Chapter 9
A mixture of anger and fear swirled in Di’s gut as she tried to move past the way Jarek had pried into her past. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised he’d checked into her family, but she was. If he’d have asked her outright, she would have told him as little as possible.
But now he knew some of what she’d done.
Not the worst part, but he knew she’d been caught stealing.
Maybe she should feel guilty about the money she’d taken from tourists, but those days seemed like a long time ago.
At the time, she’d only done what was necessary.
Then she’d buried that part of her life in the deep recesses of her mind.
Besides, it wasn’t like she could go back in time to repay what she’d taken. In her mind, serving her country in the army was part of her restitution. Now that she was a civilian again, she made sure to donate to the food pantry on a regular basis.
Was that enough? Probably not.
Whatever. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t change anything. She needed to move forward from here. Although doubts assailed her. Agreeing to team up with Jarek had seemed like a good idea at the time.
Now she thought again that maybe it was time for her to move on, alone. The only thing holding her back was knowing Jarek was in danger now too.
“I understand you did what was necessary to survive, Di,” Jarek said in a low voice. “I don’t blame you for what happened. We’ve all sinned in one way or another. Don’t forget the way God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us and to forgive our sins.”
“I think we should head back to the warehouse.” She didn’t even try to be subtle about changing the subject.
She knew enough about the Ten Commandments to know “thou shall not steal” was one of them.
As was “thou shall not kill.” She’d broken two of the ten, probably others too.
Forgiveness wasn’t likely forthcoming, so it was better to stay focused on staying alive.
She gestured to the laptop. “I noticed you found another property that’s owned by the same LLC as the place we checked out earlier. ”
“I did, yes.” He took a step forward. She avoided his gaze.
“Great. I think we should reach out to Ray Bond and see what he and his partner know about the properties. Could be the warehouse is already on their radar.”
“That’s fine with me.” Jarek was being unusually cooperative. “Whatever you think is best.”
It would have been best if he hadn’t dug into her personal life, but harping on it would only lead to more questions that she had no intention of answering.
Good thing she hadn’t given in to her urge to confess her biggest crime. Based on Jarek’s response to her shoplifting, that would have been a giant mistake.
She pulled out her phone and found Ray Bond’s number. Her thumbs flew across the screen as she sent a text. Call if U have a sec.
Less than a minute later, her phone buzzed with Ray’s incoming call. She could feel Jarek’s curious gaze as she answered. “Hi, Ray, thanks for calling.”
“Anything for you,” he drawled.
She stifled the urge to roll her eyes. She’d already told him she wasn’t interested, but that hadn’t stopped his attempts to flirt.
Even if Ray wasn’t a cop, she wouldn’t be interested.
She wasn’t remotely attracted to him. Nothing like her keen awareness of Jarek.
She needed to get a grip. “Are there any properties that are on your radar as being used for drug shipments?”
“We shut one down shortly after we arrested Warren. It’s been boarded up.” His tone was all business now. “Why, do you know something different?”
“No, I don’t know anything. Just curious if there’s a building or a pier that you guys have been keeping an eye on.” She shook her head so Jarek would know that Ray wasn’t aware of any suspicious buildings being used. “You still suspect the drugs are coming in by boat, right?”
“Right. We’ve been using our resources to track some of the smaller vessels that are coming in and out of the city,” he explained. “It’s time-consuming, but we think that’s how the majority of the drugs are being brought in.”
She thought of the older model boat she’d searched without success. “Any particular boats that we should be looking for?”
There was a long pause before Ray answered. “I thought you and your buddy were going to stay off the radar.”
“We are staying off the radar, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep our eyes open for anything suspicious.” She swallowed a sigh. “It would be nice if you could let us know if you have someone of interest.”
“Every gang member in the city is of interest,” Ray said. “We have a snitch we’ve been working with, guy by the name of Ignacio Juarez. We’re meeting with him later tonight. We’re hoping to learn when the next drug shipment is due to arrive.”
“Okay. If you could let me know how that meeting with Juarez goes, I’d appreciate it. Later, Ray.” She ended the call before he could say anything more. “Does the name Ignacio Juarez mean anything to you?”
“Nope. Who is he?” Jarek asked.
“A snitch who is supposedly giving Ray Bond information on a drug delivery.” She frowned. “I’m not sure a snitch should be considered trustworthy.”
“I’ve never groomed one, but I’ve heard they can be useful.
Give me a minute to pull up Ignacio’s record.
” Jarek turned to the kitchen table and sat in front of the computer.
Her cheeks still burned at how she’d seen her name in the criminal database on his screen.
She did her best to ignore it as she crossed to the table to peer over his shoulder.
“Looks like our friend Ignacio has a criminal possession charge. Two of them,” he amended.
“Both within the past year. And it looks as if Ray Bond and his partner, Jeff Schnor, were the arresting officers.”
“Does that mean they dropped the charges in exchange for his cooperation?” She didn’t like that idea.
“These two charges went through, but if they caught him a third time, it’s possible they struck a deal with him.” Jarek glanced up at her. “Ignacio lives in an apartment building deep in gang territory. We might want to check it out. Could be that was the same place Stewey and Levine lived.”
“I’m game.” She took a step back, putting distance between them. This pull she felt for Jarek was ridiculous and needed to go away. “I just need a minute.”
“Take your time.” He closed the laptop. “There’s no rush.”
She headed back upstairs to her room. She stuffed a protein bar in her pocket in case she needed a snack later, then stood, staring out the window at the neighborhood for a long moment, pulling herself together.
Oddly, her gaze went to the blue sky. Was God real?
Was it possible He would forgive her sins?
She found it strange to be thinking along these lines. Faith was something other people had, not her.
But what if she was wrong? What if God was watching over her? What if it was possible that He would forgive her sins?
She must have stood there longer than she’d realized because a glimpse of movement outside caught her eye. She instinctively pulled her weapon and slid to the side of the window, half expecting bullets to shatter the glass. Peering carefully around the edge, she swept her gaze over the area.
Maybe kids were playing in a neighbor’s yard. She started to relax when she saw a man straighten behind a tree. The side angle enabled her to see him more clearly now. He was dressed in black and held a weapon in one hand.
Bold move on his part to be standing outside their rental in the daylight.
She couldn’t call out to Jarek because she’d opened the window two inches to let fresh air in. Swallowing a curse at her weakness against being closed in—so much for giving up swearing—she ducked and quickly crossed the room to head downstairs.
“Di, are you ready?” Jarek called as she crept down to the first floor.
“We need to get split up and head around back.” She kept her voice quiet but intense. She hadn’t opened any windows on the main level but worried their voices might carry regardless. “There’s a man with a gun hiding behind the oak tree watching the house.”
Jarek’s blue eyes widened, then narrowed. “We need to get out of here.”
“No, I think we need to split up and grab him. That’s the only way we’ll learn who he’s working for.” She moved to the window facing the backyard to pinpoint his location.
Nobody was there.
“Where did he go?” She sent Jarek a quick glance. “He was behind that tree, but now he’s gone.”
“That’s it. We’re leaving.” Jarek swept the computer under his arm and headed for the front door. “We’ll make a run for the car.”
She didn’t want to leave; she wanted to grab this guy and force him to talk! She knew she hadn’t imagined the gunman. Had he come to surveil the area? And if so, how had he known the location of their rental house?
After one last look around the backyard, she darted across the room to join Jarek. He waited near the door. When she joined him, he peeked out. After a long second, he pushed the door open and headed outside.
While Jarek headed for the rental car, she turned to cover their six, sweeping her weapon from one side of the house to another. Seeing nothing was frustrating. She walked backward, then turned at the last minute to duck into the vehicle.
They were backing out of the driveway when she saw the man racing toward them from the far side of the yard.
His weapon was up and pointed at them. She lowered her window, hoping to return fire, but Jarek cranked the wheel and hit the gas.
They sped down the street before the gunman could get a shot off.
“Did you get a good look at him?” Jarek demanded.
“No.” She twisted in her seat to look behind them, making sure he wasn’t following. “He must have had second thoughts about firing at us in broad daylight.”
“Small blessings,” Jarek muttered. “The real question is how he located us at the rental house.”