“I do,” she said, standing.
Troy pulled a key out of his pocket and uncuffed Mical. “You haven’t been booked yet. Go home.”
Mical stared at the floor and nodded.
Troy lifted his chin with his index finger. “If I see you down here with any of these guys again, I promise you I’ll find a reason to arrest you. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sin opened the door to the interrogation room as Troy walked Mical out of the room.
“What about my brother?” Mical said.
“Your brother?” Sin said.
“Joseph. He was arrested along with me and Dauntay.”
“Is he part of the gang?” Troy asked.
“No sir. Like me, he’s just down here for Spring Break. He’s my twin brother.”
“Wait in the lobby,” Sin said. “After we question him, if his story rings true, the both of you can go home.”
“What about Dauntay?” Troy said. “How do you know him?
“We just met him when we started riding with everyone.”
“Is he part of Black 6?” Sin asked. She could see the goosebumps on Mical’s exposed flesh pop like corn as soon as the words left her lips. She leaned forward, softening her tone. “If you want us to help you and your brother, you need to help us.”
“You’re not going to release him with us, are you?” Mical stammered.
“Not if you give us reason to keep him.”
“Dauntay is definitely part of the Black 6. The only reason Joseph and I went with him outside the club is because we were afraid not to. He’s the real deal.”
Forty minutes later, Troy signed the paperwork releasing Mical and Joseph. He and Sin then walked back to the interrogation room where Dauntay was being held.
Standing outside the room, Sin looked at Troy. “I’ve seen that look in your eyes before,” he said. “It’s as if I can read your mind. I suppose you want to speak to him alone.”
“It’s your call, but that’s the way I’d like to play it.”
“Go to it,” Troy said. “I’ll stay in the observation room in case I’m needed.”
A brief smile etched across her lips. “After everything, you still trust me.”
Troy pointed to the door. “Just go before I change my mind.”
“Give me two minutes to get ready, then unlock the door.”
“Get ready,” Troy mouthed. “What the hell does she mean by that?” Minutes later, he spotted her through one of the monitors. He drew in a deep breath, unlocked the holding room, and exhaled. “I should have known she’d pull something like this.”
He watched as Sin entered the room. Her Colt .45 revolvers strapped to her waist. Gone was the soft demeanor she had when speaking to the teenage brothers. She said nothing as she sat down, leaned back, and crossed her arms. Dead silence permeated the room for about twenty minutes before the young Jamaican, Dauntay, looked her in the eyes, shooting daggers with his stare. “I know my rights. I’m not saying anything without my lawyer.”
She didn’t blink as the young man spoke. She just continued to stare at him.
“Who are you?” he said. “I know you’re not a cop.”
She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her cred wallet, opened it and slid it in front of Dauntay. “Special Agent Sinclair O’Malley, FBI.”
Dauntay smirked. “I’m not talking to the feds without my attorney.”
“We both know you have no attorney. You’re just some lowlife trying to impress the leader of the Black 6 gang. A public defender has been called, but unfortunately, he’s tied up on a case in Key Largo. It will be hours before he gets here. I thought we might have a little conversation to pass the time while we wait.”
Dauntay leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “I’ll just take a little nap until he gets here.”
“That’s fine. I’ll talk while you nap. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to your buddies. They speak highly of you, but I’m afraid they didn’t have your resolve.”
Dauntay opened his eyes and looked at her. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means they told me everything they know. They told me about the extortion ring and about the kidnapping of the two girls.” She leaned over the table. “Funny though, they didn’t know one of them was the daughter of the President of the United States.”
She could tell by his expression that this was news to him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sin reached into the front pocket of her jeans and slapped two pills down on the steel table. She could see the longing in Dauntay’s expression as he stared at them. “OxyContin. Not what you’re looking for, but they’ll do in a pinch. We talk, you tell me what I want to hear, and they’re yours.”
Sweat started to bead on Dauntay’s brow. “I—I told you. I don’t know anything.”
“Let me fill you in. Three days ago, a couple of your brothers kidnapped two girls, Rebecca Lancaster and her roommate, Pia Russo. The way I figure it, Pia was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Give me the whereabouts of the girls and I’ll let you walk. I have enough information to pin everything on your two buddies.”
Dauntay laughed. “I ain’t tellin’ you shit.”
Sin swiped the pills off the table and stuck them back in her jeans. “I guess I was wrong about you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sin could hear the quiver in his voice. The want—the need for the drugs. “Nothing. I guess I was just wrong,” she said as she opened the door and stepped out into the hall.
For the next hour, Sin and Troy watched Dauntay go from bad to worse. As the need for a fix took hold of him, he began to shake, sweat poured off his skin. “He’s not going to die on us, is he?” Troy said.
“Nah. What you’re seeing is just the beginning of withdrawal. Trust me, it gets a lot worse.”
“Damn,” Troy mouthed.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to have to witness the bad stuff.”
“Why’s that?”
“I got a look at the tracks
