Hunt and Prey (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 8) by Kaylie Hunter (novels to read for beginners txt) 📕

offended. “It’s a start. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will recognize him.”

Bones snorted, taking the picture. “Not likely. You couldn’t get a photo without the sunglasses?”

“I was told he always wore them when he was there, which wasn’t often.”

“Makes me wonder,” Wild Card said, taking the picture and studying it. “Kid, can you think of a reason why someone would wear sunglasses inside a building with security cameras?”

The lightbulb snapped on. I grinned over at Wild Card. “He’s hiding from facial recognition software.”

“That’d be my guess,” Wild Card said as he used his phone to take a picture of the photo. He texted it to someone.

“I don’t understand. What am I missing?” Spence asked.

“Feds,” Bones said. “No one wears sunglasses indoors unless they’re hiding from the Feds and don’t want recognition software to ID them.”

“That’s a bit over the top. Most of that stuff is make believe TV crap.” He looked at each of us. “Right?”

I shook my head. “It’s out there. My niece programmed recognition software for a retail store. It’s a real thing. You bet your backside the Feds are using it.”

Wild Card’s phone rang. He answered, replied a few words, then hung up. “Maggie says she needs the picture scanned. Then she’ll have Genie run it through the Fed database, but she doubts it will work based on the quality of the photo.”

“Who’s Maggie?” Spence asked.

“Fed. But also a friend of the family,” Bones answered.

“Mind blown,” Spence said as he gathered up his Styrofoam container and plastic silverware. “Well, it’s been fun, but I have two adultery cases and a corner store register that keeps coming up short. And when I clear those, I’ve got three new cases waiting.”

“Don’t forget to bill me,” I told him as I stood. “And that includes your hours babysitting me yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Spence, she’s loaded,” Bones said. “And she knows the difference between friendship and business. She doesn’t expect you to do the work and not get paid, man. That’s not how she rolls.”

“Yeah. What he said.” I smiled over at Spence as he threw his trash away.

“Okay. I’ll bill you for the background work, but I’m not billing you for the night at the gas station. Beast and I volunteered to ride along because we were worried about you.”

I pointed my thumb over my shoulder at Wild Card and Bones. “How’s that any different than the security jobs these guys do?”

“It just is,” Spence said as he walked away.

“Man,” Bones said on a chuckle. “He’s got it bad for you.”

“Poor guy,” Wild Card said.

I sucker punched him in the arm.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

KELSEY

Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.

Parked half a block away on the opposite side of the street, Ryan and I sat in the car observing the construction crew at the dentist office. We were only forty-five minutes into the surveillance and I was already bored. Trigger at least was able to walk around. He’d circled past the building twice already, meandering around the block.

I was beginning to wish Trigger had stayed in the car with me instead of Ryan. Ryan seldom spoke unless it was job specific or when his wife was around. He wasn’t the most ideal partner on a stakeout. So far into my many attempts to initiate conversation, he’d answered yes twice and no once. Still… His short, clipped answers were better than the times he just glared at me without answering.

I was beginning to think he had two personalities: One for his wife Tweedle. And one for the rest of the human race.

“Did you see that?” Ryan asked, breaking the silence so suddenly that I jumped in my seat.

My barely warm coffee slopped, covering my hand. “Damn it. You made me spill my coffee.”

I set the cup in the holder and took the napkin Ryan handed me, his attention still focused intensely on something across the street.

“What did you see? The guy carrying boxes inside?”

“No. I saw Trigger cut behind the building into the alley.”

“He’s fine.”

“How are we supposed to know if he needs help?”

“When Trigger gets himself into a mess, you can see it a mile away.”

Ryan glared sideways at me.

I rolled my eyes and pointed to my ear. “I’ll know if he needs help.”

“You have an earpiece?”

“Yes.” I decided to answer him with a one-word answer to see how he liked it.

“Mind sharing?”

“No.” I picked up my cup and took another drink. I waited until I saw anger overtaking his normal, annoyed expression. Laughing, I grabbed another earpiece from my bag. “You’re going to regret asking for this.”

Ryan secured the mic in his ear and then looked at me. “What’s he doing?”

I smirked. “He likes to sing. But he’s really bad at it.”

“He sounds like a dying pig.”

“Why do you think I’ve been trying to engage you in conversation?” I said, throwing my hands up. “Has anyone ever told you your social skills are horrendous?”

One corner of Ryan’s lips curved up a fraction. Just a fraction. It quickly morphed into a scowl when he asked, “What’s that clunking noise?”

“That’s the sound of Trigger doing something stupid.”

“Meaning?”

“He’s climbing on top of something, probably a dumpster. He likely spotted a way to sneak inside.”

“But it’s daytime. And there’s people—everywhere.”

“Yup.” I shrugged. “I know. But that’s how Trigger rolls.”

“Aren’t you going to stop him? It’s a two-way earpiece.”

“Ordering him to stop wouldn’t do any good. He’d say ‘okay’, but still do it.”

Ryan’s eyebrow shot upward. “And you haven’t fired him yet?”

“I punish him in other ways. Like the last time he got arrested, I let him sit in jail for two days before I sent someone to fix it. He behaved for almost a week after that.”

“Why do you