Cold Silence, page 12
“Not yet. I’m hoping we can ask him directly later today.” Sloan continued. “Techs have set up monitors with live feeds to the HRT and FBI Charlotte agents.” She pointed to a door to an adjoining room. “Randall’s team are staking out Zenko’s apartment and have surveillance in place. We hope to gain access to one of the neighboring apartments shortly. See if we can determine whether or not Zenko is in that bed. One thing to note is his truck is not there, but it could be in the shop or he might have bought a new one. Not sure yet. We’ll buzz anyone who wants to watch the arrest should we receive enough advance warning. In the meantime, let’s keep after this UNSUB and demonstrate he is more evil than genius.”
The noise of chair legs scraping against the floor filled the room.
Shane stood and went over to Ashley Chen, presumably to ask to be contacted when and if the HRT operators went into action. Yael understood why he’d be anxious about his friends and colleagues after last time.
Yael checked her messages to see if her boss needed anything before she headed home, but he hadn’t replied to her last note which meant he was probably catching forty-winks on the flight down to Charlotte. She planned to head back to her house and maybe score a few hours’ sleep before going back to her data. So far, she had just under a thousand hits on the code EG had used in his executable file that she was working her way through.
She looked up and realized the room had cleared, everyone going about their business. Shane was nowhere to be seen and she squashed the sense of disappointment that he hadn’t bothered to say goodbye.
Another reason not to get involved with anyone at work. The emotional energy put into any relationship was exhausting. All the second guessing, the constant fear of rejection or embarrassment. Better to be alone than always wondering if and when someone was going to walk away. And possibly humiliate you in the process.
She heard Ashley and Sloan talking in the next room. Apparently, Ashley Chen and Lucas Randall had adopted a girl called Becca before the holidays and Sloan was asking after her progress.
Yael was finding that many of the FBI agents knew one another and many considered the Bureau one big family. She’d found working at Cramer, Parker & Gray was similar. The bosses looked after the staff. People genuinely seemed to care for one another. She’d noticed they seemed to employ a lot of people who on first glance might not fit the usual corporate mold, but who were smart and dedicated and honorable. Her colleagues made her want to be a better person, and she suspected many of them had secrets or backgrounds like her own.
Yael was about to close her laptop and head home when a notification popped up on her screen. It was data regarding this guy Zenko.
“What’s that?” Shane asked from behind her.
She jumped in her seat. She hadn’t heard him come back into the room.
She turned and he was so close she could see flecks of silver in the green of his irises.
He sat. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Do they teach you to creep around like that at the academy?”
He snorted. “No. Special Forces. HRT too. What is that?” He nodded at the screen.
She returned to her messages. “I set up property searches for the Zenko family last night before we figured out he’d rented an apartment in Fayetteville. I included his mother’s family and grandparents’ names to see what popped.”
It wasn’t a long list.
She eliminated those that had clearly been sold outside the immediate Zenko family. Shane peered intently at her laptop screen and she forced herself not to react to his closeness.
“Was everything okay yesterday?” She wanted to kick herself for asking. HRT business was highly confidential for obvious reasons.
“No.” He clenched the hand of his broken arm into a fist. “We lost another team member.” He cleared his throat. “Overseas.”
“I am so sorry.” She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “Are you all right?”
His lips pressed together. “Not really but I’ll deal with that in my own time and catching this motherfucker will make me feel a whole lot better about a whole lot of things.”
The silence crackled between them.
He didn’t want comfort. He wanted results. She turned back to the screen because he obviously didn’t want to talk about it and she understood that. “Zenko’s parents retired to near Jacksonville.”
Yael was hyperaware of the brush of his knee against her thigh as he leaned forward.
“Hey, check that out. Maternal grandparents own a cabin on the edge of Shenandoah National Park. Looks like Zenko’s mother still owns it.” Shane pointed at her screen. “That’s only an hour west of here.” He checked his watch.
“What are you thinking?”
Green eyes flashed, his expression suggesting he was carefully considering his words. “We could go for a drive and see if anyone is there?”
Yael frowned at her screen. “I thought he was in Fayetteville.”
Shane dipped his chin. “He’s probably in Fayetteville. But if the family have owned that place for a long time, then maybe the neighbors will have a few stories to tell us about little Lloyd. And if he isn’t in Fayetteville,” he tapped the screen, “that is exactly the sort of place where he’ll be holed up.”
Yael frowned. She’d love nothing more than to redeem herself by helping to catch this freak. And she didn’t think Shane would take her with him if he thought it was actually going to be dangerous.
“Are you going to tell Sloan?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Er. Yeah.” Yael pulled up the address on a map. It wasn’t far at all. “I don’t want to get thrown off this task force.”
Shane nodded. “Me neither. I’ll go speak to her.”
Yael packed up her stuff and when she got to the doorway Shane pointed her way and Sloan nodded and immediately went back talking to Ashley Chen. They seemed to be busy creating a section on the wall dedicated to Lloyd Zenko.
“What did she say?”
“Strictly surveillance only. Told us to pose as tourists going for a hike and not to raise any red flags by asking too many questions.” He stared at her feet. “You have hiking boots?”
She liked hiking just fine, but walking alone on quiet trails creeped her out, so she didn’t do it. She didn’t want to admit her fear to this guy though. She hooked her bag over her head and across her chest. “Do I look like I spend a lot of time hiking in the woods?”
He looked her up and down. “You have two good legs so why not? Those boots are probably okay as long as it isn’t too slippery.”
There had been a light snowfall overnight that had made her grateful she wasn’t riding Myrtle.
“Let’s go past your place and pick up a raincoat—you own a raincoat, right?” he asked with a frown.
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, Agent Livingstone. I own a raincoat.”
“I thought we were on first name terms nowadays, Yael?” He lowered his voice to a soft velvety tone and leaned closer. “Considering…”
Gah. He was referring to the kiss. She couldn’t believe he’d brought it up even obliquely.
But his smile was hard to resist and Yael started to wonder why she even tried. What harm could it do to be friends with this guy? Even if she slept with him, it was no big deal—probably a good way to get this distracting attraction out of her system. As long as he never found out about her past, she could be whoever she wanted to be—and he’d need to be a lot better at digging into the cyber-verse to figure out her secrets.
Although was changing your name to hide a tragic history really deception? For her it was more about self-preservation.
She shuddered. She’d spent a lifetime moving on and reinventing herself when people she’d trusted eventually found out the truth. But, as she was stuck with this guy, perhaps she should relax her guard a little and simply concentrate on helping catch this killer.
That had to work in her favor, right? One day, she might do enough to atone for the sins of her brother.
Her mind filled with images saturated in blood and her mood soured. She’d never be able to atone for everything. All she could do was try.
11
Shane glanced over to the passenger side of the truck and his conscience felt a rare prick. He hadn’t been strictly honest with Yael, nor with the task force leader.
Lying to good people left a bad taste in his mouth, but Shane knew that if he informed ASAC Sloan of his suspicions she’d tell him to wait and see what happened in Fayetteville before sending a team out to the cabin. And if he told Yael he’d lied about getting the task force leader’s permission she wouldn’t have come. And he wanted her with him.
On one hand, it was an opportunity to bond, and to prove he wasn’t going off on his own on some lone wolf mission. He’d make sure she wasn’t in any real danger.
On the other, he could keep an eye on Yael. Watch her reactions.
Considering she’d been part of the team to identify Zenko it didn’t seem likely that she was in league with EG.
Shane was concerned that Zenko might hear about the FBI raid on his apartment from one of his cronies at Fort Bragg. If the guy was at the cabin, he’d be in the wind before the FBI caught up with him again. Shane not only wanted Zenko to pay for his crimes, he was also pretty sure the guy would roll on this Evi1Geni-us asshole faster than green grass through a goose.
He glanced sideways.
Yael was not exactly chatty Cathy. He was used to Cowboy riding shotgun and, off duty, the guy never shut up. Or Scotty… His gritted his teeth together to fight the punch of emotion that wanted to hit him, over and over again. Each blow felt like a fresh wound.
And now Kurt Montana…
Fuck.
He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten through the last twelve hours. Mainly by not thinking about his friends and concentrating instead on this case. Finding Scotty’s killer was his entire reason for being right now.
He’d told Sloan that he was going to assist Yael with online searches. The task force leader had looked relieved he was getting out of her way. So he’d misled both women and now he felt like a giant asshole, but at least he was a strategic one.
If they didn’t find anything at the cabin then neither Sloan nor Yael would be any the wiser that he’d been a little economical with the truth. If Zenko was at the cabin, then HRT could be deployed while Shane and Yael observed from a safe distance. The task force would be so happy with the rapid break in the case that Sloan wouldn’t ream him out. This was the theory anyway.
Shane had decided to drive his own vehicle. It looked a lot less government issue than Yael’s SUV and although it might not sport bulletproof glass, he was confident in his ability to keep her out of immediate danger. They’d stopped by her house to grab rain gear, then his place to do the same. He’d insisted she come inside because leaving her in the truck seemed like an unnecessary security risk. It had felt weird though and he didn’t remember the last time he’d had a woman there. He wasn’t big on entertaining. He was on-call almost all the time which tended to ruin any social life except grabbing a beer or watching a game with his FBI or HRT buddies.
He’d quickly changed into black tactical pants, hiking boots and a lightweight fleece and had come into the living room to find her staring at the framed photographs he had of his family hanging on the walls. He hadn’t seen any photos at her place but she’d only just moved in.
He’d grabbed his raincoat, which was now in the back seat along with two brand-new walking poles that he’d bought his mother for Christmas but had forgotten to give her.
They worked well as walking aids, which was good as Yael’s boots weren’t as grippy as he’d like, and could double as weapons. He was carrying his favorite SIG and a few magazines of ammo in his pockets. He had a backup strapped to his ankle and never went anywhere without his tactical knife and another slim blade hidden on his person.
Yael yawned again and he suspected she’d worked most of last night uncovering this lead.
Exactly how much time did she spend at her computer? Though he was hardly one to talk. He’d told her he was married to his job and hadn’t lied. After leaving the Green Berets he’d worried he’d never find that same kind of soul-satisfying career in the civilian world. But working for the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team was even better than being in the Army. They not only shot at hostiles, they also arrested them. Shane didn’t think there was a better job in the entire universe and he had no intention of jeopardizing his position. However, sitting in a room staring at a computer screen when they had a credible lead on a suspect wasn’t something he could deal with either. He was part of the best trained unit of federal law enforcement agents in the US, if not the world, and he wasn’t ignoring a potential clue.
Not if it meant Scotty’s killers escaping justice.
The landscape whizzed by, growing more and more rural from suburbs to farmland. He kept his speed a little over the limit, not enough to get stopped by traffic cops, but enough to get where they were going as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to draw attention by using lights or sirens. He couldn’t be certain this Zenko guy didn’t have friends or relatives on the local police force.
Yael was doing research on her laptop. Looking for more background information. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left town. She’d withdrawn again and he felt as if he was losing ground without even opening his mouth. He’d sensed a brief thawing in relations earlier but maybe he’d imagined it.
It was harder to fake cheerfulness than usual. Maybe that was the problem. She could sense his inner destruction and wanted no part of his misery.
He cleared his throat. “So, where are you from, originally?”
“All over the place. Colorado mainly, I guess. You?”
He watched her fingers clench in her lap.
She didn’t like to talk about herself. She deflected constantly. Nerves or something to hide?
“Georgia, but I suspect you already know that.”
She flashed him a guilty look.
“No way would you figure out my full name without checking out the family history.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was making sure you weren’t descended from plantation owners.”
His fingers tightened on the wheel. “Thankfully my ancestors made their money from lumber, not from the soulless enslavement of others. However, destroying the environment isn’t exactly something to be proud of either.”
“Pretty sure most old money was earned from the exploitation of something or someone.”
He grunted. “I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth if that’s what you’re thinking. My dad’s father gambled most of his inheritance away after my grandmother died. He spent the rest on women and booze, much to my mother’s disappointment.”
She blinked at him in surprise. “That must have been hard for your family.”
He shrugged. “Not really. Wasn’t my money. And I loved the old goat.” His throat squeezed shut at the reminder of another big loss in his life. His grandfather had loved Shane’s grandmother and hadn’t been able to cope with her death. Cowboy reminded him of the old man in that regard. “Being named Shannon Marcus Livingstone III is a bit of a mouthful, but I kind of like the fact I have that permanent connection to him, you know?”
Yael frowned. “I guess. How’d you end up being called Shane?”
“My mom wasn’t big on the family naming tradition. Didn’t want her son to have the same name as her husband.” Which he totally understood. “One of my sisters began calling me Shane. And I preferred that to junior.” He gave a mock shudder. “Shane stuck. You named after anyone?”
“Me?” She folded her arms over her chest then looked out of the window. Her family seemed like a sore point. “My maternal great-grandmother. She was a Polish Jew who came to the States with her parents in 1923.”
“Between the wars.”
Yael nodded. “She was lucky they left when they did. Congress passed laws in 1924 that made it much more difficult for ‘undesirables’ to immigrate to the US. Then the Great Depression hit, followed by the rise of the Nazis.”
“Fucking Nazis.”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Fucking Nazis.”
After a few pensive moments of silence she continued, “I met her when I was a little girl—my great grandma. I don’t remember much about her, except she gave the sweetest hugs and smelled funny.” A sad smile lit her features. “We were never a particularly religious family. My dad was raised Catholic, my mom was fiercely atheist. But we’d light a candle to all those who came before us around the holidays.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
She shook her head and crossed her arms as she turned to stare out of the window again.
He wanted to know more but didn’t want to push, which went completely against his inquisitive nature. But from her expression the loss of her parents was fresh enough to still hurt.
Another sliver of guilt slid through him that he wasn’t being completely honest with her. However, his interest was genuine and they were working together toward a common goal. It appeared increasingly unlikely she had anything to do with EG given the work she was doing with Alex Parker.
Also, he liked her in a way he hadn’t liked anyone in a long time.
So he wasn’t being completely deceptive in wanting to get to know her better. This was a collaboration between his law enforcement chops and her computer skills, with the focus firmly on the case. Working as an effective team was exactly what HRT trained for. He was adapting and maximizing his skill set while he dealt with the stupid broken arm which currently rested on his thigh.
It was healing. Just not fast enough, dammit.
He wanted to be in the thick of the action again. He wanted to be with his teammates, but he couldn’t deny the fact he was enjoying hunting this motherfucker.
He saw a turn off and Yael held on to the grab handle as he took it, barely slowing down. HRT operatives were trained in tactical driving but the roads were a little slick so he understood her apprehension. Silence settled back over the cab once more. It made a change for him to be the more talkative person in a conversation.
