Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“Kurt said he heard the buyer hired his own team to find the package. What if Newman was trying to push out the middleman? Maybe it’s even Phillips Senior trying to push out the middleman, meaning the organization, so they killed his son?”
“I’d buy that as a big possibility, but right when we went to see him? That’s a big coincidence.”
“But possible.”
“I’m skeptical about the timing.”
“Turn them against each other,” she murmurs, under her breath, and then says, “Kurt suggested we create an enemy for our enemy, someone to take the attention off of us. God. Did he kill Newman to turn Phillips Senior against the organization?”
“If he did, he kept him from talking which doesn’t sit right. It reads like he’s working for them. And in support of that theory, if this operation is as big as he says they are, one rich dude who owns a sports team would not be enough to distract them.”
“The idea that he’s working for them is not a good one, but one we keep coming back to and I don’t like how easily that happens. It means it feels right to us both. But as you say, it is what it is. If Phillips got shut out for another buyer, maybe he’ll be willing to talk. Or maybe he’ll want to help us catch his son’s killer.”
“Or he’ll blame us for his son’s murder and come at us, and we have two enemies. I’m all for going right at the bull, but we need more facts. Maybe between Kurt and Darius, today is the day we make that happen.”
My cellphone rings and I glance down to find Savage calling. “Savage,” I say. “That was fast.” I punch answer on the Caller ID. “Savage. You’re on speaker.”
“I’ve got the SIM card. Adam’s uploading it for Blake to review.” He yawns. “A little too easy a ride out there, Ana. Your old man isn’t all he’s cut out to be.”
My lips curve and I glance at Ana. “That’s the junior range, Savage,” she teases. “The one for the slow learners. That’s why I knew you’d be just fine.”
“Hey hey hey now,” he complains. “I don’t like your tone. Your pop is going to wake up soon. I’ll feed him and then make him talk. I mean we’ll chat. It will be fun. Ciao.” He hangs up.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “He won’t hurt him. He’ll drive him so fucking nuts he can’t help but talk.”
Ana laughs one of her soft, sweet laughs, but there’s a choked quality to her voice.
“He’s not going to hurt him, baby. And in my gut, I believe Kurt really means to do right by you. He’s not going to disappear again.”
She gives a choppy nod. But she says nothing. What is there to say?
Everything that was real is now a lie.
The truth is either going to save us or kill us once and for all. And right now, the closest thing to the truth we have to look forward to is in a lockbox that a dirty cop, who was spying on Ana, left us.
Chapter Eighteen
Luke
We pull into a parking spot at the McDonald’s where we’re supposed to meet Smith when my cellphone rings with Smith’s number. “Yeah, man, we’re here,” I answer. “Where are you?”
“Stuck in traffic hell. I’m not getting there anytime soon. You might as well have a burger, or ten, while you wait for me.” I grimace and glance at Ana.
“He’s caught in that traffic we avoided.”
Ana’s head drops and then she says, “We’re on a timer. We need to do this.”
“Agreed,” I say and then return to Smith. “I’ll let you know if we need you. Call me when you get out of traffic.” I disconnect. “Texting Blake,” I tell Ana, before I shoot off the message that reads: We need anything you have for us now. We’re headed over to the club. Smith is caught in traffic.
I hit send and refocus on Ana. “I told Blake we need whatever he can get us. It’s just you and me, baby. We’re going to have to make it work.”
“I doubt anyone is watching Darius’s locker anyway,” she says. “They didn’t know about his cabin. They won’t know about this.”
“We don’t know how long ago he left that stuff at the cabin. Don’t be so sure he wasn’t being watched on a day-to-day basis and we have no idea how many times he went to this locker and added information. It could be exactly how he got busted and ended up dead.”
My cell rings with Blake’s number and I answer on speaker. “You have me and Ana, Blake.”
“I heard about Smith’s delay. There’s a hotel attached to the fitness club. I booked you a room. I would suggest Ana stay in the room when you go to the locker, Luke. Ana, I know you’re going to object, but these people are going to use you against Luke where they can. They proved that by using you as bait to get him to Colorado. Not to mention the two of you together are more obvious.”