stunning change of heart?” Nathan wasn’t looking at Isaac as he spoke. His eyes were darting around the narrow lot, as though he expected another attacker to jump out at them without warning.
“This is all courtesy of Gabriel. The guy Olivia’s got cuffed gave it up. Someone’s itching for you to stay very far from Argentina.”
“Oh, Christ,” Nathan muttered. He looked over Isaac’s shoulder and his eyes widened. “My car! What the fuck did they do to my car?”
When Nathan bolted past him, Isaac turned and followed the same path Nathan’s gaze had just taken. All four tires of the Mustang had been slashed, leaving the vintage vehicle to sit even closer to the ground than it already had. “Looks like I’m driving.”
Chapter Five
Olivia’s fingers were still trembling from the adrenalin rush when she reached the Children of the Lamb Church on Western. She hadn’t been on patrol in years and working cold cases rarely brought her in contact with armed thugs. Her blood thrummed in her ears, her pulse hammered and she wanted to go for a long run.
When Isaac had left her to take Nathan and Remy to the airport, she had been mildly annoyed. Not at being left to deal with their attackers—she had everything under control. In fact, Gabriel’s stunt had been a jolt of hope she might actually get a break in her case. Later, she would interrogate the two of them and see what interesting morsels of information she could gather. But she didn’t want Nathan to leave. Not yet. He’d given her the first glimpse of what Stacy could offer. She was convinced there was even more there, just waiting to picked from the girl’s memories.
Almost as annoying as losing her best chance at getting to Stacy was having her breakfast with Isaac interrupted. A part of her liked something about him. He was full of himself, though according to his record he pretty much had a right to be. But his fierce loyalty to his ex-partner was commendable. If she tossed in the fact that he wasn’t hard on the eyes, and he invited her to another breakfast at Scramblers, she probably wouldn’t turn him down. She wouldn’t tell him that, though. Forget the fact that his ego was big enough already. She wouldn’t risk looking a fool in case she’d read his interest wrong.
He’d instructed her to meet him at the station once she finished with Rico. Instructed . She had planned to suggest the same thing so she didn’t mind agreeing, but being ordered like she was some kind of cadet still chafed. They were a team now. Equals. She refused to let him bully her into submission like he probably did everybody else at the station. They were on the brink of something here. Nobody was going to ruin it for her, especially Isaac McGuire.
Because Gabriel was running scared now. Somehow, some way, they had spooked him. Why? An open hit with all the finesse of an amateur was a definite sign of fear. What did he want them to avoid finding? What was the Silver Maiden? What was the secret worth killing for? And how close were they to discovering it? She rolled that over in her mind as she pulled up in front of the church.
The white building hadn’t begun life as a church. It had been a house once. She used to drive by it every morning on her way to school and there would always be a fat hairy man in a grimy wifebeater, a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, with two kids and three dogs playing at his feet. They weren’t quite a picture of domestic bliss. The man always looked like he was on a hair trigger and the dogs and kids all flinched if he lifted his hand. It made her wonder what happened to them when there weren’t any witnesses. But one morning they were gone and a sign welcoming the Children of the Lamb congregation had replaced the lawn chair.
Rico Vargas waited for her on the front porch, a cross the size of a soda can hanging from a thick gold chain around his neck. His face didn’t match his age. His eyes had seen too
“This is all courtesy of Gabriel. The guy Olivia’s got cuffed gave it up. Someone’s itching for you to stay very far from Argentina.”
“Oh, Christ,” Nathan muttered. He looked over Isaac’s shoulder and his eyes widened. “My car! What the fuck did they do to my car?”
When Nathan bolted past him, Isaac turned and followed the same path Nathan’s gaze had just taken. All four tires of the Mustang had been slashed, leaving the vintage vehicle to sit even closer to the ground than it already had. “Looks like I’m driving.”
Chapter Five
Olivia’s fingers were still trembling from the adrenalin rush when she reached the Children of the Lamb Church on Western. She hadn’t been on patrol in years and working cold cases rarely brought her in contact with armed thugs. Her blood thrummed in her ears, her pulse hammered and she wanted to go for a long run.
When Isaac had left her to take Nathan and Remy to the airport, she had been mildly annoyed. Not at being left to deal with their attackers—she had everything under control. In fact, Gabriel’s stunt had been a jolt of hope she might actually get a break in her case. Later, she would interrogate the two of them and see what interesting morsels of information she could gather. But she didn’t want Nathan to leave. Not yet. He’d given her the first glimpse of what Stacy could offer. She was convinced there was even more there, just waiting to picked from the girl’s memories.
Almost as annoying as losing her best chance at getting to Stacy was having her breakfast with Isaac interrupted. A part of her liked something about him. He was full of himself, though according to his record he pretty much had a right to be. But his fierce loyalty to his ex-partner was commendable. If she tossed in the fact that he wasn’t hard on the eyes, and he invited her to another breakfast at Scramblers, she probably wouldn’t turn him down. She wouldn’t tell him that, though. Forget the fact that his ego was big enough already. She wouldn’t risk looking a fool in case she’d read his interest wrong.
He’d instructed her to meet him at the station once she finished with Rico. Instructed . She had planned to suggest the same thing so she didn’t mind agreeing, but being ordered like she was some kind of cadet still chafed. They were a team now. Equals. She refused to let him bully her into submission like he probably did everybody else at the station. They were on the brink of something here. Nobody was going to ruin it for her, especially Isaac McGuire.
Because Gabriel was running scared now. Somehow, some way, they had spooked him. Why? An open hit with all the finesse of an amateur was a definite sign of fear. What did he want them to avoid finding? What was the Silver Maiden? What was the secret worth killing for? And how close were they to discovering it? She rolled that over in her mind as she pulled up in front of the church.
The white building hadn’t begun life as a church. It had been a house once. She used to drive by it every morning on her way to school and there would always be a fat hairy man in a grimy wifebeater, a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, with two kids and three dogs playing at his feet. They weren’t quite a picture of domestic bliss. The man always looked like he was on a hair trigger and the dogs and kids all flinched if he lifted his hand. It made her wonder what happened to them when there weren’t any witnesses. But one morning they were gone and a sign welcoming the Children of the Lamb congregation had replaced the lawn chair.
Rico Vargas waited for her on the front porch, a cross the size of a soda can hanging from a thick gold chain around his neck. His face didn’t match his age. His eyes had seen too
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