That Summer Night (Callaways #6) (11 page)

Reid glanced at the pad he'd tossed onto the couch, knowing that there had to be a clue in there that he was missing. But rather than spend the rest of the day on that, he was going to take a more proactive approach.

Turning off his computer, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

As he drove back across the Golden Gate Bridge, he realized that today was the first day in months where he actually had something he needed to do, something that didn't involve seeing a doctor or struggling through a painful rehab session. Today, his focus wasn't on himself, and it felt good to get out of his own head.

Kelton Security was located in a three story brick building in a newly renovated area south of Market Street in San Francisco near the Embarcadero and the baseball stadium. There was no sign on the door; no indication of what kind of business took place behind the door.

Reid pushed the doorbell, gave his name, and a moment later was buzzed into the lobby. The interior was much more welcoming than the outside with hardwood floors, soft lighting, paintings on the wall and a narrow desk at which sat a young woman in her early twenties. She gave him a smile and told him that Mr. Kelton would be down to get him in a moment.

The idea that Matt was Mr. Kelton to this young woman made Reid feel old. It also reminded him how much Mr. Kelton had probably changed since he was Lieutenant Kelton.

Matt had left the service four years ago, and he'd definitely made a life for himself outside of the Army. That life appeared to be fairly successful, if not a little pretentious Reid thought as he stared at a painting that was probably very expensive and incredibly meaningful. All he saw was smeared lines and colors that reminded him of a chaotic mess, which in a strange way resonated within him. His life felt a little like that red, blue and orange blob of dashing paint strokes and blurry lines. The longer he looked at the picture the more he felt like he was looking inside his head, which was a disturbing thought.

He'd always considered himself to be clear-minded, focused, determined…not really so different from his brother in some ways. But that had been before his leg had been blown apart. Still, it was only his leg that had been injured, so why was his head so screwed up?

Before he could come up with an answer, the elevator doors opened, and Matt stepped off. He wore jeans and a light blue button-down shirt. There was an eager light in Matt's brown eyes, and Reid had a feeling a sales pitch was coming, but he wasn't here to get a job but rather to give one.

"I cannot believe it," Matt said, slapping him on the shoulder. "I figured you needed at least another month to come to your senses and agree to work with me."

Reid immediately held up a hand. "Don't get excited. I'm not here about your offer. I need some help."

"With what?"

"Robert."

"That's the last name I expected to come out of your mouth."

"And yet it did."

Matt met his gaze, then nodded. "All right. Let's go up to my office." As they walked toward the elevator, he added, "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"No, I'm good."

The elevator took them to the top floor. The doors opened onto a luxurious space of glass-walled offices, colorful throw rugs warming up the wood floors, and even a pool table in one corner. He could see a couple of individuals in one of the conference rooms, a presentation of some sort in progress.

Matt led him into the executive office, which was more impressive. A massive oak desk sat in front of a floor to ceiling wall of windows overlooking the San Francisco Bay. A flat screen TV hung on one wall with a security bank of smaller monitors on the other wall.

Matt waved him toward the sitting area, which was comprised of a couch, two chairs and a glass coffee table. "Have a seat."

"Thanks. You've done well for yourself, Kelton."

Matt gave him a smug smile. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I can give you the tour later if you want. You'll see more than a few familiar faces. The United States Army provided a great pool of talent for me to pick from."

"And all trained on Uncle Sam's dime," he drawled.

"You know it," Matt returned. "But we also provide training. We're now working on some of the most advanced technology systems in the world."

"I guess this isn't the bodyguard business."

"It can be at times, but it's a lot more than that. We've got our fingers in a lot of pies all around the world."

Reid stared at the man he'd known since he was nineteen years old. Matt had always been smart and aggressive and good at his job, but he'd never been rich. "Who bankrolled all this?"

"My father," Matt said, the humor fading from his eyes.

Reid frowned. "I thought your dad was out of the picture."

"Oh, he was, until he died. Then I got a letter and a big fat guilt check."

"Must have been really big."

"Yeah, it turns out dear old dad was a loser father but a brilliant businessman. I thought about ripping up the check. But my mom told me I should spend every cent of it on something that would make me happy, that my father owed me that. So, Kelton Security was born."

Despite the bravado in Matt's tone, Reid suspected that his friend had gone through a lot more emotional upheaval than his words indicated. But he'd never been one to pry into someone's life. If Matt wanted him to know something, he'd tell him.

"So what can I do for you?" Matt asked.

"I need a favor."

"You don't ask for favors."

"I don’t have a choice. I don't have access to the resources I used to have, but you do."

"Actually, I have resources beyond what you used to have," Matt said with an arrogance that made Reid laugh.

He and Matt had always competed with each other. In the old days, he'd usually won those competitions, but that was the old days. He shrugged off the past. He needed to stay in the present. "Great, then my favor won't be a problem."

"What do you need? You said it had something to do with Robert?"

"Yes. My brother was running a clinical drug trial in Colombia. Last week there was an attack on the clinic. All of the medical personnel were evacuated with the exception of Robert, who went missing."

"And you want me to find him?"

"No, I've got that covered, I think."

"So, he's not missing?"

"I think he's hiding," Reid answered. "He wants my help, but before I agree to give it, I need to know what he's involved in."

"Do you have any theories?"

"Unfortunately, no. This was all brought to my attention last night. So I'm still working in the dark." He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "What I do know is this: Robert works for Abbott Pharmaceuticals. They have been funding his research for years, including his most recent project, which involves a possible miracle-making drug for Alzheimer's. The trial in Colombia involved a genetic cluster of Alzheimer cases. After the raid on the clinic, much of the data from the trial was lost, so the trial will need to be restarted or run somewhere else. Whether that has anything to do with Robert's disappearance I don't know. It could be something else entirely, but my gut tells me that the events are connected."

"Anything else?"

"I know that both the FBI and the State Department have sent agents to talk to the people on the medical team that returned from Colombia. Their questions were focused on Robert and his whereabouts."

Matt nodded. "And you want to know what their interest is in your brother?"

"Besides the obvious fact that no one seems to know where he is."

"I have some contacts in both agencies."

"Good."

"But first I have to ask you something," Matt said.

Reid knew what was coming, but he managed a nod. "Go ahead."

"Why the hell would you want to help your brother after what he did to you?" Matt waved a disbelieving hand in the air.

"I've been asking myself the same thing," he admitted. "I haven't come up with an answer, but I'm thinking that maybe once I know what's really going on with him, I'll know what I have to do."

"I think you should leave him to rot in whatever hole he's crawled into."

Reid wasn't surprised by Matt's attitude. Matt had been one of the ushers in his ill-fated wedding. He'd seen the destruction first hand.

"I may still do that," he said. "It depends on what you find out."

"Is this request coming from your parents? Are they pulling some family guilt trip on you?"

"No. I'm not sure what they know. I haven't spoken to them in years."

Matt stared back at him. "Really?"

"Really," he echoed.

"Then was it Lisa who asked you to help?"

"No, it wasn't Lisa," he said. "Apparently, she and Robert divorced a year ago."

"Divorced, huh? Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Lisa didn't have a long attention span when it came to men. Sorry if that's too brutal."

"It's the truth," he said with a shrug.

"So if it wasn't Lisa or your parents who asked, then who was it?"

"That's not important," he replied, wanting to keep Shayla's name out of it. "Can you help me or not?"

"I can help."

"I'll pay you for your time."

"Don't worry about that. I'll collect when you come to work for me."

"That might be never."

Matt smiled. "Yesterday I would have believed that. Today, I'm not so sure. You look a lot different than you did last night in the bar. It's amazing what twenty-four hours can do to a man."

He couldn't argue with that. Shayla had certainly turned his life upside down. He got to his feet. "You still have my number?"

"Of course. And even if I didn't, I could find you. I'm that good."

"You were never short on confidence."

"Neither were you, Becker." Matt stood up to face him. "I know this isn't the Army, but we're doing some good things. We're making a difference and we're playing by our own rules. That has to appeal to you."

"I'll think about it. That's all I can say right now."

"I'll take it." Matt walked him to the door. "While I'm not thrilled about helping your brother, I have to say that I'm glad Robert got you off your favorite bar stool."

He smiled. "It wasn't Robert; it was a beautiful blonde."

Matt grinned, a gleam in his eyes. "Ah, now it all makes sense. What's her name?"

"That's on a need to know basis. Right now, you don't need to know."

Chapter Nine

"So what's his name?" Emma asked as she zipped Shayla into her bridesmaid's dress in the dressing room of the Beautiful Bride Boutique.

Shayla looked at her older sister's face in the mirror and saw the curious smile in her blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about whoever put the pink back in your cheeks. Yesterday you looked like death. Today, you're practically glowing."

"I'm just hot. When is this heat wave going to break?" She fanned her face with her hand.

"I don't know, but I like it. Summer is my favorite time of the year, and usually it's cold and foggy. But weather aside, I don't think you're telling me the truth, Shay."

"What isn't Shayla telling you?" Nicole asked.

Shayla sighed as her oldest sister stepped up next to her in a matching gold strapless cocktail dress.

"I asked her if there's a guy in her life, and she's avoiding the question," Emma said.

"Is it that doctor you're always talking about? The one you went to study under in Colombia?" Nicole asked.

"Study under? Is that what they call it these days?" Emma joked.

Shayla frowned at both of her sisters. Apparently, the gossip about her and Robert had extended beyond the hospital to her own family. "I am not involved with Robert, and there is no guy," she said, even as images of Reid's penetrating green eyes flashed through her head. But Reid was just… She couldn't finish that sentence, so instead she said, "I'm too busy to date."

"You've been saying that for years," Emma said.

"Well, that's how long I've been busy," she returned with annoyance. She loved her sisters, but she was not like Emma or Nicole. She wasn't good at relationships. And it wasn't just due to lack of time; she'd always been socially awkward. It had been difficult to fit in with kids so much older than she was, so was it any real surprise that she'd spent more time with her books than with actual people?

"Relax Shayla, I'm teasing you." Emma gave her an apologetic smile. "I know how hard you've been working the last few years, and I admire and respect you so much."

"Me, too," Nicole said.

"Thank you."

Another female appeared in the mirror, her sister-in-law, Sara, whose dark brown hair stood out in the sea of blondes. Sara was married to her brother, Aiden, and the mother of a nine-month-old daughter, Chloe. Sara had grown up next door and had been best friends with Emma since they were in elementary school, so Sara had felt like a sister to Shayla for far longer than she'd actually been one.

"What are you giving Shayla a hard time about?" Sara asked, a curious light in her brown eyes.

"My lack of a love life is very disturbing to my sisters," Shayla answered.

"Well, they have to live vicariously through someone. And you're the only one left," Sara said.

"Another reminder that my shelf date is close to expiring," she said dryly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sara said. "You have lots of time to have everything you want. I know how difficult it is to juggle school and men. I don't think I had more than one date the entire time I was in law school."

"It is difficult. Men have always been a distraction I couldn't afford." Her mind returned to Reid, her lips tingling at the memories of their kiss. Since he'd left her apartment, she'd actually found herself missing him, which was crazy, since she'd only met him the night before. Maybe her sisters were right. Maybe she needed to get out more.

"We look good," Sara said, drawing Shayla's attention back to the full-length mirror.

"We do look good," Emma echoed. "But where is Jessica?"

"She had to work," Nicole said, referring to their brother Sean's girlfriend. "One of her teachers called in sick, and she didn't want to cancel classes. The dance studio is starting to take off, and she wants to keep it going. She already has her dress, and it fits perfectly, so all is good."