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She all but rolled her eyes.
“Do you know what information Ryley has?” she asked casually, changing the subject. Ryley hadn’t called while she’d been in the bar, but he had called her before she’d walked into Sloan’s and told her he couldn’t make it—to go in and have a drink, then meet him at the walking trail parking lot.
Diaz shrugged. “No, but he’d better have information on the agent who led the bust. I want to know who he is and where he sleeps at night.”
Anna nodded, suppressing the urge to smile.
It was rare that someone got one over Diaz.
She liked that Jackson had.
“Let’s see what Ryley has to say,” she said as Diaz pulled up at the walking trail parking lot. She wished she was alone, but the change in Ryley’s plans meant Diaz could now come with her. Part of her wished he’d dropped her off on the way home, but he hadn’t. She wondered if this was a test and she reminded herself to be very careful tonight. Diaz would be laying traps for everyone around him now, testing them, drawing out anyone using information he “leaked to them.” She knew this game.
She pressed her hand against the pistol in her concealed jacket pocket, double-checking it was still there, then opened the door. She felt like a superhero every time the scissor doors opened. But, if this had been a movie, she would be the villain, not the hero of the story.
She was fine being the villain, though, because it was not forever. She was going to start over when this was done and leave her villain behind.
Diaz motioned for her to walk ahead on the narrow path.
Once they walked into the trees and turned the corner near the large boulders, she felt the cool press of metal to the back of her head.
“What the—” she said, a cold spike running through her body.
“Ryley never called,” Diaz said coldly from behind her.
“You’ve lost your damn mind!” she said.
“You think you can play me? I made you who you are, and I will put you six feet under before you can blink, you stupid whore,” Diaz growled.
She prepared herself, ready for attack. Her pulse was racing, thumping in her ears. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Diaz, man, what’s going on?” Ryley asked as he walked toward them.
Anna almost fainted with relief when he stepped out and she felt Diaz’s grip loosen.
She reached for her weapon, aiming it at Diaz. But when she saw the confusion in Diaz’s eyes, she knew he wasn’t going to pull the trigger. Ryley was there.
“Diaz... Anna... Let’s put the weapons down, shall we?” he suggested, his eyes nervously darting between them.
“Did you call her tonight?” Diaz asked, his eyes landing on Ryley’s.
"Yeah, I had a change in plans. What else was I supposed to do?” Ryley responded, confused.
Diaz closed his eyes ever so briefly and muttered something under his breath. When he reopened them, his eyes were softer, almost apologetic—the closest thing to an apology she would ever get from Diaz.
She lowered her weapon and he lowered his.
“Okay, let’s talk business,” Ryley said.
ANNA
“Anna, the envelope you have contains a full profile on the agent, including his personal details such as bank accounts and properties. The properties are located in Redwater. I’m still working on his residence here in Oradale. Regardless, I’m not willing to send any of this via email or group chats. We don’t know how far this breach has extended, or whose phones or emails have been—or will be—hacked. For now, we keep this offline.”
He looked between them, less nervously now, and waited until they nodded in agreement before continuing.
“Diaz,” Ryley continued, “the lead agent on this case is new to the FBI, but he’s no rookie. He’s been a cop for years and was involved in the Redwater serial-killer case. You said you thought he looked familiar and wondered if he’d been following you for some time. I don’t think so—it’s more likely you recalled seeing him on the news. That case made headlines and he was recruited by the Feds at that point. He’s unmarried, no children, and he’s very motivated. His brother was a junkie and died a few years back, which is probably why he jumped at the chance to join the narcotics team. But, he may be more motivated to take you down than we realize. His brother was buying from Snake. He was the one the police found with a gunshot wound to his back.”
Anna’s eyes shot to Diaz’s. His jaw locked and his eyes hardened.
