The tendrils grew colder and began to constrict further. “How do we figure out if he put something inside me?”
“We could try an MRI or some type of medical scan. Calder has access to those things. I’ll call him.”
Cruz stepped away to contact the medical examiner to see if they could bring her to the morgue.
Triumph put an arm around her shoulders when he saw her shiver. His body heat comforted her, as well as eased the tremors. “While you were sleeping, I got the drone surveillance on Guillermo from Midas. He’s already mobilized some of his men, and they appear to be heading to rendezvous with Cesar. It’ll take a couple of days, but it won’t be difficult for them to cross the border, given their connections.”
Wes said, “Wherever you decide to stash Glennon in the immediate future, you’ll need an alternate location once we determine how he’s tracking her. Keep her in the same place, and he’ll just find her anyway.”
Cruz returned to the group. “Calder’s on call tonight. When we get to San Antonio, we’ll head straight for the morgue. He says an X-ray alone should do the trick.”
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll put the two of you up at a hotel, then once we see what Calder finds, we’ll proceed from there.”
“If there’s a chip and we can get it out easily, or disable it, we can stay at Tripoli’s apartment over Elysium. It’s got my tech and Cosmos’ security systems protecting it. Nothing should get in there.”
“Yeah, we saw how that worked out with the McCabe brothers,” Cruz reminded him.
“We’ve improved things since then. They’re smart. Guillermo’s a hothead. Reacts without thinking. He’s unlikely to have our skills.”
“Either way, the six of us will help out as we can with keeping an eye on wherever you are until we can deal with Guillermo,” Wes promised. “You’ve got a lot of firepower here between the FBI, the highway patrol, SAPD, and the Rangers. Not to mention a sheriff we can probably finagle into helping out.”
Looking at his watch, Cruz clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “All right, lady and gentlemen, Chief Hammerling is supposed to meet us at customs. He’s going to expedite us through. Price of admission to the US of A, madam, is one cup of coffee with the director tomorrow,” he said, looking at Glennon and Triumph.
He caught Glennon’s eye, and she nodded. Luckily, during one of their chats in the gap, Triumph had prepared her for this eventuality. She didn’t like it, and it had been more than clear he didn’t either. He told her he’d support her if she said no, but she understood why the man wanted to meet with her. And all that had really been promised was to meet with him. She didn’t have to tell the man anything if she didn’t want to.
“I can do that. Francesca and Tripoli assured me he can be trusted.”
Not that she trusted the chief because of that. But the couple had been instrumental in helping her get back to the States, so she would meet with him for them.
“I can second that. And Francesca and I will be there, if you want us, just to be on the safe side.”
“I appreciate that,” she replied.
“Before she sees Hammerling, she needs to be checked out by a doctor.” Triumph’s tone told them he would not be denied on this.
Cruz nodded. “Calder would be happy to take a look tonight, I’m sure. Or tomorrow. He is a doctor, after all. If that’s it, then let’s get moving.”
DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING
Glennon
The whipping soundof an X-ray film snapping in her ear drew her sight outward as Calder Stonewall slapped it onto the light box and flipped the switch. “Say hello to my little friend.”
“Really?” Cruz asked.
The medical examiner shrugged. “As you can see, Glennon, aside from possibly the best posture I’ve ever seen in a spine, you have an uninvited guest.” With his pen, he pointed to a small blip on the back of her shoulder, directly under the tattoo that she’d gotten several years ago. A tattoo approved and paid for by Guillermo Colonel.
“Goddamn him,” she cursed. Hearing it was possible and seeing it was true were two completely different things. Why did this feel like so much more of a violation than everything else he’d done?
“Luckily, it’s up at the surface, so it’s easy to remove if you want. Some local anesthetic, a tiny incision, remove your hitchhiker, then two stitches to seal the deal.”
“Feeling a bit like a pincushion lately,” she groused.
“Yes, I saw. Whoever did your sutures has a good hand. You’ll scar because of the size of the wound, but it will be minimal.”
“I’ll make sure to leave him a great review online.”
Grinning, Calder turned to Cruz and Triumph. “I like her. She met Francesca yet? They’re gonna be hell on wheels together.”
