Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“Fuck me, uphill is the worst,” I panted.
I was drenched in sweat, so guess who was throwing his ass in the lake soon.
I kicked off my boots and grunted as I sat up again, and I eyed Mercier as I opened the water bottle.
“Well?” The man was impatient.
I couldn’t blame him.
I held up a finger and chugged from the water first.
Priorities, man.
I drained the bottle, then let out a big breath. There. All better. “Okay. Special Agent Mercier.”
He quirked a brow.
“Your story checked out,” I said.
He nodded slightly, revealing just a hint of relief.
For some weird reason, I smiled. I didn’t know why. Maybe because I wasn’t sitting here with a murdering criminal who’d bought people. He was pretty much the opposite. He’d set children forced into human trafficking free. He tried to take down cartels.
Annoying as fuck or not, he deserved respect for what he’d dedicated his life to.
“I’m willing to make this little hostage situation more comfortable if you help me out,” I told him. I had his attention, so I continued. “Give me all the names of people who might lead to us finding Shay, Blake, and Marisa. Names, locations, contact information—all of it. Prattle it off right now, and I will make sure you’re not in pain anymore. And once I’ve verified the intel, I might consider removing the cuffs.”
He had been handcuffed behind his back for almost thirty-six hours. He’d been shot. He’d had very little to eat and drink. And he’d been forced to sit on a hard surface with almost no room to move. He was going to be weakened for at least the same amount of time he’d been held here. I wasn’t worried. If I just ensured he couldn’t escape and get his hands on a gun, I’d be fine.
“I will give you one name and a way to track him down,” he decided.
It was a start, right?
“I’ll determine if that’s good enough once I hear the info,” I replied.
He looked like he wanted to sigh or give me a look. “Fine. Gomez’s nephew is affiliated. His name is Luiz Gomez. I genuinely don’t know where he lives, but he goes to a corner café called Dial Down near Venice Beach almost every afternoon.”
Okay, River and Reese needed to be all over that dude.
And as soon as that thought entered my mind, I wanted to kick myself in the head, ’cause…fuck my life, I couldn’t wait a whole day before I gave that information to Ryan.
I didn’t even have to call him. I could just leave a message in the chat so River and Reese would see it immediately.
“Do you have anything San Diego-local you can share?” I pressed.
Mercier grew pensive. “There’s a warehouse close to the airport. Gomez has his fingers in probably a dozen illegal cannabis farmers’ pockets, and they package the cannabis in the warehouse’s basement. Tell your friends to borrow a detection dog, and you’ll find the place.”
That had to be good enough for now. I wanted to get this over with as fast as possible so the Tenleys could begin their search.
“You did good, Agent. I’ll give you a treat and scratch you behind the ear when I get back.” I dragged myself off the bed and picked up my boots.
“Are you leaving again?” he asked incredulously.
I furrowed my brow at him. “Does that come as a surprise? If I wait till tomorrow, that’s another twenty-four hours of searching blindly.”
He clenched his jaw but inclined his head. He understood. I knew he did.
The verifying bit would have to come later. I’d waited a few minutes after dropping the info in the chat, and nobody had responded.
Then I figured, I was about ten minutes from the ocean. Ten minutes from the nearest tourist town. Was I in the mood to rent a car? Yes, I fucking was. Plus, it would give the guys more time to respond to the update.
The detour took me almost an hour longer, including the drive back to the house, but it was damn worth it. Reese thanked me for the information and said they’d check it out right away, and I earned my second “Great job” for the day. Last but not least, I picked up fresh bread and stopped at an Italian Burger King too, as Ryan would say, try the local cuisine.
The local cuisine was fantastic.
By the time I parked outside the house, I’d finished everything but my vanilla shake.
I strolled into the house in a good mood, and no, he hadn’t escaped. He was, however, snoring a little again, so I didn’t bother him yet. Instead, I went upstairs to steal Gramps’s camping bed for Mercier. Then I went downstairs again, and I grabbed some stuff from the kitchen.
He woke up with a start when I set down the bed in front of him.