Operation Alpha. Justine Davis
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу Operation Alpha - Justine Davis страница 7
Название: Operation Alpha
Автор: Justine Davis
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Romantic Suspense
isbn: 9781474062961
isbn:
“Not a trace,” Liam assured her.
Quinn went on then, asking about any new friends Dylan might now be hanging around with that he hadn’t before.
“None at school at least,” Emily said with assurance. “Cove Academy is small, I’d have noticed.”
“We’ll have to see about elsewhere, then,” Quinn said briskly.
“Dylan’s good with tech stuff,” Ria said with a quick glance at Liam that felt oddly as if she were sneaking a peek at something tempting but forbidden. “And math. But he does—or did—well in English, too. He won a state prize last term for an essay he wrote.” Her mouth tightened. “His mother died the same day it was announced. He never even went to get it.”
“Does he drive?” Liam asked.
“He doesn’t have his license yet, just his permit,” Emily said.
“So no car?”
Emily frowned. “No. He thought he would get his mom’s car, after, but his dad got rid of it.” The frown deepened. “Practically gave it away, Dylan said. He was really upset.”
“His father was grieving, too,” Ria said. “Maybe he couldn’t bear to see it.”
“I get that, but he should have thought how Dylan would feel, too.”
“Clear thinking and grieving don’t always go together,” Liam said. “Sometimes they fight each other so hard neither wins, but you lose.”
Ria drew back slightly. That had been an almost lyrical way of putting it. And she saw by Emily’s expression that he had reached her. Slowly the girl nodded.
“So what do we do?” Liam asked, looking at his boss.
“Computers, martial arts, a stranger,” Quinn said, summing up the discussion as he looked at Liam. “I think you may need to go back to school.”
“What?” Liam looked so startled Ria almost laughed.
“We’ll think of a good cover. Ria will help, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” she said, barely masking her amusement at his reaction.
Then she realized that this meant she would now apparently have Liam Burnett in her world. Up close and personal.
And that was a lot more unsettling than funny.
Liam caught himself, realized he’d once more been staring at his laptop screen without seeing a thing. This was at least the third time since he’d come upstairs to begin this session that his mind had drifted off task and started wandering through the underbrush.
“How’s it coming?”
He managed not to jump when Hayley spoke from barely three feet behind him. He had no idea how long she’d been in the room. Talk about woolgathering, as his grandmother always used to say.
“It’s coming,” he said cautiously. “I have the basics. Dylan used to be semi-active on social media, even after a break when his mother died, but faded out over the summer.”
“That fits. Withdrawing.”
He nodded. “No real official, cop-type trouble that I could find.”
“Quinn called Brett, so he’s checking that for us,” she said.
He nodded and went on. “Friends are pretty typical. Lots of selfies and talking to each other. A couple of mentions of him but mostly asking where he is or if he’s coming somewhere. Then, later, a couple more mad because he didn’t show up somewhere he was supposed to.”
“Progression,” Hayley said.
Liam nodded. “Emily asked about him, as well, a couple of times, but she apparently isn’t much for yammering on social media.”
“I’m not surprised. Ria said she was focused more on her studies.”
She had? He didn’t remember that.
Probably because you were too busy trying not to stare at her. You’d better start thinking of her as Emily’s teacher, nothing more.
He made himself focus and continued. “When she does post something, it’s usually not fluff. Serious stuff. She’s big into animal welfare, supporting the local shelter, that kind of thing.”
“Speaking of which,” Hayley said, “Cutter’s stuff is ready.”
He blinked. “What?”
“His go bag. You can keep it in your truck for when he’s with you. And if you need to take him home with you, we’ve cleared it with your apartment manager.” Liam stared at her, brow furrowed. Hayley tilted her head. “He’s going with you, remember?”
“He is?”
She drew back slightly, looking concerned. “Do you not remember that discussion?”
He flushed because the only answer was no. He didn’t remember much after Quinn had said he was going to school. Ria Connelly’s school.
He snapped his gaze back to his laptop before she could read anything in his expression. “Must have zoned out. Sorry.”
“Hmm.” Hayley didn’t say anything more, but then she wouldn’t. She explained patiently, “You’re taking him because Emily said Dylan really likes dogs, but his dad would never let him have one.”
He seized on the mention of Dylan’s father to get past the awkward moment.
“Haven’t found much on Dad in the public record. A couple of traffic tickets and one road rage incident that was mentioned in a police activity blog, but I don’t know yet if he was the aggressor.”
“Brett will find that out for us,” Hayley said. “When?”
“Since his wife’s death,” Liam said, confirming what he knew she suspected. “Before that, he seems squeaky clean.”
“So those incidents could be grief messing with his judgment.”
“Could be,” he agreed and went on. “He has no social accounts. In fact, he doesn’t have an online presence at all that I can find.”
“Emily did say that Dylan says his father’s a bit of a technophobe. Doesn’t even have a smartphone.”
“You still usually end up somewhere, via somebody else, friend or job, something. But I haven’t dug deep yet. Professional sites, checking for fake names or profiles with the same IP, all that.”
“If СКАЧАТЬ