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“You don’t understand. They’ll kill me if they ever find out.”
“They’ll kill you if they find out what you did last year. You took me to his house, Diego.”
“You had a gun to my head.”
I laugh, but it’s for show. I don’t enjoy bullying men like this. Weak and pathetic and defenseless. Even when they deserve it, it leaves a bad taste. “Do you think that will make any difference to them?”
He leans forward, lowers his voice, then gives me a name. Antonio Romero.
“I don’t recognize it,” I tell him.
“Up-and-comer,” Diego says, “but he’s been bragging all over town. He’s going to find the famous crypto wallet and give it to the Gutierrez family as a sign of his loyalty. Word is he’s holding some woman for ransom.”
“Very talkative for a narco.”
“Like I said, an up-and-comer. He will be gone soon.”
“You might be right, Diego,” I reply. “You said he’s been braggingaround town. Where, exactly?”
“Listen, man—”
“Where?”
He swallows and gives me another name, this one of a bar.
I stand and turn, popping my neck from side to side. There’s a violent feeling gripping me, slowly seeping over my body, into my bones, like a call to war—a call to do whatever it takes to make this right. I can’t let them hurt Simone. Her daughter would never want me then—couldnever want me if I let her mom die.
Leaving the bar, I get into my car and drive for roughly ten minutes, taking the quieter roads until I come to another cartel bar. I don’t even know what Antonio Romero looks like, dammit. I need to do some prep. Get his appearance.
Yep, I’m a jackass. I was so damn concerned with my hard-on when I left Lena in the apartment and eager to get away from her, I didn’t bring my laptop, which is my lifeline with all the governmental databases a man could need.
I can’t just walk in there and hope I run into him. Dropping his name might work over a sting, with some time, but it will look too obvious. Plus, there’s the obvious fact I’m visibly not a cartel member.
I’ll have to drive home and return here. If I could avoid wasting that time, I would. If only there were somebody back in my apartment who could… She’s motivated, clearly, and it’s not like it would be complicated. I could use the voice password so she won’t be able to reaccess the laptop.
I sigh and take out my cell phone.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Lena
I almost run to the phone when it starts to ring. It’s cordless, sitting on a small table near the tall window in the kitchen. I quickly answer it. My chest is getting tight again. My mind is filled with ugly, twisted images of Mom.
“Hello? Mom?”
“It’s me.” Jamie’s voice is grim, making me think the worst. “I haven’t found your mom yet.” I sigh, unsure if that’s a good or a bad thing. “But I need your help. I have a laptop. It’s in the left drawer of the TV unit. I need you to get it for me.”
“What’s happening?” I ask.
“Just get the—”
“Iam,” I tell him. “Your apartment’s huge. I’m walking, all right? You can tell me what’s happening in the meantime, right?”
I expect him to call mefieryagain. He says, “I’ve got word from an associate in the cartel world that a man called Antonio Romero has got Simone. I need to learn more about him. Have you got the laptop?”
Opening the drawer, I take out the laptop. Or, rather, the small briefcase. It’s one of those military-grade laptops I’ve seen on TV shows before. It doesn’t seem like something a drug kingpin would have, and his friendly dog is throwing me off. I’ll have to ask about that later, not that he’ll tell me anything.
“Yes, booting it up now.” I set it on the coffee table and open it up, relieved I’ve been practicing using computers. We never had any at home, at least before the move. “I need a passcode.”
