Free Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 by Brynette L. Turner Page A

be able to keep an
eye on Brian, or the other technician, Sydney, even though he didn’t get mixed
vibes from her. The upper room did, however, have a door that locked.
    Chaz closed the door behind him, rolled
his neck, and took his gun from its belt holster. He set it on top of the
nightstand before changing into lightweight sweat pants and a t-shirt. When on
assignments, he never remained unclothed enough where he couldn’t go out at a
moment’s notice. After a quick routine in the bathroom, he stretched out on the
bed and sent a message to Stephanie.
    Chaz: Tell me
    Stephanie: Started about 15
minutes ago. Tension in my neck. Nausea. Hard breathing. Sensed distrust,
anger, curiosity.
    Chaz: Thanks. Helps me to narrow
suspicions. How are you now?
    Stephanie: Calm. Tired.
    Chaz: Get some rest. Talk at
lunchtime tomorrow?
    Stephanie: Sure. If you can
handle it.
    Chaz: Very funny
    Stephanie: Goodnight
    Chaz: Sleep well
    Chaz’s mind was filled with
possible reasons for Stephanie’s feelings as he pulled a small notepad from beneath
the bottom nightstand drawer. He recorded the time and details of his
conversation with Stephanie as well as notes about what had transpired before
her text. Then, he erased all messages from his phone and returned the log to
its hiding place. Tomorrow, he’d make the technicians change shifts so that he
didn’t have to worry about needing to sleep while Brian was in the suite. He’d
take his chances with Sydney, the daytime tech, during the night.
    Before he fell asleep, Chaz’s mind
contemplated ways to set a trap to discover whether his suspicions about the
surveillance specialist were correct. Of course they were: Stephanie’s timing
clarified that.  He simply needed to know what to do about it.
     
    ~
~ ~ ~ ~
     
    Chaz sent an encrypted email to Roy
that next morning giving him status on the assignment, attaching a photo of the
mystery woman Austin had seen and requesting an inquiry into her identity, and
discussing the possibility of Brian Pleasant not being the best match for this
case. He immediately got a text from his supervisor saying: Get to secure
location. Call me.
    By secure, Roy meant get to a
location far enough away where Chaz could talk without the call being overheard
or monitored electronically by Brian. They weren’t concerned with the general security
of the phone because of government encryption software that extended to laptops
and cell phones. The tech would need possession of Chaz’s phone to learn
anything he couldn’t physically overhear—and that was not going to happen.
    Roy Gifford listened carefully as
Chaz outlined his suspicions and the steps he was taking. He concurred that if
his team leader felt uncomfortable that he would unquestionably trust Chaz’s
assessment. Roy would personally check into Brian’s work history and personnel
notations as well as speak with the man’s current supervisor to find out as
much as he could about his personality.
    “Hopefully, it’s nothing, but it’s
best to be safe. You won’t be meeting with your team at the safe house, right?”
    “Right. We’re set to check in at a
remote location. Brian overheard the conversation, but I’ll text Austin and
change the place and time. About the woman, I’ll need to know whether she’s
associated with Paul Watkins. I have Brian working on it, but having
corroboration might tell me whether I can trust him. If he’s somehow feeding
information to Watkins’ people, he probably will try to redirect me.”
    “Watkins, huh?” Chaz could almost
see Roy squinting and tapping a finger on his desk. “Be careful. Anything
else?”
    “You might want to check out the
other tech while you’re at it. Sydney Mills. I don’t have a clear read on her
yet. She seems honest, but, like you said, it’s better to be safe.”
    “That all?”
    “For now. I’m headed to Radio Shack
to pick up a cheap camera so we can watch to see whether Brian does anything
unusual with the