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“Easy, girl,” he says, smirking. “It was only a kiss. If you want—”
“No, idiot, look!” I point as the man walks smoothly down the steps and onto the sidewalk.
He’s tall. Broad. Dark eyes. Bald head. Wearing simple jeans and a polo shirt like he’s heading to a work lunch. He’s wearing a black backpack and walking with purpose.
It’s Burian. There’s no doubt in my mind.
“That’s him?” Lanzo asks with some reverence in his tone.
“That’s definitely him,” I say, sure beyond a doubt.
Lanzo lets out a long breath as Burian climbs into a black SUV.
“Well, we’d better follow him then.”
Chapter36
Renata
So much for not finding anything.
Lanzo keeps a couple cars back. Burian takes a winding route, doubling back to the apartment building, then heads along a few alleys. “Trying to make sure nobody’s tailing him.” Lanzo frowns with concentration.
“He knows we’re back here?”
Lanzo shakes his head. “This is typical stuff. He probably does this every time he leaves the apartment. I’m betting he knows the feds know where he’s staying and just doesn’t care. He probably thinks they wouldn’t risk the lives of their agents. And he was right.”
“But he didn’t bet the feds would talk to us.” Nervous energy builds in my core.
“That’s his mistake,” Lanzo says, eyes hard with concentration.
I want to ask him more, but I keep my mouth shut, swallowing all my questions. Lanzo weaves the car after Burian, skipping some alleys, hurrying around side streets to catch up. We nearly lose him more than once, but eventually, Burian pulls into the parking lot of a boring strip mall.
Lanzo circles the block twice before following. The SUV is parked toward the back of the lot, but Burian’s nowhere nearby.
“Where did he go?” I ask, squinting at the storefronts. There’s a cafe, a sporting goods store, a Mexican place, a pizza place, and a dollar store. Only one shop front is empty, the windows boarded over. A faded sign readsToy-a-palooza.
“Can’t say for sure, but I have a bet.” Lanzo stares at the abandoned toy store. He parks in the middle of the lot, surrounded by other cars, but leaves the engine running. Cool air blasts from the AC.
“What’s he doing in that place?”
“It’s smart, actually. If the former owner passed away, or at least if the owners don’t live in this area anymore, nobody’s going out there to check on that space. Maybe the landlord, but it doesn’t look like they’re trying to rent it.”
“He’s got those FBI agents inside, doesn’t he?” I cover my mouth. “Oh my god. He’s torturing people inside a freakingtoy store.”
“I know, it’s some Batman super-villain shit.” Lanzo crosses his arms, staring at the shops. “This is the hard part though. If I’m wrong and we break in there, Burian will realize we’re onto him and move. Hell, if we’re right and break in there, it still might be a trap.”
“What are the chances of that?”
“Hard to say exactly.” He leans forward. “But I don’t want to find out.”
“What, then? We do nothing?”
“We wait.” He frowns into the distance, falling into silence.
I watch the store along with him, trying not to think about the people inside. Those are real humans, with lives, interior worlds, with loves and hopes and dreams. One of them has no fingers. He’s probably dead. The other likely isn’t going to be alive for much longer. No matter what happens, this is a nightmare. Plain and simple, a nightmare.
“We should call Craig.” The words leave my mouth before I think about them. Lanzo scowls at me, clearly not happy with my suggestion, but I push forward. “He’s got resources we can use. If Burian’s in there, instead of trying to sneak in alone, you could go in there with a dozen FBI agents.”
