confirmed that the rest disbanded on foot. They’re safe. Since we’re doing this undercover, I figured we’d want the locals out of our business just as much as we want the Feds to stay clear.”
“Good call. I tried reporting in but I got static on the line.”
“Everyone was getting only static. I’m willing to bet the police were trying to hack into whatever channel they could. Either that, or they were using jammers.”
“I bet they were.” Connor frowned and gnawed at his bottom lip.
Rodney nodded toward the truck. “Who is the woman sleeping in the car?”
“Her name’s Antonia. She and her brother have been working as couriers for Cobra. She was making a drop for them when the police raided the place.”
“Cobra?” The bridge of Rodney’s nose wrinkled and he frowned. “Never heard of it.”
“Me either. Must be some code name for whoever she’s working for.”
“Let me guess? You saved her ass so you could question her?”
“Kinda.”
“Kinda? Man, are you getting soft now?” The joking tone to Rodney’s voice faded and then changed into a more serious timbre.
“I think she knows more than I do. Heck, she probably knows more than any of us at this point.”
“Well, what does she know?” Rodney looked skeptical.
“That’s the thing…she claims she doesn’t know much.”
Rodney snorted. “Women lie. You said she had a brother?”
“He got caught up in the raid. Apparently, he made the first drop and she was to follow, but that’s when the cops started shooting up the place. Name’s Andrew. She’s been referring to him and worried about him all night long.”
“Something smells fishy about all this,” Rodney said slowly.
“You think?” Connor asked sarcastically. “The fucking bag she was carrying had a tracker embedded in it. If you haven’t heard already, the news stations will soon be airing a story about two dead men and a dead dog outside a service station. I’m pretty sure those that I killed came for that package she had.”
“Damn,” Rodney exclaimed. “Well, I already agreed to help with this mess, so I’m here to receive your next assignment, boss.”
“Research what you can about Cobra.” Connor handed over a gun. “This Luger belongs to Antonia. She said it was a gift from her brother, Andrew. See if you can trace it anywhere. Find out what you can about the brother, too. I’ll send along any clues as I receive them from her in case that triggers anything in the search.”
“Got it.”
“I’m going to put the woman on a boat with me and we’re heading into Caedmon territory. I need you to take the truck and dump it. We can’t leave it here by the lake. Too obvious. Get some of the guys to help you. You know where to find me when all of this has been done. Everything else is out of my hands. I’ll send word to both Alphas. These are Pack affairs now. More than likely, they will give the orders from here on out.”
CHAPTER TEN
“ A ntonia , did you hear me?”
Eleven year old Antonia looked at her center counselor, Ms. Sharon, and wrung her hands in her lap. “What does it mean?”
“We have a married couple with one little girl, age nine. They’re willing to adopt you, and if everything works out, they intend to make it official.”
Antonia turned her gaze away and looked out the window, which had a perfect view of the courtyard at the orphanage where some students were playing flag football. She was pulled out of the P.E. class by Ms. Sharon, and, of course, she was missing out on the fun.
“Aren’t you happy?” Ms. Sharon asked.
“I am, but…”
Ms. Sharon grabbed her hand. “But what, Antonia?”
“Will Andrew be able to come with me?”
“Antonia, the family is only interested in a pre-teen girl not much older than their daughter who is nine. Andrew still has a chance, too. Lot’s of families come in every day to adopt. Who knows…your brother may be next.”
Antonia frowned. “We don’t want to be
Zoey Derrick
B. Traven
Juniper Bell
Heaven Lyanne Flores
Kate Pearce
Robbie Collins
Drake Romero
Paul Wonnacott
Kurt Vonnegut
David Hewson