Blame shifting. Shane knew that was rarely a good sign. “I need to rule everything out.”
“I understand, but my financial life is not part of this.” Tyler twisted the lid off the bottle with a loud crack. “These men are not adding to my bottom line. I don’t get paid by the number of people we expose.”
Tyler seemed determined to make that line of questioning into a dead end. Shane decided to let him. But now the team could rip this guy’s life apart and Shane would not feel one ounce of guilt over it.
“Of course.” He stood up and grabbed the box. “We should head out. It’s been a rough few days.”
Tyler almost looked relieved to know they were leaving. “No kidding.”
Shane waited until the last minute to drop one more bomb. “Are you still staying here, or should we get in touch with you somewhere else?”
“No, here is fine.” Tyler’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
And that really didn’t make sense. The guy had sensitive information stored at his house. No one was supposed to know who he was, and he was desperate to maintain that anonymity. Yet when someone broke in, he didn’t ask for help. He didn’t pull up stakes or, at the very least, move the boxes somewhere else.
For a guy who supposedly felt as if he were in the firing line, he didn’t act like it. He didn’t show much emotion at all except maybe panic.
But Shane had gotten the response he’d expected, so he nodded. Put on his best we’re-all-friends-here smile and headed for the front door. “We’ll talk soon.”
They had gotten out the front door and down the porch steps to the car before Makena whispered under her breath, “What was that about?”
“What do you mean?” No way was Shane answering that while still standing in the middle of danger territory. He’d taken a burner phone to the park as a precaution. He didn’t want his cloned or lost, so he went with a fake one. It was just as likely he could be overheard. He had no idea what toys Tyler possessed, though he did intend to find out.
“Makena?” Tyler called out from the front doorway. “I need to see you on one more work issue.”
Of course he did. So predictable.
Shane nodded in Tyler’s general direction. “He wants you alone.”
“Don’t be so impressed with yourself. You are as transparent as he is.” She leaned in closer. “I know you’re up to something. I can see the wheels turning in your head.”
He would tell her later. Away from here. She’d yell and kick and scream, all while defending Tyler. So long as she didn’t call him a hero, Shane could stomach whatever she said. “And you’re wanted. Better find out why.”
Shane would bet all the cash in his checking account that he knew what the topic of this conversation would be. Tyler had concerns. Tyler needed to talk.
And Shane knew it was about him.
Chapter Thirteen
Makena was not in the mood for a lecture, no matter who delivered it. Shane spent a lot of time giving her his opinion. Last night his words had lightened the guilt that had been weighing her down ever since people started dying in front of her.
Sure, she hadn’t killed anyone and most of the men needed to be stopped, but the situation in the park could have ended differently. Violently. And every drop of blood tied back to her decision to take on her research work for the website. It was a lot to take in and almost more than she could handle. From the look on Tyler’s face, he planned to give her even more to think about.
Tyler gestured for her to join him at the front door then put his back to the walkway and Shane standing twenty feet away by the street. “You doing okay?”
“Sure.” But she knew that wasn’t the question Tyler intended to ask. Not that she planned to make it easy. Nope. If he wanted to pry, he needed to go ahead and do it and risk her wrath if he went too far.
“This guy...”
She had to give him credit for jumping right to it, but her position hadn’t changed. “Yes?”
Tyler shifted his weight from foot to foot. His gaze kept bouncing to the front door as if he expected Shane to come barging in. “How much do you know about him?”
She didn’t need to ask for specifics. She knew Tyler was talking about Shane. “Everything.”
Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
No way was she spelling that out. “I’ve known him for years.”
“Known, as in...” When she just stood there, Tyler’s fidgeting increased. Much more of this and he’d be dancing down the street. “You two aren’t together?”
Interesting phrasing. “Why are you asking?”