Read Online Ransom (Dead Man's Ink Series Book 3) by Callie Hart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Callie Hart
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watches me with one eye as I hold the phone to my ear and I wait. Buildings begin to appear, dotted out in the desert on either side of the road. As the phone continues to ring and ring, more houses and a gas station spring up in front of us, signaling that we’re approaching the town limits.
“No one picking up?” Cade asks.
“No,” I tell him, canceling the call. “Fucking frustrating. Danny never normally gives out bad information.”
“Danny never gives out bad information. Period . Maybe try again?”
“Yeah.” I about to hit redial when the phone lights up in my hand, flashing UNKNOWN NUMBER on the screen in time with the shrill tone that fills the car. I look at Cade. “Coincidence?”
He looks doubtful. “No such thing, right?”
“Mmm.” I answer the call, not saying anything, holding the sleek black metal up against my ear as I wait for the person on the other end of the line to say something. At first, it’s so quiet I think maybe the connection didn’t take, but then a loud cracking distorts the line, followed by a series of smaller cracks and crunches, and I know someone is there. Someone who just so happens to be eating something by the sound of things.
“I was wondering how long…” a voice says quietly. It’s Hector, of course. Hector, with his thick accent, eating his godforsaken sugared almonds, sounding as cool and collected as ever. I fucking despise the man.
I play along. “How long what ?”
“How long it would take you to call. Or show up. Or do something , anyway. Alfonso told me he had a run in with one of your boys. Sounded like your delightful vice president. And in light of the information Mr. Preston obtained, I assumed you’d be in touch sooner rather than later.”
Hector’s a well-educated man. My guess is he was schooled in America. Probably went to an expensive, exclusive college, where he studied economics or business. No doubt his parents, whoever they might be, wanted him to relocate permanently stateside and make a new life for himself. Become something. Accomplish all that they couldn’t in Mexico. Of course, I could be wrong. He could have simply watched a lot of television and learned English that way, or maybe his parents were criminals too and they taught him everything he knows, but listening to him speak now I get the distinct impression that I could easily have studied alongside him at MIT. There’s something really intimate about talking on the phone with him. Like he’s actually here, sitting with me, whispering into my ear, and it’s creeping me the fuck out. My skin is literally crawling.
“Let’s meet,” I say. “Somewhere public. Let’s just hash this shit out once and for all, shall we?”
“Hmm, well…” Ramirez ponders this silently. “I have a full schedule today, Jamie. I’d be happy to host you at my rustic, charming farmhouse, though. If you have the time.”
“Oh, come on now, Hector. I’m not that stupid. If I walk through your front door, I won’t be walking out again. You and I both know that.” We’ve had someone watching his place night and day ever since he showed up here in New Mexico, and there are never any less than twenty armed men moving and rotating through his property. If I went on over there, gave a polite knock on the front door and asked to come on in, I’d be dead within a minute.
Hector laughs. “Worth the offer, right?” He laughs some more. Crunches some more. “So where would you propose we have this very public meeting of ours, Jamie? And who will you be bringing along with you?”
“Just me and Cade. Outside the public library off Main. Come now. We’ll be waiting.” I hang up before he can object. There’s no real reason why Hector Ramirez should come and meet with us given that he’s the one with the leverage in this situation, but he has to make his demands after all. And I know the guy. He’d never pass up an opportunity to rile me in person. There was
“No one picking up?” Cade asks.
“No,” I tell him, canceling the call. “Fucking frustrating. Danny never normally gives out bad information.”
“Danny never gives out bad information. Period . Maybe try again?”
“Yeah.” I about to hit redial when the phone lights up in my hand, flashing UNKNOWN NUMBER on the screen in time with the shrill tone that fills the car. I look at Cade. “Coincidence?”
He looks doubtful. “No such thing, right?”
“Mmm.” I answer the call, not saying anything, holding the sleek black metal up against my ear as I wait for the person on the other end of the line to say something. At first, it’s so quiet I think maybe the connection didn’t take, but then a loud cracking distorts the line, followed by a series of smaller cracks and crunches, and I know someone is there. Someone who just so happens to be eating something by the sound of things.
“I was wondering how long…” a voice says quietly. It’s Hector, of course. Hector, with his thick accent, eating his godforsaken sugared almonds, sounding as cool and collected as ever. I fucking despise the man.
I play along. “How long what ?”
“How long it would take you to call. Or show up. Or do something , anyway. Alfonso told me he had a run in with one of your boys. Sounded like your delightful vice president. And in light of the information Mr. Preston obtained, I assumed you’d be in touch sooner rather than later.”
Hector’s a well-educated man. My guess is he was schooled in America. Probably went to an expensive, exclusive college, where he studied economics or business. No doubt his parents, whoever they might be, wanted him to relocate permanently stateside and make a new life for himself. Become something. Accomplish all that they couldn’t in Mexico. Of course, I could be wrong. He could have simply watched a lot of television and learned English that way, or maybe his parents were criminals too and they taught him everything he knows, but listening to him speak now I get the distinct impression that I could easily have studied alongside him at MIT. There’s something really intimate about talking on the phone with him. Like he’s actually here, sitting with me, whispering into my ear, and it’s creeping me the fuck out. My skin is literally crawling.
“Let’s meet,” I say. “Somewhere public. Let’s just hash this shit out once and for all, shall we?”
“Hmm, well…” Ramirez ponders this silently. “I have a full schedule today, Jamie. I’d be happy to host you at my rustic, charming farmhouse, though. If you have the time.”
“Oh, come on now, Hector. I’m not that stupid. If I walk through your front door, I won’t be walking out again. You and I both know that.” We’ve had someone watching his place night and day ever since he showed up here in New Mexico, and there are never any less than twenty armed men moving and rotating through his property. If I went on over there, gave a polite knock on the front door and asked to come on in, I’d be dead within a minute.
Hector laughs. “Worth the offer, right?” He laughs some more. Crunches some more. “So where would you propose we have this very public meeting of ours, Jamie? And who will you be bringing along with you?”
“Just me and Cade. Outside the public library off Main. Come now. We’ll be waiting.” I hang up before he can object. There’s no real reason why Hector Ramirez should come and meet with us given that he’s the one with the leverage in this situation, but he has to make his demands after all. And I know the guy. He’d never pass up an opportunity to rile me in person. There was
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