shame.
The walk back was met with silence, but there had been something bothering Ryland about this new team member of CSA. He’d just been about to walk up the wooden stairs to the large deck when it dawned on him. He set his hand on the banister and waited for Townes to close the distance. He stopped at twenty feet.
“Calvert.” Ryland waited for a reply, but Townes remained silent and continued to watch him closely. “Your brother was Demri Calvert. I’m assuming Crest knows?”
Ryland was honestly surprised by this man’s restraint. It had been nothing personal, but Demri Calvert was the man who’d been in Travis Bowers’ grave for years before the exhumation that Taryn had managed to get sanctioned to prove that the teenage boy hadn’t died. Demri had been stationed alongside Travis and unfortunately had discovered the nefarious dealings he’d been into with the local black market. Ryland had disposed of the threat and shortly thereafter had been recruited by the CIA. Demri’s death had been a necessity and nothing more.
“I didn’t take you for a man who assumes anything.”
Ryland studied Townes to gauge his intentions, but there was nothing. What had Crest hoped to gain with his latest acquisition? It wasn’t like the former Marine to let someone else do his dirty work for him, so bringing in Townes to eradicate him wasn’t even taken into consideration.
“I won’t offer up the empty platitudes that Demri didn’t deserve his fate.” This is what Ryland had been trying to convey to Fallon. He had no remorse for killing the young man. It had to be done so he could complete his mission. “It was just business.”
Ryland managed to turn back and walk up the stairs without showing his perplexity at his own thoughts. Demri hadn’t been an assignment. Contracts from the CIA had come afterward. He attributed his wayward thoughts to Fallon.
“Know this,” Townes stated, surprising Ryland before he was able to open one of the French doors to the dining room. “I’m not going to be showing you my back like my brother.”
Ryland wasn’t about to have such a private conversation in front of Crest, his team, or Fallon. All were looking through the glass doors and waiting for him to enter. It was apparent that something had occurred during his walk and he found he’d rather deal with them than Calvert’s brother. That in itself was unusual and Ryland was becoming irritated with himself.
“Duly noted.” Ryland swung open the door, the warning of what Townes had to say taken under consideration. Ryland’s reception wasn’t a warm welcoming from the looks on the faces waiting for him at the dining room table, but it was more than evident they needed him for something. “Lunch anyone? I’m rather hungry after all that fresh air.”
“Dane Moza.” Crest pushed another file over to join the thicker one that Fallon had requested he look at earlier.
“Smart. Cunning. Capable.” Ryland removed his suit jacket and walked over to the corner of the room where a beautiful period coatrack was positioned in the corner. It reminded him of the one in Crest’s office, only this had less lumber in it. He ignored the unpleasant looks he received regarding the Kimber .45 ACP in his Miami Rig holster with two spare magazines and jackass straps to keep everything in place. He turned around and took a seat on the far end of the table, away from everyone where he could keep an eye on them. “He timed his retirement just right and has managed to stay off the grid to escape the contracts placed on his head by the DGSE, among others. I personally didn’t take that one due to my previous relationship with the man.”
“So you did work with him,” Fallon asked, leaning forward and tapping her pen against the papers in front of her. She’d changed out of her black pantsuit and into a casual pair of jeans and an oversized cream knit sweater that made her appear years younger. She’d also pinned her hair up;
The walk back was met with silence, but there had been something bothering Ryland about this new team member of CSA. He’d just been about to walk up the wooden stairs to the large deck when it dawned on him. He set his hand on the banister and waited for Townes to close the distance. He stopped at twenty feet.
“Calvert.” Ryland waited for a reply, but Townes remained silent and continued to watch him closely. “Your brother was Demri Calvert. I’m assuming Crest knows?”
Ryland was honestly surprised by this man’s restraint. It had been nothing personal, but Demri Calvert was the man who’d been in Travis Bowers’ grave for years before the exhumation that Taryn had managed to get sanctioned to prove that the teenage boy hadn’t died. Demri had been stationed alongside Travis and unfortunately had discovered the nefarious dealings he’d been into with the local black market. Ryland had disposed of the threat and shortly thereafter had been recruited by the CIA. Demri’s death had been a necessity and nothing more.
“I didn’t take you for a man who assumes anything.”
Ryland studied Townes to gauge his intentions, but there was nothing. What had Crest hoped to gain with his latest acquisition? It wasn’t like the former Marine to let someone else do his dirty work for him, so bringing in Townes to eradicate him wasn’t even taken into consideration.
“I won’t offer up the empty platitudes that Demri didn’t deserve his fate.” This is what Ryland had been trying to convey to Fallon. He had no remorse for killing the young man. It had to be done so he could complete his mission. “It was just business.”
Ryland managed to turn back and walk up the stairs without showing his perplexity at his own thoughts. Demri hadn’t been an assignment. Contracts from the CIA had come afterward. He attributed his wayward thoughts to Fallon.
“Know this,” Townes stated, surprising Ryland before he was able to open one of the French doors to the dining room. “I’m not going to be showing you my back like my brother.”
Ryland wasn’t about to have such a private conversation in front of Crest, his team, or Fallon. All were looking through the glass doors and waiting for him to enter. It was apparent that something had occurred during his walk and he found he’d rather deal with them than Calvert’s brother. That in itself was unusual and Ryland was becoming irritated with himself.
“Duly noted.” Ryland swung open the door, the warning of what Townes had to say taken under consideration. Ryland’s reception wasn’t a warm welcoming from the looks on the faces waiting for him at the dining room table, but it was more than evident they needed him for something. “Lunch anyone? I’m rather hungry after all that fresh air.”
“Dane Moza.” Crest pushed another file over to join the thicker one that Fallon had requested he look at earlier.
“Smart. Cunning. Capable.” Ryland removed his suit jacket and walked over to the corner of the room where a beautiful period coatrack was positioned in the corner. It reminded him of the one in Crest’s office, only this had less lumber in it. He ignored the unpleasant looks he received regarding the Kimber .45 ACP in his Miami Rig holster with two spare magazines and jackass straps to keep everything in place. He turned around and took a seat on the far end of the table, away from everyone where he could keep an eye on them. “He timed his retirement just right and has managed to stay off the grid to escape the contracts placed on his head by the DGSE, among others. I personally didn’t take that one due to my previous relationship with the man.”
“So you did work with him,” Fallon asked, leaning forward and tapping her pen against the papers in front of her. She’d changed out of her black pantsuit and into a casual pair of jeans and an oversized cream knit sweater that made her appear years younger. She’d also pinned her hair up;
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