Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
I hold the phone in my shaking hands, my heart pounding in my chest. I open my mouth to speak, but then close it. Shaking my head, I try again. “I-uh.” Nothing. I can’t think of anything to say. “Manda, it’s Ana.” What can I possibly say that she doesn’t already know? I try anyway. “By now, you probably know about Dino.” I grip the phone tight. “I just called to let you know I’m okay. I’m safe.” I blink as my racing heart eases. “I’m finally free, Manda.” I breathe a laugh. “I’m free.”
And with that, I gently lay the handset on the hook, disconnecting the call.
I wonder if that will be the last time Manda will hear my voice. I suddenly wish I had said more, something meaningful, something heartfelt. I wish I had told her how much her friendship meant to me and that I wouldn’t have survived as long without her.
I sit on the edge of the bed and ponder some more.
Something tells me that the price of my freedom is going to be high, and I will likely pay with my life.
It’s not bad having friends in high places.
I’ve dealt with a lot of people in my life. I’ve also helped a lot of those people. You could say I’m a decent guy, or if you knew me better, you’d say I knew how to roll.
Do a favor, gain a marker. That’s how people roll in my world.
So I place a call to an old friend, a cop. Casper Quaid isn’t surprised I’ve called. “I was wondering when you’d call it in.”
I fight a grin. “It’s not as bad as you think.”
Casper scoffs. “Is it something I could lose my job over?”
I don’t answer. That being my answer.
Casper sighs. “What am I doing, Julius?”
I respond a bored, “Just triangulating a cell phone.”
I knew Casper thought it would be worse. I know this, because as soon as I tell him what I need, he agrees hastily and calls me back within a half hour. “The cell isn’t moving. Your guy is somewhere between these coordinates.” He rattles off the coordinates and I write them down, handing them to Ling. I thank him, and Casper quickly clarifies, “That’s it. We’re done. You don’t call me for favors anymore, right?”
Then, I do smile. “That’s it, man. We’re done. Have a nice life.”
Casper immediately sounds relieved. “Likewise.”
As we drive, we look out for places of interest at the side of the road. The sunlight is starting to fade, and with it, our time. I rub the back of my neck as I drive. Tension causes my neck to stiffen. I can feel Ling’s eyes on me when she pledges, “Hey. We’re going to fix this. Everything’s going to be okay. Okay?”
I rub my neck harder and look on. “Yeah.” My answer comes out hoarse, and neither one of us believes that everything will be okay. How could it? We have one innocent man dead and are currently hunting a woman who will meet the same fate.
No. This is not okay.
Not even close.
Before we left, I had Miguel print out two recent photographs of Alejandra, one of her fresh-faced and smiling, the other with her wearing an oversized pair of sunglasses.
Ling, looking out her side of the road, utters, “Diner.”
I pull over and we step out. Checking my back pocket, I slip out and we walk inside. The plump waitress smiles at us and greets, “Hi, there. We’ve got burgers on the menu tonight. If you’re interested, ask for Deb’s special.”
Approaching the counter, I look the woman in the eye and force a smile. “Ma’am, I’m Detective Jay. Hoping you could help us. We’re looking for this woman.”
I hand the printed photographs of Alejandra to the woman and see recognition the moment her eyes settle on Alejandra’s face.
She hesitates. “She in trouble?”
I shake my head. “Depends on your version of trouble. But to ensure her safety, I need to get to her as soon as possible.”
Her eyes narrow at me. “You got a badge I can see?”
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my immaculate fake police badge and ID and hand it to her. She sighs. “Yeah. She was in here earlier today.”
Ling cuts in, “How long ago?”
The waitress shrugs. “Around two.”
Fuck. That’s over four hours ago. She’s long gone by now.
Ling whispers, “Damn.”
The waitress brightens. “Y’all need to talk to Jimmy. I think she had car trouble, so she left her car with him. I saw her take his loaner.”
Praying my thanks to the car trouble gods, I ask patiently, “Loaner, huh? What type of car?”
“A blue Cadillac. A classic.” Looking out past me, she points, “There he is right now. If you want to catch him, you better run. He won’t be back till morning.”
A big, burly guy with a beard and grease-covered overalls steps into his truck, already heading out. I call out to the waitress, “Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. Oh, and if anyone else comes through looking for her, don’t give them any information. For her safety. You understand.”