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)
Atlas snorts. “How many dead bodies we talking?”
“Uh …” I glance at Dylan. “At least one. Possibly more.” I mutter the next part under my breath. “Tell them to check the canyon.”
“Are you still there?” Atlas asks. “You sound like you’re on the road.”
“We’re working out next steps. If someone came to HQ and to the ranch, I have to assume the safe houses are compromised also.”
Usually when someone needs a safe house, that person can’t be traced back to us, so having properties in Mike Bravo’s name has never been an issue. When it’s one of our own we’re protecting? Yeah, we’re screwed.
Not that Dylan’s one of us, but he is by association. Our cat-and-mouse game over the years has been obvious to everyone on my team. I didn’t realize it extended past that and into Dylan’s world, though.
“So what’s the plan?” Atlas asks.
“Uh, yeah. I kinda need to get me one of those. For now, I guess we’re heading back toward LA.”
Dylan shifts in his seat, and his face lights up.
“So we have backup. Not so we can find your CI,” I say to him, and he slinks back down.
“Do you need more guys on Rodriguez’s detail?” Atlas asks.
I purse my lips. “I haven’t decided yet. More presence means more attention.”
“Also means fewer chances to hook up with the dude you’re supposed to be protecting.” That comes from Domino somewhere in the background. He must be back from checking the perimeter.
“I suddenly wish you guys weren’t on speakerphone,” I say.
“Hi, Rodriguez,” they sing, and I realize there are other voices mixed in there too. My guess is Iris and Zeus have arrived.
I turn to Dylan. “Ignore them.”
“No, no. This is fun. You might get high on adrenaline and action and grenades exploding, but this right here? Travis West being mocked … Is this what heaven feels like?”
My guys laugh their damn heads off.
“Maybe I should’ve let the wannabe assassins kill you. How about that?”
“Wait, what?” Domino’s serious tone comes through the speakers on the car.
“It’s why we’re calling. Some guys broke in at the ranch. Tried to take us out. Now we’re on the road with no real direction.”
“Don’t feel like a vacation in Costa Rica, boss?” Yep, that’s definitely Iris.
“We’ll save that as a last resort. No luck on Hale?” I continue to check my surroundings. At some point, I want to pull over and put the roof back up, but not at the chance of the bad guys catching up. We have no idea how many guys were at the ranch.
“Nah,” Iris says. “No one’s seen him.”
“Where did you look? Just Skid Row, or did you go to other known homeless areas?”
“We asked around,” Zeus cuts in. “It was hard enough to find anyone to admit they knew him, let alone where he was. The few who did know him said they haven’t seen him for a couple of days.”
“That’s bullshit,” Dylan says beside me. “They would have seen him, but they don’t trust newcomers. Especially when they look like your guys. I need to be the one looking for him.”
“It’s too risky,” I point out.
“Like you said. They found us in Palm Desert. We’re not safe anywhere, and I don’t want to run from this. The longer it goes on, the longer Walker has to devise a plan to take me out.”
Fuck. He has a point.
“Is there any other news?” I ask the guys. “Any leads on where Walker’s head is at? Or hell, where Walker’s base of operation is?”
“None yet,” Domino says.
If I can’t get Dylan some answers soon, he’s going to try and do this himself, and that won’t end well for any of us.
We need strategy and recon. We can’t go into this and wing it.
Dylan turns to me, his dark eyes pleading. “I can do this. I can find Hale, and I can get him to talk. I have to hold on to the tiny bit of hope that he sent me there for a reason and not a fluke. I’m banking on him knowing more than he told me.”
That’s what I’m worried about. Hale had heard about a deal going down, and he sent Dylan to watch it. Hale did his job. End of story.
But if he is holding on to some extra information, big or small—maybe he remembers more detail or maybe something insignificant is bigger than he realizes—we need to try to retrieve it.
I don’t think putting Dylan out in the open is how we should handle an assassination attempt, though.
But saying no to Dylan, with his big puppy dog brown eyes pleading with me to do this for him … Damn it.
“Fine. I’ll take you to find Hale. But you will do everything I tell you to. And you won’t leave my sight. And you won’t—”
“Wait,” Iris exclaims. “Did … Trav just back down?”