Steve frowned, then perked up. “The park. I forgot. I got a message to be there.” Eyeing both dogs with wariness, Steve hustled over to a coffee table and picked a piece of paper. He offered it to Colt. “I’m not showing my face there. Or anywhere. I’m afraid he knows I told you where Opal was. I haven’t left my apartment in days.”
Maren shared a glance with Colt. This was his CI after all. “What do you think we should do?”
Colt seemed to contemplate the question, and then to Steve, he said, “Pack a bag. You’re coming with us.”
Maren raised her eyebrows. “And just where is he going to sit?”
Colt’s mouth stretched into a mischievous smile. “With the dogs, of course.”
Maren pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. The image of Steve hunkered down into the back of the dog compartment with Haven and Rusk was comical. But she wasn’t sure that would be appropriate. They wouldn’t want to be accused of mistreating him. “Can you contact someone in the DEA and have them pick him up and taken to a safe house?”
Clearly feigning disappointment, Colt shrugged. “Yeah, that’s plan B. They’ll also do a sweep of the place.”
Maren shook her head and couldn’t keep the small smile from breaking through. She hadn’t considered Colt might have a sense of humor.
“You two got to believe me, if anybody sees you here—” He made a cutting gesture with his finger across his throat.
Thinking of the two teenagers who had been in the hallway when they stepped out of the stairwell, Maren said, “It may be too late to keep our visit a secret. We should call for a police presence. We’ll arrest you. That way we can take you out without any hassle.”
“That’s a brilliant plan.” Colt stepped forward, pulling Steve’s arms behind his back and handcuffing him.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Steve protested.
“Do you want to make the call?” Colt asked Maren.
“If Shadow does have somebody in the police department, it’d be better if you reach out to your agency,” she said.
“Copy.” Colt stepped away and made the call. He returned and said, “Fifteen minutes out.”
“That fast?” Maren said.
“Apparently a team raided a warehouse not far from here,” Colt said. “They’re wrapping up. A few arrests and some drugs confiscated.”
Maren’s pulse jumped. “Shadow?”
“Hard to say since nobody knows what he looks like.” Colt looked at Steve speculatively. “But you can identify him.”
“We need you to give a description,” Maren said.
Steve shook his head. “Naw, man. He always wears a mask. He don’t want no one to see his face.”
Could one of the masked men who’d run her off the road have been Shadow? Maren tried to remember the height and build of the man who’d broken out her car window, but all she could see when she thought back to that moment was the business end of an automatic weapon. “Have you heard any rumors about Shadow being hurt?”
Steve shook his head. “Like I said, I haven’t poked my head out in days.”
“Do you know his real name?” Colt asked.
Steve scoffed. “Only those in the inner circle know. Maybe.”
Frustration beat a steady rhythm in Maren’s brain.
“While we’re here, let’s have the dogs search the place,” Colt said.
“Man, this is bogus,” Steve said. “You got no cause.”
Maren pointed a finger at him. “You’d rather we leave you to Shadow?”
Steve blanched. “No.” He gave a resigned sigh. “Whatever.”
