Ray sat down. A burly man, who had been sitting in a chair in the corner, stood and strode to Ray’s chair, standing at his right elbow. Ray looked up at the hard, dark eyes and quickly turned back around. His heartbeat increased in tempo.
“Corporal Buckner has decided to make this all-important shipment his own.”
“How is that?” Ray choked out, wiping the perspirations from his upper lip.
“He’s already tried to sell it to one of my rivals.”
“How do you know that?”
“I have a man inside.” Jack paused and pinned Ray with a cold look. “I’m very displeased.”
“Look, Jack, Buckner’s spooked. He thinks the FBI is on to him. He told me he needed to get out of the country. He said he refuses to go to Leavenworth and rot.”
Jack regarded him thoughtfully and made a gesture to the man behind him.
The blow caught Ray on the right temple, and he slumped sideways, cupping the side of his face as a trickle of blood oozed slowly down his cheek.
Jack rose from his desk and walked around to lean against the edge. He pulled a pristine handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Ray, who staunched the blood.
“Ray, I don’t give a damn about his motives. I only care about my shipment.”
The icy look in Jack’s eyes made Ray’s blood freeze. His temple throbbed to the frantic beat of his heart. “Yes, sir.”
“You find Buckner. Got it? If you don’t retrieve my guns, I’ll make sure that you never get to spend all that money in your Swiss bank account.”
Ray swallowed.
Jack patted Ray’s shoulder, and then he squeezed hard.
“One more thing. Take care of Buckner.” Jack’s words were flat and hollow.
“How do I do that?”
Jack laughed without humor. “I think you get my drift. Now get out of here.”
Ray didn’t argue.
CHAPTER4
When Sienna emerged from the locker room, A.J. was waiting for her. She smelled so good he fell into step with her.
“Well, you do have good timing. This morning I planned to interrogate the perp we collared on the possession of unlicensed firearms. We found two handguns and a shotgun along with the M-4.”
“Why didn’t you talk to him right away?” A.J. asked.
“I had a break in another case after I dropped you off on Friday and I’ve been out straight ever since. I just finished the paperwork for that one late last night.”
They made their way swiftly through division headquarters until Sienna stopped at a door. Once inside, she indicated the wide glass window. Inside, A.J. could see a man sitting at the table. An officer was standing near the door.
“This is Tyrone Knight. I’m going to work on him until I get him to tell me the truth.”
“How do you know he’s lying?”
“They all lie.” She paused and said, “Remember that I said there were very few coincidences in my job?”
A.J. nodded.
“I think it would be beneficial to show David’s picture to Tyrone.”