They couldn’t see Tony’s house from this position, but it sat around the corner. As Joel would expect, Tony had bought the house at the end of the cul-de-sac on a double lot. From the pictures, with the white columns and three stories, the sprawling place looked big enough to be a school.
Joel grabbed his Kevlar vest out of the backseat of the truck. Concentrating on the straps and his weapon, he tried to push Hope’s face out of his head. The pale cheeks and sunken eyes filled with pain.
He had done that. He had put her there.
He’d seen her cry exactly twice in all their time together. Both times he caught a glimpse as he walked out the door, never intending to return. Both times, the devastated look rammed into his gut until he moved his hand and checked for blood.
The first time nearly killed him. He feared this time would finish the job.
He tried to focus on the task in front of them—Tony. Finishing this off was the last thing Joel could do for her. Guarantee her safety.
Then he had to walk away. No checking up. No coming back. No answering her father’s calls. Any contact resulted in wounds and the bleeding didn’t stop.
“Tell me again about the intel.” When neither Cam nor Connor answered, Joel glanced up. The concern was right there on their faces. He hated that, too. “Well?”
Cam held his gun in front of him, but instead of a weapons check, he stared. “You okay?”
More like smashed in little pieces. “I just want to run through the plan one more time.”
Connor shut the driver’s side door of the truck. “We’ve had eyes on the house.”
Because there were exactly three of them in town, Joel didn’t know what that meant. “Who?”
“Davis and Ben rigged something from back at headquarters using security cameras and I have no idea what else.”
Joel did. He knew because he had created the program that snaked into private systems and everywhere else it shouldn’t be. “Trade secrets.”
Cam frowned. “What?”
“That’s the name of my program. Ben’s been helping me with the design and implementation.” The guy’s tech background proved helpful. He claimed to have limited knowledge, but combining their interests had created something with great promise in the field of surveillance.
“That’s likely it then.” Connor took out his cell and showed them a photo of the house one last time. With another swipe of his finger, he brought up the schematics and blueprints they’d all memorized, complete with a security system overlay. “Charlie came in about a half hour ago. The security system has been off since.”
“He went in through the front door?” That struck Joel as something partners might do. Seemed they finally connected the dots on who had set the whole camp scene up and why.
“Only after making a lot of racket,” Cam said.
Connor shook his head. “Tony might have had some concern he was coming because the wife left hours ago and hasn’t been back. I’m guessing he sent her away.”
Two men. A big house. Corcoran in control of the security system. Joel liked the odds and, because he hadn’t liked a damn thing all day, it was a relief to stumble into some good news now. “What’s the plan?”
Connor leaned against the truck’s hood as his gaze toured Joel’s face. Whatever Connor saw made him scowl. “What happened yesterday that has you snapping and stewing?”
No way could Joel handle this now. He doubted he could handle it a year from now. “Nothing.”
Connor didn’t let it go. “We need your head in this.”
“It is.” Joel vowed to close off his feelings and concentrate on the task at hand.
He knew all too well how to block his emotions. He’d call on those long-ago learned skills and drag them out now. Maybe they’d finally be good for something other than destroying his life.
Cam exhaled. “Hope—”
“Is not a topic I’m going to discuss.” Shutting the conversation down, not mentioning her name, was the only way to get through this.
Cam and Connor exchanged glances, but Cam was the one to speak up. “I guess we have our answer.”
With a click Connor set his gun down on the hood. “We can stand down and—”
“I want this guy. Both of them.” This much he could do. Joel would not leave until the job was done. Then he could slink back to Annapolis and figure out how to regroup. “It’s the only way I’ll know she’s safe.”
“Then you’ll leave her again.” Cam’s eyebrows lifted in question. “Right? That’s what you’re saying.”
“Last time.” Connor put a hand on Joel’s shoulder. “Are you in a place to help us? Cam and I can go in and Davis can book it up here. At this time of night it won’t take long to drive back from Annapolis. We can go back to the hotel and—”