure the bacon didn’t touch this pan, but I wasn’t sure about eggs. I’m making potatoes too, just in case.”

Grinning, I raise up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I wouldn’t know any better than you, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gesture either way. Where is he though?”

“Outside on the phone,” he says, gesturing towards the sliding glass door where we can see Tony leaning against the banister of the deck. I notice that he’s the only one who is fully dressed.

I’m in a long t-shirt that Quinn let me borrow, and my underwear. Quinn is in his boxer shorts and a day-glow orange tank top.

I help set out some plates and silverware while Quinn finishes cooking. I’m pouring myself a large mug of coffee when Tony returns.

“Do you want coffee?” I ask him, holding up the pot. He looks confused. “Quinn made breakfast.”

“I wasn’t sure if you eat eggs, so I made this potato hash… thing.” Quinn holds up a dish of potatoes that looks a little strange but smells delicious. I’d eat it.

“Oh, uh… yeah, sure. Thanks.” Tony seems unsettled, which I’m disappointed about.

Once we were all… well, more comfortable with each other, we talked a lot and got to know each other more last night. I honestly felt like the three of us had a connection, professionally and personally. Eventually, we all passed out. I slept in the bed next to Quinn, but Tony slept on the couch. I’m not sure if he wasn’t feeling comfortable enough to sleep with us, even though we honestly were just sleeping, or if it was because the bed is only a queen and both of them are quite tall. In the haze of sexual tension and tequila, I didn’t feel that he was pulling away, but maybe he was.

He’s definitely invested in taking Jackson Adley down, if only for the sake of his boss. He has a deep respect for Bennet and joked last night that they had similar personalities. I think we’ll work well together. But I never expected this… connection.

As if he’s read the expression on my face, Tony gives me a small smile. “I can spare a few minutes for breakfast, thank you. But I have to get to work.”

“Everything okay?”

“That was Bennet. Things have gotten… interesting over there and he needs my help.”

“Well, we’re in this together now, right? So, spill it, man,” Quinn says casually. “Share with the class so we can pitch in.”

I don’t know if it’s hesitation or surprise, but Tony pauses for a moment before he fills us in on what’s happening in Barnaby Falls.

“Okay. So I told you Bennet was helping a woman, right? Well, apparently she collapsed in a park, completely covered in blood and muttering that someone was after her. She ended up having brain surgery, and can’t remember a thing about who she is or what happened to her. There were some other guys there in the park when she collapsed, and they stuck around with her, too. That’s who all those documents were for.”

Quinn nods, acknowledging the small bit we already know.

“It turns out someone is definitely out looking for her. Some guys in uniform showed up, flashing a picture. Bennet got photos from the security footage and called around to some other hospitals, and they were looking for her there too.”

“How did he get the security footage?” Quinn asks.

“His father owns the hospital, and he’s an executive for the company,” I explain.

“Oh. Nice.”

“Anyway, Bennet and these other guys decided to hide her. Yesterday morning, I helped him shut down the hospital security cameras so they could escape without being caught and they moved to what we’re hoping will be a secure location. They’re trying to figure out what happened to her.”

“Damn,” Quinn mutters. Damn is right.

“How can we help?”

“I’m not sure yet. Bennet asked for CCTV footage from a truck stop about 20 miles outside of Barnaby Falls. He thinks something might have happened to the girl there. Apparently, a trucker was attacked and there’s a chance she might have been involved.”

“I can help with that,” Quinn chimes in.

Tony twists his lips in thought, “I want to be honest with you? not everything that I’ve been doing to help Bennet has been entirely legal.”

“You forget who you’re talking to,” I say, laughing a little.

“Yesterday, I hacked police records and bribed a clerk to help dispose of evidence.” Tony blurts this out like he’s admitting to murder, not helping a woman escape a potentially dangerous situation.

“Quinn produces forged documents for a living. And the morning I met you, I had just broken into my boss’ office and stolen data from a secret private server. Also, I literally admitted to arson last night. I don’t think you’re going to shock us.”

“Why would he have a server in a mostly empty satellite office?” Tony asks.

“Exactly,” I say, pointing. “Anyway, that’s where I got that financial data from. And there’s more than that, a lot more.”

“Bennet went through what you gave me. You’re definitely onto something about BioCere, Inc. There’s a ton of money being pumped into that company. There’s a BioCere, Inc in Atlanta, but these records only show activity in and around Raleigh, North Carolina, so they may or may not be related.”

I nod. “That’s where the logs for his private plane said he went when he stormed out the other day.”

“All Bennet’s been able to find so far is an address to what looks like an old warehouse. He sent a PI there to check it out. But that’s all he has so far.”

“Okay, so I’ll work on the CCTV footage. And you two can work on getting more out of that server data.” Quinn claps his hands like we just had a productive team meeting.

Which, I suppose, we did.

“If you’re both sure, I’d appreciate the help. And I know Bennet will be appreciative too?“

“No,” I say, cutting him off. “I think it’s best if you keep our involvement quiet for now.”

“I don’t want to take credit for your work, .”

“I don’t need credit, Tony. I need anonymity.” I can tell that he doesn’t understand. “Look, I think we can really help each other here. This is my only condition.”

He doesn’t need to understand, he just needs to agree. Which, thankfully, he does. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”

It’s not what I want, it’s what I need. Because no matter how much Bennet Adley might dislike his father, it’s one thing to want to take his business from him. It’s another to want to burn it down.

“How would you both feel if we set up at my house? I have a dining room with a ridiculously large table that’s never been used, and a lot of extra monitors and stuff.”

“I’m down,” Quinn says. I nod my approval as well.

“Cool. I’d like to send Bennet whatever we have now, and then once we’re set up, we can start working on getting more.”

My mouth full of potatoes, I point at my small backpack that’s lying on the floor next to the couch. Tony reaches over to grab it and hands it to me. I rummage around in one of the pockets and pull out a thumb drive.

He seems a little surprised that I have it ready to go.

“I was waiting for the right time, when I was sure I could trust you. What I gave you last night was just a little taste.”

The way both of their eyes darken tells me I’m not the only one that caught the unintentional double meaning.