This car was the first I’d spotted out here.
I was clearing the car when Jake picked up my call.
I heard the music first.
“What’s up?”
Fucking hell. I was being too nice. We were not friends.
This was Ash’s fault. I liked when people were scared of me.
Now this. Now all this friendly attitude.
“You got a cop staking the house,” I snapped. “What the fuck are you guys doing?”
“What?” He pulled away from the phone and yelled, “Cave Man, hit the music. Any alarms going off?”
I could hear Ash asking, “Who is that?”
A thudding sound came over the phone, and his voice sounded even more distant. “It’s the boss. He’s saying there’s a cop watching the house.”
I could hear Ash’s voice murmur, but couldn’t make out the words.
“The perimeter alarms are flashing,” Cavers said. “I got eyes on the cop.”
I growled into the phone, “I need a name.”
And I waited.
There was murmuring from their end, and whatever that thud was seemed to be blocking Jake from hearing me.
“Fucking hell, Jake!”
“What?” That came from a distance, then another thud and his voice came back, clearer. “What’d you say, boss?”
“Whatever the fuck you just did, don’t ever do it again. I may not be able to kill you since Ash fucking cares about you, but I’ll put a goddamn bullet in your ass. You getting me now?”
“Yeah—I mean, yes, sir. Boss. That won’t ever happen again. What’d you say earlier?”
“I need the cop’s name. After that, get your guns and your ass outside. I’m flushing him up to you.”
“Cavers is looking him up. He says his name is Martinez.”
That’s all I needed. I hung up because my waning patience.
A cop on their front yard and they didn’t know?
I wanted to do damage, but fuck. Needed to deal with this first.
There was good coverage around the house and driveway with thick forest, but I cut through an abandoned field, working my way around. Veering closer to the driveway, but still hidden by the trees, I flashed a light toward the cop.
Any good cop would pull forward to find out what was going on, and he did.
He inched forward, keeping his headlights off, which was smart.
When he was closer, I flashed the light again, farther up the driveway but still in the woods. He turned in, inching forward.
If someone came to the house, the protocol was that Ash would get on the channel and listen. The guns would head out and surround. Jake and Cavers were waiting on the driveway—just standing there with guns in hands. They weren’t raised or aiming, they were holding them.
As soon as the front of the squad car hit the driveway, he got a clear view of them.
If he was going to call for backup, he would be doing that now, but he wasn’t.
Ash would’ve alerted us if he had been. Instead this guy paused, waiting, and I moved in behind him.
Then he shot forward in the driveway, turning his lights on. He let them shine on Jake and Cavers.
He was smart, which I knew from the file I had on him, but I wanted to know what had tagged us for him. He wouldn’t have driven in if he was here for anyone off the books. He was in his squad car, wearing his uniform, and he’d opened his car door and stood just behind it. His gun was drawn, but he kept it angled down a bit. He waited, scoping out Jake and Cavers.
I rounded behind him, right at his trunk. I could’ve rested against it if I wanted, but I held off, waiting to see how he’d start this conversation.
I didn’t wait long.
He raised his head. “I’m here for the girl.”
Jake and Cavers both saw me, both saw I was waiting.
I wanted Jake to talk to him, get information out of him.
Jake frowned, but took a step forward. He kept his voice friendly. “It’s my birthday tonight, and we were doing some celebratin’, so you’ll have to be more specific. What girl are you talking about?”
Barking erupted inside the house. Gus had gotten to the garage door and was clawing to get outside.
The cop straightened and almost took a step back, but instead he raised his gun. “I got a notice that a girl matching a missing person was seen in town. Got another tip that the same girl was shopping in the grocery store earlier this evening. And I’m standing here telling you I’m not leaving until I clear this girl.”
Just then, the screen door opened.
Ash stepped out, her face like stone as she came forward. “That girl looks like me?”
The cop’s shoulders sagged, and he nodded a couple times. “Yeah. She looks like you.”
Jake and Cavers exchanged a frown, and Ash moved past Jake.
“Hey.” He held a hand out, warning.
She only had eyes for the cop. “You got a poster or something?”