I take a sip of my drink and dab my cigarette in the ashtray.
A young man sits down next to me with a nervous smile. “Hey, baby, how much to get a crack at that ass.”
I grip my Colt Commander 45 inside my coat. “One bullet.”
He leaps off the stool with his hands up. Slowly backing away. “Whoa, be chill. I thought you worked here.”
“I’m not a hooker, you fucking retard. Now get to steppin, pendejo.”
He scurries away from the bar and disappears into the crowd.
“You could’ve just said no rather scare the poor kid to death,” Gill says.
“Sorry. I’m just pissed off.”
“Because of your suspension?”
“How’d you know?”
“I got people inside the police, remember?”
I turn my head to the side, narrowing my eyes.
“Ugh, come on, you know you can’t keep secrets from me.”
“Apparently.” I finish off my drink and watch the crowd pretend they can dance.
I pay my tab and leave the bar.
***
I’m almost to my hotel when my cell rings, its Jason. “Devi, did you hear what happened?”
“No. I was pulled off the case, remember?”
“The Feds transporting Drake were killed by those Valkyrie guys at Tampa Executive Airport. It was a professionally planned ambush.”
“What makes you sure it was them.”
“The trail of 45 brass leading to the convoy and precision shots. It looks like they employed fire and advance tactics. Anyway, there is no sign of Drake or Munroe.” He sighs in frustration. “We need to question the owner of this company.”
“Good luck. The CEO lives in London.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. Look, let’s focus on getting Drake and Munroe.”
“Okay. We caught Drake and Munroe on airport surveillance, escaping with one of the Fed’s Sedans. I mean, why would he be so stupid? He has to know those cars have GPS trackers in them. The people hunting him could tap into the lo-jack?”
A brief chuckle escapes my mouth. “Yeah, but so can we. He stole the car because it has a GPS tracker. He wants us to find him. Where’s the car now?”
“It appears to have stopped at Morris Bridge Park.”
So much for laying low and riding out the suspension.
“Alright, I’ll meet you there. Do not move without me, got it?”
“Copy that.”
Chapter 28
Morris Bridge Park has nothing but trees for miles perfect place to hide. I pull into a parking lot and see Jason standing by an abandoned car with his gun in hand. I pull in behind the car and join Jason. “LT is going to rip you a new ass for interfering with a federal investigation.”
“Actually, the FBI requested Tampa PD help to find Special Agent Munroe.”
I peak down in the car and see it’s riddled with bullet holes, the front seat is stained with blood, and a long gun is missing from the trunk. “A long gun appears to be missing from the trunk. Ambushed at the airport, right?”
“That’s right, on the tarmac. Runway surveillance showed a squad of twelve dressed like runway personnel unloading automatic weapons on the agents. Drake grabbed one of the dead agent’s service weapons and TAC vests and fled the scene. Munroe was hit while providing cover fire for Drake.”
Fresh blood drips into the floorboard of the passenger seat. “Then, this blood is hers. C’mon, she may not have long.”
“He must have some high-end information for her to protect a piece of shit like him.”
I glance over my shoulder. “He does. So I can I count on you to not blast him in the face?”
His jaw tenses. “Yeah.” his voice monotone.
“These people want Drake so bad they will shoot through anybody to get to him. This man could bring down some powerful people.” My forehead creases. “You’re lying to me.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“They pull you off this case because you’re too close to it. Now you’re telling me the LT put you back on the case? Spare me.”
He turns to me. “I want to kill the leash holders.”
“Before we proceed, you realize this could get you kicked off the force, right? You being a new detective that is highly likely.”
“I don’t care what happens to me. I want to avenge my family.” He growls.
His head is too far underwater. I need to watch him close around Drake.
“Christ! Well, since you’re ready to join the ranks of the renegades, open your trunk and get your shotgun and vest,” I say, walking to my car and doing the same.
“How do we know which way he went? There are a million different directions he could’ve gone. We should call in the Cavalry.”
I grab my Mossberg Cruiser and slip some extra shells in the loops on the leather strap. “Not yet.” I cock the shotgun putting one in the chamber. “If Munroe is with him, there’ll likely be a blood trail.” I slip on my TAC vest.
We search around for fifteen minutes, and Jason calls out to me. “I found blood!”
I rush over to him. “Looks like we are heading into the forest.”
He shakes his head. “Shit, I hate the forest.”
“Watch your step. Drake may have left traps for the people trying to kill him.”
“With what?”
“Drake is an ex British Commando he is skilled at escape and evasion. Those fuckers can turn the environment around them into one big death trap. However, I doubt he has had time to do that, but all the same; watch your step.”
He nods. “Understood.”
The late afternoon sunrays beam through the canopy of the treetops and the crickets filling the air with
