Page 58 of Noble Hops

“Yes, but apparently I can blow sunshine out of my ass.”He passed the sweeper over each device—only green lights.

“Earmuffs,” Cam objected, both real and for effect, while Jamie made frighteningly fast work of opening and inspecting each phone.

Green.

“Any good recruits?”Nic asked as Jamie swept him up and down.Green.

“Yes, actually.I think I’ve swung us a point guard who was going to commit to Gonzaga.”

He stepped over to Cam next, and Cam clapped his shoulder.“Now that’s what best friends are for.”The first pass over his front was clear.

“Figured you’d be—” The device vibrated at his collar.

Nic’s eyes widened, the red lights from the sweeper reflected therein.

Aidan’s grew just as wide, but he was also making a keep-talking gesture.“Figured you’d what?”Cam asked.

Jamie flipped up the collar of his suit coat.“Figured you’d be happy.”And from under it, extracted a tiny listening device.None of them were making happy faces.

“One less chance for them to be a spoiler.”Jamie held the bug pinched between his thumb and forefinger while Aidan retrieved a mason jar and lid out of a cabinet.

“Fuck, I hope so,” Cam said, also hoping that was the last thing anyone heard.

Jamie dropped the bug into the jar, then Aidan screwed on the lid and shoved it into the freezer.

“How the fuck did that get there?”Aidan whipped back around.“And when?”

“Good thing you hate wearing your jacket,” Nic said.

“See, my suit aversion pays off.”A small silver lining, but Cam was grasping at straws.

“So when were you wearing that jacket?”

Cam leaned back against the island, mentally retracing his steps.“It was in the bag from the dry cleaner this morning, I put it on for the drive in, took it off in my office before going to the conference room, put it back on when I?—”

“When you what?”Nic prompted.

“I was coming down to see you when Agent Cole stopped me outside the elevator.Clapped me on the shoulder like this.”He brought a hand down on the top of Nic’s shoulder, just like Cole had done him, and sure enough, his fingertips skirted Nic’s collar.

“It could have been inserted at the dry cleaners,” Jamie said.

To which all three of them replied, “It was Cole.”

“He’s our lead suspect for Vaughn’s mole in the Bureau,” Cam explained.

“How much does he know?”Aidan asked.

“I went down to Nic’s office.”He rotated on his hip toward Nic.“I had the coat on when we talked with Garrett.”

“You weren’t wearing it when I came back up from walking him out,” Nic said.

“That’s right.I ditched it in my office before we went into the conference room and discussed the actual details of the case.”

“And on your way home?Or to here?”Aidan asked.“You came in here wearing it.”

“We spoke generally about the case on the way to Gravity,” Nic said.“But nothing specific.”

“And we’ve been playing chalkboard”—Cam nudged the legal pad—“ever since we realized we were bugged.”