done talking.
“Is it the Silver Maiden?” It was a shot in the dark, but something whispered in the back of her head that it wasn’t such a bad one. “Is the coin feeding his obsession?”
Rico narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about that?”
“Somebody mentioned it.”
Now he looked almost relieved. “I don’t know what to think of that shit. I mean, Gabriel was always so focused. Right on point. Except when that stupid coin was involved. One time I got a look at his books. He sends more money to Argentina than he keeps here in LA! He was always going on about how important it was to protect our own and whatnot. Real motivational speaker, except meanwhile he’s bleeding his banks for who knows what in South America.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I think he was looking for it.”
“It?”
“You know. The Silver Maiden. Are you even listening to me?”
She was, but she was also hearing Isaac’s voice, explaining why she had to trust Remy. Because she’d faced Gabriel down and walked away. All because she’d turned over something he wanted.
“Things have gotten so weird since this summer that sometimes I wonder if he found it.” Rico shook his head. “That coin is the Devil’s own work.”
“How can a coin be the devil’s work? It’s just a collector’s item, isn’t it?”
“Gabriel isn’t a good guy. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I knew I needed to get away from Gabriel. But man, he scares me. And not because of the violence. He’s sick.”
Olivia frowned. “Do you mean he’s mentally ill?”
“I mean this Silver Maiden…it’s consuming him. It was consuming him two years ago. There’s probably nothing left now.”
And that scared her more than anything else.
She expected Isaac’s desk to be meticulous. Everything from the way he conducted business to the way his tie matched his socks suggested it. So the array of plastic and wire strewn across its surface took her by surprise. She settled in the seat opposite him.
“This is why people buy those rubber stress balls.” She gestured toward the mess. “Less collateral damage.”
He didn’t rise to her bait. Any amusement she might have had about his predicament vanished. “The bug was in my phone.”
Ouch . A professional like Isaac would take that hard.
“Well, I hope you have another one of those stashed away somewhere.” She kept her tone light. He didn’t need recriminations. Something told her he was an expert at doing that to himself already.
With a sigh, he picked up one of the larger pieces and turned it over and over between his fingers. “I’m getting a clean one from one of the tech guys. He salvaged my SIM card so at least I’m not losing my contacts. I just can’t figure out how the hell Gabriel even did it. Or how long it’s been going on. Or if this is why he’s always been one step ahead of me.”
“Have you swept your apartment yet?”
He shook his head. “I’m waiting on the gear from tech so I can go home and do that. Just to be safe, though, I’m doing Nathan and Remy’s place too. No more chances of fucking things up.” The plastic clattered where he tossed it back onto his desk. He leaned backward in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “It might be smart for you to have everything double-checked too. He heard Nathan telling me that he doesn’t think the girls are dead. He knows we’re on to him.”
“We’re on to him? What are we on to? Fill me in.”
The walls came slamming back up at her careful questions. The same walls went up every time she sensed there was something more for her to find out. It all came back to the Silver Maiden nobody really wanted to talk about.
“We know he’s got the girls somewhere. There’s no way he’d be running scared like this if he wasn’t trying desperately to cover something up.”
“Rico told me he’s seen the girls before. Gabriel treats them well.” Olivia leaned forward, her elbows resting on
“Is it the Silver Maiden?” It was a shot in the dark, but something whispered in the back of her head that it wasn’t such a bad one. “Is the coin feeding his obsession?”
Rico narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about that?”
“Somebody mentioned it.”
Now he looked almost relieved. “I don’t know what to think of that shit. I mean, Gabriel was always so focused. Right on point. Except when that stupid coin was involved. One time I got a look at his books. He sends more money to Argentina than he keeps here in LA! He was always going on about how important it was to protect our own and whatnot. Real motivational speaker, except meanwhile he’s bleeding his banks for who knows what in South America.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I think he was looking for it.”
“It?”
“You know. The Silver Maiden. Are you even listening to me?”
She was, but she was also hearing Isaac’s voice, explaining why she had to trust Remy. Because she’d faced Gabriel down and walked away. All because she’d turned over something he wanted.
“Things have gotten so weird since this summer that sometimes I wonder if he found it.” Rico shook his head. “That coin is the Devil’s own work.”
“How can a coin be the devil’s work? It’s just a collector’s item, isn’t it?”
“Gabriel isn’t a good guy. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I knew I needed to get away from Gabriel. But man, he scares me. And not because of the violence. He’s sick.”
Olivia frowned. “Do you mean he’s mentally ill?”
“I mean this Silver Maiden…it’s consuming him. It was consuming him two years ago. There’s probably nothing left now.”
And that scared her more than anything else.
She expected Isaac’s desk to be meticulous. Everything from the way he conducted business to the way his tie matched his socks suggested it. So the array of plastic and wire strewn across its surface took her by surprise. She settled in the seat opposite him.
“This is why people buy those rubber stress balls.” She gestured toward the mess. “Less collateral damage.”
He didn’t rise to her bait. Any amusement she might have had about his predicament vanished. “The bug was in my phone.”
Ouch . A professional like Isaac would take that hard.
“Well, I hope you have another one of those stashed away somewhere.” She kept her tone light. He didn’t need recriminations. Something told her he was an expert at doing that to himself already.
With a sigh, he picked up one of the larger pieces and turned it over and over between his fingers. “I’m getting a clean one from one of the tech guys. He salvaged my SIM card so at least I’m not losing my contacts. I just can’t figure out how the hell Gabriel even did it. Or how long it’s been going on. Or if this is why he’s always been one step ahead of me.”
“Have you swept your apartment yet?”
He shook his head. “I’m waiting on the gear from tech so I can go home and do that. Just to be safe, though, I’m doing Nathan and Remy’s place too. No more chances of fucking things up.” The plastic clattered where he tossed it back onto his desk. He leaned backward in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “It might be smart for you to have everything double-checked too. He heard Nathan telling me that he doesn’t think the girls are dead. He knows we’re on to him.”
“We’re on to him? What are we on to? Fill me in.”
The walls came slamming back up at her careful questions. The same walls went up every time she sensed there was something more for her to find out. It all came back to the Silver Maiden nobody really wanted to talk about.
“We know he’s got the girls somewhere. There’s no way he’d be running scared like this if he wasn’t trying desperately to cover something up.”
“Rico told me he’s seen the girls before. Gabriel treats them well.” Olivia leaned forward, her elbows resting on
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