Read Online Classified by Debra Webb - Free Book Online Page A

safety zone.
    “If you broke anything important,” Fernandez promised, the sound of his voice growing nearer, “I will make you eat it and laugh as you bleed to death.” Obviously he saw using English with his thugs at moments like this as a way to prove his superiority.
    One step…two… He passed right in front of her position and she stepped out to press the muzzle of the borrowed 9mm to his temple. “Maybe you’ll be the one bleeding to death.” She sighed with all the drama she could muster. “Afraid I couldn’t lose my tracker.”
    Stark flipped on the overhead light, the 9mm he’d snagged zeroed in on Fernandez’s head.
    “I guess you’ll just have to deal with it,” Casey said with a nudge of the muzzle.
    Fernandez said nothing for a moment, his lips twisted in anger. “My order was to tell you nothing.”
    “Who gave the order?” Stark demanded before Casey could. He took a menacing step toward Fernandez. She had to admit that he looked plenty threatening.
    “I cannot say!” Fernandez shook his head frantically. “She will kill me!”
    “No problem,” Casey offered generously. Her grip tightened on the weapon and she widened her stance. “I’ll just put you out of your misery now and you can stop worrying about that.”
    “No. Wait.”
    Casey tossed Stark a look that loudly transmitted her exasperation. His announcement startled her almost as much as it irritated her. Fernandez, on the other hand, sagged with relief.
    “Get the broken platter,” Stark ordered.
    Casey smiled. Oh, he had a twisted side she hadn’t expected. “This should be interesting.”
    She backed toward the kitchen, a bead held steady on her target even as she moved past Stark’s position.
    In the kitchen she flipped on a light and shoved her weapon into the waistband of her damaged skirt. While she squatted down and gathered a few choice pieces of pottery, she heard Stark ushering Fernandez into a chair. When she returned to the hall, a chair had been placed in the center of the rectangular space and Fernandez was secured there. His crisp white shirt served as a tether. Smart move to stay in the hall away from the windows of the other rooms since there were no window coverings. If either of the goofballs got loose, she and Stark wouldn’t be open targets.
    “Feed him,” Stark said without sparing her a glance.
    Casey wouldn’t have liked his heavy-handedness if she weren’t enjoying this so much. She strolled over to Fernandez and offered a sizeable chunk of what used to be a serving platter. The pattern suggested a local artisan. This was going to be a waste of good stoneware. Fernandez drew his face away from her, his mouth clamped shut.
    Stark pressed the barrel of his weapon to Fernandez’s forehead. “Open your mouth.”
    Leaning back far enough to topple over, Fernandez shook his head adamantly.
    Casey rolled her eyes. “Just shoot him. I’m bored with the whole subject.”
    Stark shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
    “Wait!” Fernandez looked from Casey to Stark and back. “If I tell you and she finds out, she will—”
    “You said that already.” Casey really was getting bored.
    Fernandez heaved a labored breath. “The person you’re looking for lives in Acapulco.” He shook his head as he spouted off the address. “She is blonde. Like you,” he said with a toss of his head toward Casey. “She works as a dancer and choreographer at a club called Delicia. Her name is Alayna. She can tell you anything you want to know about this man you call Keaton.” Fernandez made eye contact with Casey. “Believe me when I say to you that she knows the answers you seek.”
    “We need a last name.” What good was a first name? Acapulco was a big city. Casey rolled her eyes. Did he think they were stupid enough to let him off with nothing more than that? She could just imagine what kind of place Delicia was. The name itself meant pleasure.
    “She has no last name,” Fernandez explained with another of