doesn’t.”
Xander approached Hunter and held out a hand,
ignoring the other two who were happy to continue their friendly competition.
Hunter shook it with a firm grasp, his expression cool and calculating as
always. “Good to see you.”
Xander would never forget the haunted look in his
friend’s icy blue eyes when he’d introduced himself to Xander the first time. “It’s
been a while, man.”
Hunter nodded. “Want to join in?”
“I’d rather hear about our latest case.”
“I thought you might.” One side of his mouth
tipped into a half-smile. For the leader of their group, that was saying
something. Xander had never gotten the full story out of his friend as to why
he’d started his secret vigilante activities, but whatever had spurred him had
left a deep scar on his psyche. Then again, he supposed they all bore wounds
of some sort.
Hunter led the way into his house. Inside, the
walls were constructed of honeyed pine, bathing the rooms with a rich and
rustic warmth. Xander followed him down to the basement where the five of them
housed the headquarters of their operation. They’d fondly nicknamed it “the
cave”.
Their cave was extremely functional. Half of the
enormous room housed several workstations complete with phones and computers.
A white board occupied a good portion of one wall, along with a large cork
board they used to pin pertinent information if needed. The center of the room
housed a well-stocked bar which provided a nice separation from the leather
sofas and a big-screen TV at the other end. They took their missions seriously,
but there was nothing wrong with taking care of some basic needs from time to
time like drinking beer and watching football.
“I’ve got my notes on the desk over there.”
Xander stopped long enough to pull a cold one out
of the fridge. He twisted off the cap, the beer hissing its approval as he
glanced over the papers and notes scattered across the walnut desk. A glossy
photo of a young woman caught his attention. Long brunette bangs swept above
green eyes alight with happiness while a big grin highlighted pink, glossy lips
and perfect, white teeth. She could be the proverbial girl next door, the kind
of woman a man would want to take home to meet his mama. He hated to think
someone might be taking advantage of her. He lifted the picture. “Who’s she?
Victim?”
Hunter shook his head. “Perp.”
He raised his brows in surprise. “ Really ?”
She was Camden’s daughter? “She doesn’t seem like she’d be capable of
hijacking ten million.” In fact, she didn’t look like she’d be up to stealing
a cup of sugar. Hunter had given him a brief overview of the case when they’d
spoken on the phone, but now that he’d seen his target, he was more than
curious about the rest of the details.
His friend shrugged. “Looks can deceive.”
He was well aware of that. Her father who’d taken
his dad for every last penny hadn’t looked like a back-stabbing, soul-stealing
bastard, either. He’d not only stolen from him and his father, but future
generations of Secrist’s as well. “What makes you so sure she’s guilty? Not
that I’m going to mind sticking it to Camden’s daughter.”
Hunter took the photo from him, studying her with
a hard look. “The evidence is pretty damning. I’ll let Sam fill you in on the
specifics. Basically, video footage that places her at the scene. Her
computer. Her fingerprints. A co-worker who’s willing to testify she joked
around about stealing from the company. Her father was incarcerated for a
similar crime. They may have worked together in the past. Now he’s dead, and
she’s gone solo.”
Xander hardened his spirit against the beautiful
woman. He’d dealt with people like her before, and if she was anything like
her father, she deserved to spend the rest of her life behind bars.
“In addition,” Hunter