People in her line of work called that a conflict of interest. She just called it stupid.
“Yeah,” she finally said. “I’ve been thinking that maybe there isn’t as much going on here as I thought.”
She waited for Zak to question where this sudden case of self-doubt was coming from. But he surprised her.
“I know I’m just your photographer, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re right. These guys seem clean to me.”
Mac stared at him. Who was this guy and what had he done with the real Zak? Because the Zak she knew never hesitated to call it like he saw it. Besides, he was more than her photographer.
“O-kay,” she said slowly. “I agree with you, but why do you think so?”
“I spent a lot of time with them yesterday while you were out shooting with Gage. And then I went out to some clubs and stuff with them last night.”
It was her turn to lift a brow. Zak didn’t usually go clubbing. And he especially didn’t go clubbing during Shark Week. “That must have been interesting.”
“Hey, I get out sometimes, you know. But I was just saying, they were really cool to hang with. They didn’t get drunk. Or stupid. We just sat around, had a few beers, and talked.”
“You’re telling me those guys went clubbing and all they did was hang out with you?”
“Well, they danced some, too. Actually, they danced a lot.” He frowned. “Women seem to gravitate to them for some reason. But the important thing is that we talked long enough for me to get a good feel for them. I really think they’re stand-up guys.”
She could have ragged Zak about his legendary instincts when it came to telling the difference between good guys and bad guys. But she didn’t because she knew he was right this time.
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked.
That was a damn good question. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just let the next few days play out. If you’re right and we don’t find anything, I’ll drop the story.”
His mouth edged up into a smile. “I’m guessing the fact that you’re attracted to Dixon sort of makes your decision a bit more complicated than it should be?”
Zak didn’t miss much. “When did you know?”
“The moment you walked out of the operations vehicle on Belmont the other day.”
She laughed. “Now you’re just making crap up. Even I didn’t realize I liked him at that point.”
Zak shook his head with a sigh. “You always were a little slow about that kind of stuff.”
Mac opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t slow, thank you very much, but the two SUVs heading out the gate just as they were pulling in stopped her. The big operations vehicle was right behind the first two vehicles. Gage leaned out of the window just long enough to tell her he was going on a call at a shopping mall in Arlington.
“Xander’s inside. He’s arranged for you to sit down and talk to some of the other guys.” Gage flashed her a smile. “I figured you’d want to get some background on someone besides me.”
Not really. But he was gone before she could even consider telling him that out loud, or try and invite herself along.
Mac climbed out of the news van and fell into step beside Zak. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to a few of the other guys. Just to get a different perspective on her theoretical story. God knew she couldn’t focus on anything when Gage was around.
The rest of the team was waiting for her and Zak in the classroom in the training building. While they greeted her warmly—and fist-bumped Zak for bringing more donuts—there seemed to be a weird vibe in the room. Kind of like walking in a friend’s house after she and her husband had a fight. Did it have something to do with the incident Gage had gone on?
Then again, considering that several of the men were going out of their way not to look at her, maybe not. And every time she caught them checking her out, they quickly looked away. All the men except Cooper. He held her gaze for a long time before he finally grabbed a donut at random and walked off without a word. What the hell was that about?
Mac wandered over to the desk at the front of the room to see if there were any donuts with sprinkles left when Xander walked in.
“Ms. Stone.”
“Corporal Riggs.” She smiled. “Donut?”
He shook his head. “I saw you talking to Sergeant Dixon before he left. He asked me to keep you occupied while he was gone.”
What was she, a puppy? “Keep me occupied?”
Xander winced. “Not exactly the way Sergeant Dixon put it. Now you see why he does all the talking when it comes to the press.”