Danny holstered his weapon. “I’ve seen that look before.”
“Yeah. We both have,” Sin said, handing Becca and Maria a glass of water. “Where’s Troy?”
“He said he wanted to check the library.”
Sin nodded as she stared at the cell phone she took off the dead guy. She was about to call the number when her own phone rang.
“Frank, you were right to call me, but we were too late.”
“What do you mean too late? Is Becca—”
“She’s fine.” Sin didn’t feel the need to tell him that Becca was in a state of shock. “Both she and Maria are okay. I found them in the saferoom.”
“Thank God.”
“But, Frank, Carmelita is missing along with Savio and Agent Sawyer.”
“Shit,” Frank grumbled. Sin heard him take a deep breath and exhale. “Is there any evidence of foul play?”
Sin walked out of the kitchen and out of earshot before answering. “If you mean, did I find any blood? No. But they shot the place up pretty good.”
“You say they, like you know who has her.”
“It’s the Black 6 gang.”
“Are you sure or is this one of your hunches?”
Sin opened her mouth to answer when the other phone buzzed. “Hold on, Frank.”
Sin opened the message app and read the text. “You have something of mine, and I have something of yours. I want my money, or your mother will be returned in pieces. You’ve got seventy-two hours to get the money from Russo. I’ll let you know when and where to make the drop.” The text ended with the all too familiar black glove.
Sin’s temperature rose and sweat started to bead on her forehead as she read the text. As she typed a response, she received another message—a video message. She opened the video and saw Carmelita in what looked like the back of a vehicle. “Say hello to your little angel, Momma.” The gag was removed from Carmelita’s mouth just long enough for her to mumble something in Spanish. The gag was shoved back in her mouth and duck taped. Sin saw a hand adorned in black and silver rings grab Carmelita by the hair, yank her into a sitting position, and slap her across her already bruised and scraped cheek. “I said no Spanish.” Carmelita was then tossed back down into the seat where she lay, whimpering.
Sin stared at the screen, holding her breath.
She jumped when she heard Frank yell her name into the other. Clutching her phone, she mouthed. “I’m back.”
“What was that all about?”
“A message from the leader of the Black 6. They have her.”
“Sin, don’t do anything drastic. Let the Bureau help you find her.”
“Bye, Frank.”
After some hot tea and a little something to eat, Sin was able to calm the girls down enough to convince them to get some rest. They refused to be alone, so Sin let them lie on the couches in the parlor. She then called Deb. “I’m sorry for pushing you,” she said when Deb picked up.
“Don’t worry about it. Is everything okay?”
Sin stepped through a set of French-doors onto the back porch that wrapped the entire main floor. The sea breeze, which normally gave her peace, felt like a slap in the face. “The bastards took Carmelita.”
“Oh my God,” Deb breathed. “What can I do to help?”
“If Pia can be moved, I need you here to watch Maria and Becca. I can’t keep my head on straight and worry about the girls.”
“I’ll make the arrangements for transport. Carmelita is a strong woman, Sin. She’s going to be okay.”
“She better.”
Sin started to calm down knowing that Deb was on her way. She walked back inside and looked at Troy and Danny who didn’t seem to know what to do.
“What’s going on, Sin?” Troy said.
Sin rummaged through a kitchen drawer, found a pack of old cigarettes and tapped one free. Grabbing a box of white-tipped wooden matches, she struck it on her belt, lit the cigarette dangling from her lips, and inhaled as if it were her last breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and took another drag. “Deb is bringing Pia here,” she said, not making eye-contact with either Troy or Danny. Pulling the dead guy’s phone from her pocket, she tossed it to Troy. “They have her.”
Troy and Danny watched the video and read the texts. “Are you sure it’s the Black 6 gang?” Troy said.
“Yeah, I’m sure. You see the hand that grabbed Carmelita; I played Dominoes with that asshole. That’s Onyx. What I don’t understand is how he knows Russo has the ransom.”
Sin watched Troy as he had a light-bulb moment. “Because Russo was able to secure the five million from his sources. He called me when he couldn’t reach you. I told him to stall for extra time. He was supposed to make the drop sometime tomorrow.”
Sin threw her cigarette into the sink. “Now, you tell me.”
“With everything that happened, I forgot all about it.”
Danny read the text and scratched his head. “If Russo was supposed to make the drop tomorrow, why is this Onyx guy giving you seventy-two hours?”
Sin bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. Releasing her lip from the confines of her teeth, she looked at both Troy and Danny. “Because, he’s on the move. He needs the time.”
“Are you sure?” Troy said.
“One way to be sure. Troy have your men scour Key West for the Jamaicans and their bikes. Have them search the bar down by Mallory Square and the kava joint.”
Sin waited until Troy made the call before making one of her own.
“Who are you calling?” Troy asked
“Reinforcements.”
46
Sin could almost feel her pressure drop when she heard an Australian accent on the other end.
“So, Lazarus has risen from the grave. How long has it been, Sin?”
“Too long. I’m sorry I didn’t call after Charlie passed.”
Fletcher, one of the mercenaries she worked with, her second-in-command, a person she considered her brother, was silent.
“Fletch?”
“I’m here, just wrapping my mind around hearing
