other girls in her school. She wasn’t
He listened and didn’t judge; he believed in her; he didn’t tell her not to do something because of her background or because she was too emotionally invested. He called her to the carpet when necessary, but never had Sonia felt anything but brotherly love and respect.
“Damn you, Riley, you can’t get hurt like this again. It’ll just kill me.”
“Hmmm.”
She jerked her head up. “Are you awake?”
“Hmmm. Yeah.” His voice was weak, but he was talking.
She took his hand and held it to her face. “You scared me to death.”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Nothing scares you, sis.”
“Losing you scares me,” she whispered. “You’re my best friend.” He was her only friend. At least the only friend she could truly talk to.
“I love you, sis.”
“Love you, too, Riley. Now get some sleep.”
“You too.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. When healthy, Riley was the life of the party, cracking jokes and smiling. He shouldn’t be in a hospital bed. He shouldn’t have needed a blood transfusion.
Sonia would find out who was responsible for nearly killing her brother. She would make him pay.
Charlie’s instincts were sizzling; something was going down. And none of it was good.
It was five to midnight and he was crouched among scraggly trees and shrubs along the bank of the Sacramento River. Jones wanted him to stay back, hidden, and observe. If anything weird happened, his orders were to shoot.
Jones didn’t tell Charlie who he was meeting; when Charlie asked, Jones simply said, “My supplier.” Charlie knew damn well that Jones had multiple suppliers, but he didn’t push because Jones didn’t know what Charlie knew.
Charlie rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb. He had to stop thinking about Sonia. Focus on the goal: saving Ashley Fox. That’s all that mattered. He’d almost broken the code in Jones’s journal. As soon as he did, he’d have what he needed.
He’d rescue Ashley, then he’d send the books to Sonia. Not the FBI and that arrogant agent Dean Hooper, but Sonia Knight. He owed her …
No, Charlie owed her his honor. He wasn’t a bad person, no matter what she thought. He would prove it to her. He had to. Isn’t that why he sent her intelligence every now and again when something crossed her jurisdiction?
Obviously, he didn’t need to. She already knew something was up with him. She must have found the missing kid. Jones was still looking for him, which was good news. The kid didn’t know much, but when Charlie learned that he was to be killed, he couldn’t in good conscience allow it to happen. Not to a ten-year-old boy. Charlie
Jones walked around the perimeter of the restaurant, as if checking out his property. Charlie wasn’t quite sure whether it was an act of nonchalance or if he was truly inspecting the place. It was after midnight; Jones’s meeting was late.
Headlights cut the darkness on the road above Charlie. Gun in hand, he crouched and waited for the vehicle to pass.
It didn’t.
The car turned into the parking lot of the closed riverfront restaurant, cut its lights, and parked.
Two men got out.
They met at the rear of the car and spoke quietly. Charlie could barely make out shadows let alone features. The car started rocking back and forth. The larger of the two men opened the rear door and a tall, beefy man emerged. He seemed agitated and his voice rose over the still, warm air.
“I don’t like the water!” he exclaimed.
The others admonished him. Jones emerged from behind the restaurant.
Charlie braced himself, gun in hand.
Noel turned from Mr. Ling and Tobias and smiled at Xavier Jones. “Good to see you again.” He extended his hand.
Jones took it. His palms were dry, but his grip wasn’t as firm as Noel would have liked. Nervous? Perhaps. As well he should be.
“Did you bring the kid?”
Jones shook his head slightly, clearly somewhat disconcerted by Tobias’s bizarre behavior. “The kid’s still missing. But he hasn’t been picked up by the police or social workers. He’s in hiding. I’ll find him. I have good men on the job.”
Noel scowled. “I thought I made it clear that I wanted the kid tonight.”
“Yes, you did. But I’m certain he’s not anywhere he can do harm. He’s very likely lost. Dead.”
“Then why can’t you find him?”
“I would know if he were in custody.”
“I’m sure you would.” Noel emphasized each word.
“I don’t like your tone.”
“I don’t ask for a lot from our agreement, Mr. Jones. I expect solid negotiations, clean deals, and prompt payment. So far, you’ve provided such.”
“That’s my job.”
“Exactly.” Noel grinned. Jones cowered. Good. He should be scared. Noel had been told he looked more dangerous when he smiled.
“I’m confident that he will be found. I promise to deal with the problem swiftly. The shipment from China is secured. Everything is on schedule.”
“And the FBI?”
“I explained that. They’re fishing. They didn’t get anything incriminating because there is nothing incriminating to find.”
“And why do you think the FBI is looking at you at all?”
“Because they always look at the rich. I have money, therefore I must be dirty,” Jones replied sarcastically.
“You are, Mr. Jones.”
“I am extremely diligent. I’ve been in this business for a long time, Noel, without a single blemish. None of my people have been arrested; none of my people are a threat to me or you.” Jones was working himself up, playing the indignant, righteous victim. “The FBI didn’t even mention anything related to our business arrangement; it was all about money. I’ve been through three audits in the last ten years and twice the IRS ended up paying
“All it takes is one slip-up and we’re all in jeopardy.”
“The FBI can’t touch you.”
“They can work with other agencies with a longer reach. I don’t want to have to disappear. I happen to like my current situation very, very much. I’ve had to reinvent myself far too many times; I’m content.”
“You’re safe.” Jones waved his hand dismissively.
The gesture fueled Noel’s silent rage. “No one is safe.” Jones was not taking this situation seriously. Noel expected him to be contrite, repentant-he should be on his knees begging for one more chance. Instead, he was
