He could start there and build on the rest.
And with that thought, he drifted off to sleep, too.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON, they headed over to see Jodi. Kennedy had insisted on seeing her friend, against protests from everyone except Reyes.
He, at least, knew her well enough to understand this was something she had to do. She wanted to be close to her, to hug her, to literally be there for her.
Parrish wanted her to wear dark sunglasses because of her concussion, though, honestly, the effects of it weren’t nearly as bad today. Madison had given her a puffer coat to wear, so she wasn’t cold. And with Cade and Sterling trailing them, she wasn’t too nervous, either.
Reyes was in full-blown protector mode, meaning he constantly scanned their surroundings without talking much.
Little by little, Kennedy was starting to grasp the complexities of their operation and how they all worked together, complementing each other’s efforts, giving physical and emotional support wherever needed.
That morning, before she’d even made it out of Reyes’s suite, Cade had gotten the window on the truck fixed. Soon as she and Reyes had joined the others in the kitchen for a light breakfast, Madison presented new info she’d uncovered, specifically locating a few small-time thugs with a past association to Golly. They were still local, therefore it stood to reason that they might be working with Golly again.
They’d decided it was worth checking into, and another two hours were spent going over the names, records and current residences of each of them. It was a thorough discussion, with all possibilities covered.
The process had kept Kennedy enthralled.
Reyes’s family was a unit, and she admired that.
Though Madison had her information perfectly organized, she didn’t seem as chipper as usual. Kennedy would bet it had something to do with the detective, but since no one else mentioned Crosby, she didn’t, either.
She’d sat beside Reyes, of course, and when Madison passed him full color images that she’d printed of the thugs, Kennedy was shocked to recognize one of them.
“It’s him.”
All eyes turned to her. “Him, who?” Reyes asked.
“The man who was on my balcony. Remember, I told you about him?”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She’d never forget that face, not after the way he’d terrified her.
Briefly Reyes explained about the incident that took place before the fire. “The police thought it was an attempted break-in, but Kennedy never bought that.”
“Not with the way he stood there smiling at me.” The memory disturbed her all over again, and she muttered, “I had my gun, but was too frozen to do anything other than aim at him.”
Sterling grinned. “Likely that was enough.”
“Given you have a history with him, that almost guarantees he’s tied to Golly,” Parrish decreed. “Which also casts suspicion on any close associates of his.”
“I’m on it,” Madison had promised. “I’ll have more by the end of the day.”
Now in Reyes’s truck with the afternoon sunlight reflecting through the newly replaced window, she was glad Parrish had provided the glasses. They served the dual purpose of protecting her eyes from the glare and shielding her tumultuous thoughts from his discerning gaze. Not that she wanted to keep anything from him, but with him so attuned to their surroundings, she didn’t want to distract him, either.
As if he’d just read her mind, he asked, “Doing okay?” without glancing at her.
She accepted that nothing much got past Reyes. “Much better today, thank you.”
“Headache?”
“Not too bad.” She looked at the bruise on his forehead. “You?”
“A-okay, babe. Like Dad said, I have a hard head.” He took an exit to an industrial area.
Kennedy saw numerous restaurants, stores and a convention center. A few miles down he pulled into his father’s hotel, which really was swanky with elaborate grounds now glistening under the white snow.
Driving around a small, ornamental lake, Reyes parked in a private-access garage. Her tension grew as they entered through a heavy door with a biometric lock.
“You weren’t kidding about the security.”
“No one other than my family accesses this part of the garage or building.” With his hand at the small of her back, he steered her into a private elevator. “Nervous?”
“Anxious about seeing Jodi,” she admitted. With Reyes she felt comfortable sharing her worries, so as the elevator climbed, she didn’t hold back. “She’s unpredictable. I don’t know how she’s going to react to everything.”
“We’ll figure it out, I promise.”
We. It truly felt like they were partners in this. Having Reyes at her side meant more than she could ever express to him. She’d gotten used to going it alone...and now she didn’t have to.
He saw his generosity as no big deal. To Kennedy, it was the greatest gift she’d ever been given, and was far more than she’d ever dared to hope for.
“I don’t want to startle her,” Kennedy said, getting out her phone. “I told her I’d text when we were here.” She sent the message as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. Then she gazed around in awe. They were in a big foyer of sorts that ran the length of a long hall. Windows at one end overlooked the parking lot and main road.
She saw only one door, meaning this entire space was for the suite they’d given Jodi? Remarkable.
When the door opened and Kennedy got a look at Jodi, her stomach plummeted.
Her friend looked like a shadow of herself. Had she slept at all? Eaten? Combed her hair? She’d been afraid of this, and now she was doubly glad she’d come to see her in person rather than just calling or doing a video chat.
“Hey,” Jodi said, her tone so sullen it bordered on antagonistic.
At the moment, none of that mattered. Kennedy was so glad to see her, pugnacious attitude and all, she grabbed her up in a spontaneous hug.
Predictably, Jodi went stiff.
That didn’t matter, either. “Oh, it’s good to see you, to know that you weren’t hurt in the scuffle.” To know she hadn’t found a way to sneak out on her own. Of course the McKenzies had all assured her on that score, but hearing it and seeing it were two different things.
Jodi huffed. “Would have been tough for me to get hurt when your ape was busy ripping them all apart.”
“I didn’t rip,” Reyes jokingly protested. “I demolished. There’s a difference.”