Read Online Revenge of the Assassin (Assassin Series 2) by Russell Blake - Free Book Online

forget? My cousins gave me shit about being a chicken molester for a month,” Briones muttered.
    “All right. Are we done for now? I have a mountain of paperwork I need to catch up on here. Do you need anything? Maybe a warrant to detain and body search some poultry?” Cruz inquired innocently.
    “No, sir. But thank you for the support. I’ll let you know as circumstances change on the bodega. Oh, and we got an international inquiry circulated our way on El Rey . Routine. We were flagged automatically on the distribution list.”
    “Haven’t heard that name for a while. I suppose we’re the experts on him now that the task force got dismantled…” Cruz observed.
    Since the assassination attempt, the three-year-old task force, which had proved completely inept at anything but burning money while delivering zero results, had been closed down, and its responsibilities incorporated into Cruz’s organization. He had two officers who worked part time on the El Rey case whenever the name came up, as opposed to the thirty full-time staffers upstairs who’d been employed at the task force’s peak. The notorious hit man had vanished without a trace after the unsuccessful attempt on the former president and hadn’t been heard from since. Perhaps that was for the best, Cruz reasoned.
    “It was just a routine inquiry, looks like. Wanted more information on him. Nothing more,” Briones confirmed. “The probe came through Interpol, and we sent the usual package of data back – the photo, a few of the better sketches, and his dossier. Maybe he’s in South America now? Taken up cattle ranching?”
    “As long as he’s not here making our lives miserable. Although I have to admit that aside from his hits on politicians, he was doing the world a favor executing the cartel targets. Some would argue the same about targeting the politicians, too…” Cruz mused.
    Briones smiled. He shared his superior’s disdain for elected officials.
    “All right. Thanks for the briefing. Let’s get together this afternoon and compare notes. Please close the door on the way out and spread the word that I’ll shoot anyone who interrupts me before lunch,” Cruz ordered.
    Briones paused at the door. “Did you ask her?” he inquired softly on his way out.
    Cruz grinned lopsidedly. “She said yes.”
    “I knew you were in trouble when I first set eyes on her,” Briones finished. “Congratulations.”
    “Thanks. And you were right about being in trouble. But listen. Keep the news of our engagement to yourself. I don’t want to be the subject of any gossip, and you know how word spreads…”
    There were also safety concerns. The image of his family’s heads showing up in a box was still fresh in his mind, and he didn’t want to make Dinah any more of a target than she already was.
    “Of course. Congratulations all the same.”
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    “Jania – what’s wrong? What is it?” Antonio asked, as her voice trembled over the phone. It was morning, and she was calling twenty minutes before the shop was supposed to open. A first for her. She’d been as reliable as the rising sun…until now.
    “It’s my uncle. Gustavo. He’s been murdered.” She choked on the final word, unable to go on.
    “Murdered? Good Lord, Jania. What happened? Are you all right?”
    “The police found him this morning and called me as next of kin. Someone broke in last night and killed him in his home office. Stabbed him with a letter opener. It’s horrible. The officer wouldn’t go into detail, but…”
    “Oh my God. That’s unbelievable, Jania. I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything you need?” he offered.
    “No. I don’t think so. It’s just…I mean, he was just an old man. What kind of sick bastard would kill a helpless old man?” Jania seemed confused by her question. Antonio knew better than to try to answer.
    “Do they have any leads?” He stopped. “Is this kind of thing common in