“That’s good for us.” She blinked her eyes and silently prayed her vision cleared soon. “Maybe Pablo Hernandez will show up. We can get photos of him and Cargo Shorts #2 for your DEA buddy.”
“Yeah.” Jarek was silent for several long moments. It seemed like forever before she was able to see clearly again. She wanted to snatch the binocs back to take over but forced herself to be patient. “Hey, I think someone’s coming.”
“Do you think I could take a look at the newcomer?” She blinked again, grateful she could see.
“Just a sec. Let me make sure he’s the one Cargo Shorts #2 is waiting for.” Another seemingly endless moment later, he said, “Okay, for sure this guy is going into the warehouse. It’s strange, though, he doesn’t look like a gangbanger. He’s a white guy in his mid- to late-thirties. And he has a large dog with him.”
“That is strange.” She’d fully expected Pablo Hernandez to be the one in charge. “Do you think he was on one of the boats we saw earlier?”
“He doesn’t look familiar to me.” Jarek finally handed her the binoculars. “See what you think.”
She lifted the binoculars to her eyes and focused them on the warehouse. The man Jarek had mentioned stood with his back to her. At his side, there was a large black and brown dog. She wasn’t an expert on breeds, but this animal was huge and looked like a cane corso. She loved animals but sensed this was a dog she did not want to tangle with.
The two men started to argue. Straining to listen, she continued watching the newcomer, wishing he’d turn enough that she could get a good look at his face.
The argument was about the product that wasn’t yet in the warehouse. Di assumed the assailant she’d taken out was supposed to have done the delivery. As she wondered about how to use that to her advantage, the man turned.
Eddie Ross? Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. No, it couldn’t be. She’d killed her stepfather. Then she realized exactly who he was. Eddie Ross Junior. Also known as Buck.
Her stepbrother.
Di swayed, placing a hand on the brick wall of the doorway to steady herself. Di was never woozy, so Jarek was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you dizzy? Is your head injury worse?”
“No.” Her voice was so soft he could barely hear her. She thrust the binoculars at him, then dragged a shaky hand through her hair. Another display of nerves he’d never seen from her. “I know the new guy. He goes by Buck. Last I knew of him, he lived in Brooklyn.”
“You know him?” For some reason, that shocked him. “How? Did you meet him back when you infiltrated the gang?” Another thought hit. “Is he that boyfriend you mentioned?”
“No.” She didn’t look at him, but her expression was full of shock intermixed with dread. “I—need to think about this. I shouldn’t be so surprised to discover Buck is involved in the drug business, but I hadn’t anticipated this.”
Di’s uncertainty was worrisome. She was always in charge, never backing down from any challenge. He reached out to grasp her arm. To his surprise, she leaned against him as if needing strength. “We’ll get him.”
“Yeah.”
Jarek turned to look back at the warehouse. He wished he knew if Buck had outstanding warrants so he could flash his badge and arrest him. Why had he left the laptop in the rental house? He should have brought it along.
Maybe he could arrest him without worrying about outstanding warrants. They knew drugs were in the coffee boxes. Granted, that was knowledge that had been gained from an illegal search at the port authority.
Was the argument about the missing product enough probable cause to arrest both men? He hesitated, weighing his chances on convincing the upper brass.
A low growling sound caught his attention. Even without the binoculars, he could see the dog’s large block head had turned toward them. Had the canine heard them whispering? Or caught their scent? Either way, it was not good.
“We need to get out of here,” he whispered.
Too late. The large black dog began to bark, drawing his owner’s attention.
“Split up,” Di hissed, then abruptly sprinted out of the doorway, heading south. That left him to head north, although leaving her side went against every one of his instincts.
“Rocco, get them!” a harsh voice commanded.
Jarek knew Buck had given the dog the command to give chase. If the black dog came after him, Di might have enough time to get away and to call for backup.
Then he realized that Buck ordering his dog, Rocco, to attack was all the probable cause he needed.
He abruptly stopped, turned, and pulled his weapon in a swift move. He half expected the dog to be on him, but the dog had gone after Di instead. He was about to announce that he was a police officer when the dog, with Buck’s help, grabbed Di. Buck spun her around, threw back his head, and laughed.
The deep guffawing sound caught Jarek off guard. Why was grabbing Di so funny? And why hadn’t she pulled her weapon?
“You need to drop the gun!” To Jarek’s horror, Buck held Di mostly in front of him so that they were facing each other. There was a solid thirty yards between them, maybe more, but he didn’t dare risk firing off a shot. Not when he could see that Buck held his weapon pressed against the side of Di’s temple. “Right now!”
