Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Hale could be the answer to everything, and I’m the one who needs to find him.”
“Why does it have to be you? Because you’re a controlling, stubborn son of a bitch who believes if you need something done right, you have to do it yourself?”
Exactly. “That’s not it at all. Hale trusts me. If any of your goons come after him, he’ll slip away before any of them see him. People, especially those he doesn’t know, make him antsy.”
“You got a last name? An address I can send my guys to?”
“Are you even hearing me?”
“I’m hearing you, but I’m ignoring what you’re saying. Where does he live?”
“I can usually find him around Skid Row, but I’m telling you, Hale won’t talk to anyone who isn’t me. He has eyes and ears on the city from living on the streets, and he’s smart. He doesn’t sell his information to just anyone.”
“Well, you can’t go back to LA. It’s too risky. We could bring him to you.”
I snort. “That would not go down well. What’s your plan? Shove him in the trunk of your car?”
“No. I only do that with you.”
“You make me feel special.” The worst part is he actually does. Wow. I’ve hit a new level of pathetic.
“You’re welcome, but we can flirt later. We need to focus on Hale. What do you hope to get from him? What were his actual words when he set you up?”
“He didn’t set me up.” Shit. Did he? He was acting weird. Well, weirder than usual for Hale. I rub my chin. “It was a convoluted ramble about a deal going down. Someone of someone knew someone type thing. I didn’t even know if it was credible, which is why I didn’t call for backup. And then everything happened so fast.”
I can still see the junkie drop to the ground as the other kid pulled the trigger, no matter how much I try to wipe it from my memory.
After everything I’ve seen in my job, I don’t understand it. Any of it.
“If Hale didn’t make a lot of sense when he gave you the tip, what makes you think that will be any different this time?” Trav asks.
I hate that he makes a good point. If Hale knew what I was walking into, why wouldn’t he tell me the whole situation before it happened? “I dunno. Maybe because his cousin’s pimp’s landlord’s meth dealer is dead?”
“His what?”
“Told you. Convoluted.”
“Does Walker know about him?”
“He knows Hale is a CI of mine but not that I was running off a tip from him. No one knew that part.” But then I remember— “Shit. That’s not actually true. When Walker first showed up, he asked why I was there. I told him it was because of Hale. Hale’s in danger. We need to protect him and—”
“I’m not risking your life for his,” Trav says, his voice holding finality.
“You have to.”
“I don’t have to do anything. But I’ll get my guys on Hale. Maybe he’ll believe them when they say they’re there for you.”
“He won’t, but you can try. Take him a turkey sandwich on rye bread. It’s his favorite. Maybe that will be enough for him to trust them.” It won’t, but I have to hope.
Hale is our only hope here. Maybe he knows more than what he gave me. Maybe he has heard something since. It’s all I have to hold on to, but it’ll all go to hell if Walker gets to him first.
“Let’s get back to the house, have some food, look through the footage Saint is sending over, and we’ll go from there,” Trav says.
Go from there. Step by step. It’s how all law enforcement departments handle things. We go through the motions. We don’t solve cases by jumping to the end. Logically, I know all this. I’ve lived it for fifteen years. But I’ve never been this close to a case. Too invested. It’s too personal.
I want to end this now.
If we can’t figure out how to take Walker down, my life could become … this. Hiding out, constantly looking over my shoulder, and being on the run. I couldn’t do it.
Things always have a way of catching up with you, especially in this day and age with constant surveillance.
If Trav fails, my life is over.
That’s a whole lot of pressure to put on someone else. Even if said person is a pain in my ass a lot of the time.
Trav makes sense, and I know I need to be patient.
But patience has never been my strong suit.
When we get back to Trav’s insane mansion that has no right to be called a ranch, Trav cooks us a meal while he places a laptop in front of me and hits Play on the CCTV they captured.
He’s right when he says that Walker never arrives. Which means …