Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Mitch only knew of the guy because fifteen years ago, way before he’d ever gotten a job with the Service, he’d been partying it up in Mexico and ran into the guy’s car.
“Are you through?” Brody asked, not looking at the pages and pages Mitch flipped over with no photo of Chavez.
“No! Because I just realized why you take weapons away from your staff at the front desk. Because you know I would have had to shoot someone over all this. Now, I’m done.” Mitch plopped down hard in the seat facing his friend. “I can’t believe you went admin. Doesn’t that suit and tie suck your will to live?”
“No, not at all. And I can see you didn’t feel the need to dress up today. Wait! I think we actually bought that T-shirt together at the Grateful Dead concert in seventy-eight.” Brody leaned back in his black leather chair, a smug grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.
“Har. Har. Har. I wasn’t even born in seventy-eight. You’re an old man if you even remember back that far,” Mitch teased, running his palms over his T-shirt. “And there’s nothing wrong with my shirt.”
“I am an old man. I’ll be forty-five this year. You aren’t so young yourself, you know. Too old to be chasing after everything that walks.” Brody’s smug grin returned.
“Speak for yourself, and I don’t chase everything that walks.” But his friend had him. Brody was right, he wasn’t getting any younger and absolutely went from guy to guy. He’d never admit it to anyone, but on some level, he envied what Brody and his wife had. He saw that same connection in Colt and Jace, but it was such a foreign concept for him.
Mitch’s job demanded all his attention, and most of the guys he slept with couldn’t get past the hours he worked. And he certainly didn’t do clingy, he had no time for that. Maybe that was why he’d accepted the fact he’d remain single. Honestly, he blamed Jace and Colt for that little nagging feeling in his heart that insisted something was missing. Was he lonely? Hell, he didn’t know. Colt and Jace made it look easy, but he knew better. He didn’t have time to deal with all the problems, questions, and baggage, not to mention the work a relationship would bring. His job came first, end of story. It wasn’t a bad thing.
“Listen, Margie and I want to take you to dinner tonight. She was just asking about you not two days ago.” Brody’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“No way am I letting you off so easy. Did I tell you I couldn’t even get a room last night? I’m staying with friends. So I’m taking them to dinner for taking me in at midnight last night. Hell, I should have called and woken you up last night. Would’ve served your sorry ass right,” Mitch declared.
“Are you staying with Colt Michaels?” Brody asked, straightening the papers Mitch had shoved all over his desk. Mitch narrowed his brow at the change in Brody’s tone. He sounded a little curious and as though his mood elevated.
“Yes, how did you know that?” he questioned carefully.
“My son’s been hounding me to get his autograph. He wants his Uncle Mitch to hook him up.” Brody glanced up at him, a big goofy grin plastered across his face.
“Oh my god. You did not just play the kid card?” Mitch shook his head and tried not to smile.
“You know you’re his god-uncle,” Brody chuckled, going in for the kill.
“I am not his god-uncle. I’ve only met the boy once. And I’ll get the autograph if you just shut up.” Mitch ran his hands down his worn jeans and stood. “I’m gonna use a conference room for the next few hours.”
“Sure thing. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about all this,” Brody said, extending a hand to Mitch.
“Yeah, funny, I don’t believe you,” Mitch shot back with a smile and shook the offered hand.
“Don’t let that stop you from doing the right thing for your god-nephew,” Brody retorted. Mitch barked out another laugh as he opened the door. Heads turned from the weekend skeleton crew. He must have been louder in the office than he realized. Mitch ignored them all, heading back to the room he’d used as an office on many occasions throughout the years.
Hours later Mitch sat kicked back in the conference chair, his entire focus trained on the computer screen in front of him. His online gaming buddy and NSA security hacker, Aaron Stuart, had discreetly put together a report of all the known hate groups in the country. Somewhere in investigating four murders and three attempted murders, linked only through the victim’s sexual orientation, he’d narrowed the suspects down to United States citizens. Since gay men were the only known targets so far, they had to be driven by homophobic hate.
What Mitch hadn’t been prepared for was the extensive list of documented groups that opposed homosexuality. There were thousands and thousands of names listed. On the concept of leaving no stone unturned, he took the time to review each potential suspect, whittling down the possibilities. Age, financial ability, and background were the key qualifications as to who went where on the list.
There was a better chance of finding a needle in a haystack, but he was just getting downright desperate at this point.
On a heavy sigh, Mitch pushed away from the desk and stood, stretching out his long limbs. He ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair, then across his chin, agitated as he thought over everything he’d done off the clock and on his own dime to build this case.
He’d gone to each victim’s hometown and interviewed as many of their friends and family as he could find. He’d investigated the crime scenes, gotten all of the police reports, and did everything he knew to do, trying to find how these cases tied together. He called in favors from his partner, Kreed Sinacola, who had gone over every bit of information he could put his hands on. He’d also used Aaron Stuart to gather the information he couldn’t obtain easily on his own. Between Kreed’s gut and Aaron’s amazing hacking skills, this case should have come together easier, but it hadn’t, proving the person behind these acts was very well-trained and well-funded.