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He had promised to keep her safe. He remembered that. As they drove to Johnny’s, he had promised her that nothing would happen. They were just going to let him know they were onto him, make him mess up. Everything was going to be just fine.
He should have known better. God help him, he should have figured out a year ago that he couldn
’t tempt fate that damned far. He should have known Johnny had an accomplice. Someone close to Dawg. Someone who had somehow figured out he was working with the ATF.
That someone was Jim Bedsford. Ex-military with contacts that Dawg was certain extended into the law enforcement community. Jim had been involved with Special Forces and deep cover investigations during his time in the Army.
“Someone messed up on this one,” he commented as though he weren’t imagining drawing someone’s blood for the mess-up. Particularly Cranston’s.
“We have her covered, Dawg,” Cranston assured him, not for the first time. “We have a tracker on Alex’s vehicle as well as that purse we found in Grace’s house. His tail verified he left the house by the back door dressed as Crista, and he’s driving Alex’s car. We won’t lose him. ”
Surveillance video on the detention center had managed to identify the car Johnny had been using to visit his buddies. Alex’s car was supposed to be locked in the unattached garage behind the house he and Crista had grown up in. Johnny had her house keys and the keys to that garage and to the car.
“Do you know how many different ways I’m going to kill you if you do, Cranston?” Dawg asked him softly.
Cranston cleared his throat uneasily. “I don’t have a worry, Dawg. We have it covered. ”
“Grace just turned off the highway and headed up a hunters’ road to the lake,” Greta Dane reported. She pulled up a map on the laptop she held on her lap, the moving red dot indicating the car Johnny was driving.
“Natches, are you getting this?” Dawg asked over the speaker line set on his cell phone.
“I have it here, Dawg,” Natches said softly. “He’s heading toward the old Bridgeland hunting cabin. I’ll circle around and get in place. Don’t worry, Bro. I’ll cover her. ”
Dawg heard the complete unemotional determination in Natches’s voice and felt the tight knot of fear begin to uncoil in his belly. Natches’s loyalty was unquestioned, as was his ability with the rifle Dawg knew he kept close by.
“I’m heading there,” Dawg told him. “Don’t take any chances, Natches. I don’t care if Bedsford and Johnny both lose gray matter. Keep Crista safe for me. ”
“No fears, Bro. ”
Dawg knew that tone of voice. There was every chance in the world that Bedsford and Johnny would end up with a bullet in the head anyway.
“Natches, you follow fucking orders,” Cranston snapped out furiously as he flicked Dawg an enraged glare in the rearview mirror. “We need those two alive. ”
The call disconnected.
“Damn it, Dawg,” the special agent snarled. “If those two end up dead, I’ll take it out of your hide. ”
“If those two end up dead, I won’t lose a single night’s sleep over it,” Dawg growled in return.
“Don’t fuck with me, Cranston. You knew Bedsford was involved in this, and you didn’t deign to tell any of us. And don’t bother denying it. ”
It had taken Dawg a few minutes to put it together, and if he hadn’t known Cranston as well as he did, he wouldn’t have suspected it. But he did know Cranston. Throw a wild card in the mix, and he was killer-cold. Cranston wasn’t cold. If he wasn’t driving, he would be rubbing his hands together in glee.
“How did you figure out Bedsford was involved in this?”
Cranston cursed under his breath. “He’s related to the dead transport driver, Private Dwayne Stockton. There were cell phone calls to Bedsford in the weeks before he was killed. ”
“And I didn’t know this why?” Dawg had to force the words past his lips and his hand off his weapon.
“Because he was working for you, and I decided to wait before informing you of the fact. ”
Son of a bitch. “You thought I was involved. ”
“I didn’t believe you were involved, but I had to be certain. By the time I was certain, Miss Jansen was involved, and I had to decide the best way to handle it. I handled it by watching your back and hers until I knew what was going on. ”
“The van is turning off,” Dane said softly. “Natches has directed our men in front of him using an alternate route. Grace is in place, and Natches has him in sight. ”
“Turn right at the next road,” Dawg directed them, hating the thought of losing sight of Crista in that damned van. “The next road will keep us parallel to him and put us in place to move on foot to the cabin. ”
