Operation Reunion by Justine Davis Page B

knowledge that, in the end, he’d been as wild as he’d made her let her regain some composure.
    When they reached the small airport, the plane set down with a gentle thump that Kayla barely felt. She glanced toward Teague.
    “He’s good,” Hayley said. “And almost as good with the helicopter. Quinn’s been teaching him.”
    “I always wanted to learn to fly,” Dane said, startling Kayla.
    “You never told me that,” she said.
    He glanced at her. “I have. You just weren’t hearing much at the time.”
    His tone was gentle, not accusing, but she felt stung nevertheless. Not by him, but inwardly; if he had indeed told her that, and she had completely missed it, what else had she missed? What else had been lost in the fog of grief and confusion?
    She’d always thought she remembered everything about him, that she knew him better than anyone, that if someone asked her what his hopes, his dreams, his innermost thoughts were, she could tell them.
    Now that confidence was shaken, and she didn’t know how to feel about that.
    It was still nagging at her as the five of them piled into the rental car Hayley had arranged the day before. Teague, as the shortest of the three men at a mere five-eleven, was relegated to the back seat while Quinn drove and Dane took the passenger seat. Hayley teased him gently about it, but Teague’s crooked grin never faltered.
    “Hey, I’m back here with two beautiful ladies—seems like I’m the lucky one,” he said.
    “Just remember who signs your paycheck,” Quinn said in clearly mock warning.
    “Yep,” the irrepressible Teague retorted, “Charlie.”
    Hayley laughed, and the easy camaraderie lightened even Kayla’s mood.
    The town was close by, and it only took a few minutes to reach their destination. Kayla felt her pulse begin to pick up the moment she saw the sign for the game store. It looked like just the sort of place Chad would hang out. And when they stepped into the interior, with rows of the latest in games and equipment, and even a section for fan gear, it felt even more so.
    The man behind the counter glanced at them, then put down the game controller he’d been inspecting. Light gleamed on a smooth, bald scalp fringed by silver hair. So much for the stereotype of gamers all being geeky fan boys, Kayla thought.
    “Help you?”
    “I’m Quinn Foxworth,” Quinn said, holding out a hand. Somewhat to Kayla’s surprise, the man reached out and grasped it without hesitation, and the handshake was welcoming and hearty.
    “I’m Colin Brown. You’re the folks who helped Henry Shigeta,” the man said. “He told me you’d be coming.”
    “Yes.”
    “What you did, that did my heart good,” the man said. “They’d been fighting that bastard Inskip for a long time. Always thought he was crooked as the day is long.”
    “And you were right,” Quinn said.
    “Damn straight. Taking bribes, letting his ‘friends’ build whatever they wanted wherever, but keeping good people like Henry and his wife from building the home they’d planned their whole lives on their own property. Not sure three years in jail is enough, though.”
    “I was more concerned that he never have power over people again,” Quinn said. “And I think we took care of that.”
    The man smiled widely. “That you did. Now,” he said briskly, “you’re here about that picture Henry showed me?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ve been studying it, and the more I looked the more familiar he looked. So I went around and talked to Dustin.” He glanced at their little group. “He’s a kid who’s always hanging out here. He knows all the regulars, so when a stranger comes in, he notices. So I showed him the picture.”
    “Did he know him?” Hayley asked.
    Colin nodded. “He recognized him right off. ‘That’s that Chad guy,’ he said.”
    Kayla’s heart took a little jump in her chest and her knees went a little wobbly. In the same instant she felt Dane’s arm around her, supporting