The name rolls across my tongue silently. But as I walk to the table by the window, I let any thoughts of the small, attractive nymph go, needing to focus. Raul should be here any second.
I glance up and down the street outside, shrinking closer to the wall out of habit. I do not like the openness of this position, noting every vantage point on the surrounding rooftops. Though sniper fire doesn’t seem to be the standard MO of whomever I’m pursuing, I’m well aware that desperate times can call for desperate measures.
After all, I am a desperate man.
Finally, the door opens and a familiar face appears, Raul coming over to sit across from me. He doesn’t seem as uncomfortable as I would be sitting against the glass, a clear shot a boot camp soldier could make with a toy gun. He’s not stupid, so I decide he must feel safe here, in this café, this town, this country. A lucky man if he believes that to be true.
“What do you have—” I begin to ask, but he sets a piece of paper on the table between us, sliding it my way. Glancing down, I see it’s a check made out for the amount I paid to hire him.
“What’s this?” I say in confusion, angry flashes of light already sparkling in the periphery of my vision.
“Deal’s off. I did some digging, found out enough to know that you need to let this go. It’s too big, too bad. If you stay on this mission, you’ll wind up just as dead as she is. And while you might be willing to go that far, I’m not. Deal’s off.” His words are fast but firm.
And before I can argue, he’s up and walking away from me.
I jump up too, following him out the door. He said what he found scared him off, and I need to know what he discovered. Bad enough to give him second thoughts is probably exactly what I need and a sure sign I’m on the right path.
I chase after him, calling out, “Wait. Fucking tell me—” But he only moves a little faster. With my giant strides, I catch up, shoving him into an alleyway between two buildings. It’s a tight fit with my size, and I hold him against the crumbling brick wall, my hand at his throat. I’m not choking him, but I’m damn sure encouraging him to be still and cooperate.
He struggles, his fingers digging into my forearm futilely. “No, fuck, Kyle! You’re gonna get yourself killed and me along with you. Let it go, man. Let her go!”
I press a little tighter, lifting him up onto his tiptoes. “What did you find?”
He stutters a bit but finally starts talking. “Her boss. She was asking questions. She was the only one who knew him like that.”
I pound his back to the wall, refusing to accept what he’s saying. “It wasn’t like that. She was mine.”
He nods, his chin digging into my hand, but I don’t let go. “I know, but she—”
My vision goes red. How dare he insinuate something so grossly wrong about her. She would’ve never betrayed me that way. Though she did love her boss, it was more of a father-daughter relationship than anything else.
“Let it go. She’s dead. Anna’s dead,” he pleads.
But the words, especially her name on his dirty lips, flips a switch in my head, in my heart. And before I know it, I’m shaking him like a ragdoll, the pressure at his neck getting firmer and tighter until he slumps.
I drop him to the ground at my feet, hoping I haven’t killed him. I don’t need that hassle. “Fuck!”
I follow him down, searching his pockets and grabbing his phone to look for clues to what he might’ve found out and not wanted to tell me. I find a folded piece of paper with a name on it.
Nathan Stone.
I know that name, or least I knew Michael Stone. Anna’s boss. This is what Raul found, what scared him off. It has to be. I shove the paper into my pocket, pushing Raul to his side so he doesn’t choke if he vomits before he comes to. It’s not common, but some folks are weird when they regain consciousness.
It’s then I hear it . . .
A gasp.
I turn and it’s her. Carly. She’s standing at the entrance to the alley, her mouth wide open but her hands clasped over her lips.