“I tell you what. I’ll come see you guys once we get through this. Right now, we feel like we’re about to get our shit rocked. All of us on lockdown is not pretty. We’re all twitchy and getting bitchy.”
Oh, they bet.
When Rogue cleared his throat, he told them the bad news.
“No-go on our end. That’s an extensive list of mercenaries and their contacts. It didn’t pop for us. It’s likely a burner.”
Well, shit.
That was a strike against them. Now, they needed the names on the list to be valid—and helpful.
“Do you have a way to trace location? MATE is still working on it.”
He shook his head.
That was strike two on that phone number that had been in the dead minister’s phone.
Well, shit.
The boss knew what that meant.
“We’re going to have to interrogate the people involved to see if we can get a lead,” Maura stated. “I can feel it in my gut.”
No one argued that.
Gene sighed.
“It’s still shitty that we might not get to this guy. He’s really had a long time to plan this out. Twenty years, or so, is a big time frame to lay hidey-holes all over the place.”
Yeah, it really was, but if he was in deep, that was a definite possibility.
Gene was curious.
“Since the people trying to poison and blow us up is a no-go, yet, how about this? Have you by any chance heard of any Mercenaries doing high-paying jobs inCorpus Christi, and DC in the last day or two? They are the ones who took out the people helping Devon set up the crime scenes. We think he was training accomplices.”
Rogue looked up.
“Uh, yeah, actually, I have. There were high-dollar hits called out stateside. Do you think that’s connected?”
Everyone looked over at Rogue.
“What?” he asked. “My wife is a Snake. She is always checking out jobs. I then have to throw sex at her to distract her. Don’t judge me.”
Zayn went there.
“I knew you had to tie the lady down. That seems like your MO, Playboy. No self-respecting lady is falling for your shit. Jinxy tolerates you because she’s easily amused.”
At that, he flipped him off.
“Remember when you were making dress cutouts for Stella’s picture, you pussy?” he asked, referring to the first time they all saw Stella being held hostage for ransom.
It had been their first case.
When he opened his mouth, Maura stopped him.
“Zayn Ezekiel Thomas Richard Thundercloud. Don’t do it!”
The man laughed.
