"Nothing," she said quickly. "Actually, I was wondering if you still run every morning."
"I don't believe that's what you were thinking, but yes, I still run. That's how Mark and I met."
"That's right. You were training for a triathlon. I guess that means you swim and bike, too."
"I'm a triple threat," he said with a smile. "What about you? Do you work out?"
"I run more now than I used to. I have to stay in shape for my job. You never know when you're going to have to chase someone down."
"Do you do that a lot?"
"I wouldn't say a lot, but I've definitely done it."
"I'm surprised you became an agent, knowing you'd have to run."
She made a face at his teasing comment. "It's not my favorite part, I'll admit, but I'm actually pretty fast."
"That's because you're trying to get it over with."
"You know me too well," she said with a laugh.
"I do know you well. I like that about us, Bree."
"I like it, too," she admitted. "I don't think I've ever been with anyone who knew everything about me. Not that we've been together in recent years. I'm sure there are still some things to find out about you, Nathan."
"Nothing that important," he said, finishing his eggs. Then he got up and took his plate to the kitchen. "Can I get you anything else?"
"No. I'm full. Thanks for breakfast."
"Any time."
"Were you able to get a hold of Lindsay?"
"No. Her phone went to voicemail."
"I hope Mark is hanging in there."
"Me, too." He set their plates in the sink. "I'm going to hop in the shower. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get on my computer and see what I can find out about Sierra."
"I thought you didn't have access to agency resources."
"I don't. But I can still get on social media, and if Sierra is anything like I remember, I'm betting she's online somewhere. She always loved attention."
Sixteen
Bree found Sierra's profile on three different social media sites in less than five minutes. As she'd predicted, the attention-getting Sierra, was still in the business of getting attention. She now ran a hair salon in Logan Square and when she wasn't styling hair, she was taking selfies of herself in lingerie and bikinis, with sometimes nothing more than her hands strategically placed over her very large breasts, which had to have been enhanced at some point.
Sierra had also transformed herself into a confident woman with black hair that hung down to her waist, dark eyes, and olive skin. She was also into jewelry: multiple rings on her hands, several piercings in her ears, and a nose ring. She looked nothing like the skinny, needy girl she'd once been—the girl who'd always been hanging around Johnny, wanting him to notice her, and sleeping with his friends when he didn't.
She was a little surprised that Johnny had finally hooked up with Sierra, but then Sierra fit Johnny's lifestyle more than she ever had.
Maybe she had been the anomaly in Johnny's life and Sierra was the kind of woman he'd always been meant to be with.
She typed in Johnny's name and while mentions of the gym on Hayward and the auto shop on Hudson came up, as well as some information on the Hawke family in general, there were no current photos of Johnny. Had he changed as well? She wished she had looked him up before she lost access to the FBI database. She'd been so determined to keep him out of her life, out of her thoughts, that she'd refused to go there. Now it was too late.
Thinking about Johnny made her wonder how his conversation with the FBI had gone the night before. Pulling out her phone, she called Tracy.
"Did you get another text or call?" Tracy asked, not bothering with a hello.
"No, nothing. I was wondering if you got any information from Johnny Hawke."
"I can't tell you anything, Bree. You're off the case."
"You can tell me something. Did he seem surprised that he has a daughter, that his daughter was kidnapped? That his former associate was killed at a ransom drop for that child?"
"Look, I understand that you're very invested in this case," Tracy said. "But I've also been instructed to keep you out of it."
"The kidnapper isn't going to keep me out of it."
"Well, when he contacts you, let me know, and we'll go from there."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Keeping me in the dark. Putting me a in box."
"Actually, not as much as I expected I would," Tracy replied, a note of candor in her voice. "I've learned a lot about you in the past twenty-four hours. I suspect some of our mutual associates at the academy already knew about some of what you lived through as a child."
"Some of them did," she admitted. "Friends confide in each other."
"It's usually those confidences that make people cross lines they shouldn't cross."
Which was another way of saying that Tracy wasn't going to cross any lines for her. She let out a small sigh. "Is there anything you can tell me?"
"I think you should watch your back and stay out of sight."
"Because Johnny will be gunning for me?"
"You said that; I didn't. If you want to reconsider protection, I'll talk it over with Warren."
"No. I can take care of myself."
"We're doing everything we can to find Hayley. Nothing that happened yesterday has changed that."
"Have you had a chance to speak to Mark Jansen? Was he able to provide any information on the person who contacted him for the ransom?"
"Bree. What part of I can't tell you anything don't you understand?"
She blew out a frustrated breath. "Fine."
"You're going to have to trust us to do our jobs. You need to stand down. Stay put wherever you are, although I suspect you're not too far from Nathan Bishop. Let us handle this. Don't go to Johnny. Don't get in the way. You have to think about your daughter, not yourself."
"Believe me, that's the only person I'm thinking about. I'll be in touch if I hear anything." She set down the phone, thinking that had gone about as badly as she'd expected. She was out of the loop. She was cut off from all communication. She definitely couldn't confront Johnny, which was what she really wanted to do. If he had done this, then this was between him and her. But if he had done this, then he wasn't ready to have that meet yet, or it would have already happened. He was calling all the shots.
She did wonder how Johnny was planning to keep Hayley out of sight. His business, his family, his life was in Chicago. And Hayley's face had been all over the news.
He had to have stashed her somewhere outside of the city. Maybe it was close enough to where he could visit her but far enough away that no one would put the two of them together.
Someone in his family could be watching her—like his mother. She'd always adored Johnny. He was her oldest son, and he could do no wrong.
Tapping her fingers restlessly on the table, she thought about her next move.
The answer was right in front of her—Sierra. It was possible Tracy had spoken to Sierra, too, or would be speaking to her. But she might be farther down the list. And Bree might have a better chance of getting information from Sierra than Tracy would. Not that Sierra had ever been a fan, but they did come from the same place. She had to give it a shot.
Getting up from the table, she walked over to the balcony door and opened it.
The weather was gray and cold, and the clouds sweeping over the city were foreboding—perhaps a portent of what was to come.
She shivered, but she was ready to fight back, whatever it took.
*
"I don't think this is a good idea," Nathan said as he drove Bree across town to the Bella Beauty Salon run by Sierra Littman.
"I'm not going to be in any danger at the salon," she said. "And I can't just do nothing. Sierra is a former friend. Maybe I can turn her to our side."