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He fully intended to ensure that the Feds followed the warrant to the absolute letter of the law. The vibration in his pocket startled him from his musings.
Hunter answered his phone without checking the display, expecting it to be either Duke with information or Kendall telling him to meet him at the gate. “Yes.”
“Hey, Hunter, do you know where Dylan is?” This was not even remotely who he expected a call from.
“Gabriel?”
“Yeah. Sorry to call so late, but Dylan’s phone is either shut off or he’s ignoring it, and I need to ask him something. Do you know where he is?” Gabriel Wallace owned the auto shop where Dylan worked. Truthfully, he didn’t have to work, but he enjoyed fixing cars too much to quit. Gabriel’s shop gave him the privilege of being an anonymous mechanic instead of a wealthy bored playboy.
Hunter closed his eyes. “No. Not exactly. But I’ll relay a message, the next time I see him, if you’d like.”
“Okay. He called one of the guys out to pick up a vehicle down the road from the Trail’s End Tavern. Black sedan with a flat tire.”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Well, yeah. There isn’t any car broken down on either side of the road anywhere ten miles in either direction of the bar.”
“What?”
“We can’t pick up what isn’t there. Or is this some sort of childish prank? Because I’m not in the mood.”
“It’s not a joke. I’m not sure I understand the car not being there. Is it possible someone else picked it up? And who could have?”
“No one around here. The next closest place for twenty-four-hour tow service is about a hundred and fifty miles east of us.”
“Right. Well, I’ll give Dylan the message whenever he turns up. Sorry you went out there for nothing.”
“Oh, it wasn’t for nothing. Tell Dylan, I’m charging him full price for the after-midnight call. Which is double the normal rate, by the way.” Gabriel laughed. “And no employee discount either.”
“Right. I’ll tell him. Talk to you later.” Curious. Had her car been stolen? That was a piece of news he didn’t look forward to sharing. She’d had enough bad news for awhile.
Hunter hung up the phone and pondered his next step. He was very bothered by the fact that Lilianna’s car was missing and the limited means by which that could have happened.
Did the loan shark after her have the ability to remove her broken-down car so quickly? And if so, what else did he have the capability to do?
An unexpected federal warrant for Lilianna suddenly sounded like a big fat coincidence and something Hunter hardly believed was probable in this case. His gut roiled as all sorts of conspiracy theories battered around in his brain.
The house phone rang. Kendall told him to get to the entrance by way of the tunnel. He’d suspended the operation of the gate into their compound until the warrant was served and verified.
Hunter quickly walked to the outer perimeter and met Kendall by the gate security box.
“Do you know what the fuck this is all about? It’s nearly two o’clock in the morning. And way past my bedtime, by the way.”
“Not exactly sure.”
“What do you know?”
“I know that this warrant sounds suspicious.” Hunter’s gut was working overtime in the mistrust department.
“Okay. Then who is Lilianna Brenner?”
“A woman.”
Kendall sighed deeply and said sarcastically, “I’d already deduced that, thanks.” Then he asked, “What do the Feds want with her?”
“Not exactly sure,” he said once more. Hunter wasn’t typically chatty when it came to giving out information of any kind. Kendall should already be aware of this fact, so he didn’t feel guilty or elaborate.
“Maybe I should call Clay. He could find out what this is about. And certainly faster than you’re willing to tell me.”
“Maybe you should.” Hunter had been acquainted with Kendall’s brother Clay from way back in a long-ago past. Clay was a stand-up guy and had many very knowledgeable connections. One in particular was a good friend in the FBI. Hunter wouldn’t be opposed to getting information from Clay, but he would never initiate such a conversation himself.
