Page 58 of Love In The Shadows

“Can’t we call in SWAT or something?”

I resisted the urge to sigh. “No. We don’t have time. We don’t even know where they are.” I checked my cell phone. A text message from Pax had come through. I flicked it open:

On the move. Sending route.

My heart skittered to a stop. The weapons were moving. Finally! I scrubbed my palm over my chin and worked over my jaw. I didn’t have time to think. I needed to act. The coordinates from Pax loaded to my phone. They were headed across town. I pinched and pulled at the screen of my phone to see what was nearby. I’d shadowed Richie long enough to know most of his haunts.

“Where are you going?”

“What is that?” Reed demanded, thumbing the screen as I studied the map.

“Richie’s moving a shipment tonight. There’s no way he’s leaving that to his men. The girls have to be with him. And I’d be willing to bet big-time money that he’s waiting for that shipment so he can personally inspect it and start the auction he’s bound to hold.”

“Shipment? Auction?”

I met Reed’s firm stare. “I can’t give you any more information. Just trust me.”

His cheeks reddened like he was ready to blow a gasket, but at the last second, he swallowed it down and gave a curt nod. Smart man.

I dropped my eyes back to the map, and it hit me right between the eyes. “Jefferson Square!”

“What’s that?”

“That’s where he’s at. There’s a storage facility run by the Sandersons. They lease out the spaces to people for dirt cheap, but what people don’t know is that their spaces are intermittently used as stash houses.”

“If the feds know that, why can’t they bust them?”

I scoffed. “It’s a little more complicated than that. Come on.”

A loud engine rumbled by, catching both of our attention. I crouched down, tugging Reed with me, and we hit the ground just as headlights swept the air where we’d been standing.

“Shit,” I breathed. “Security sweep. He’s expecting us.”

The truck idled a moment longer, its driver encased behind thick glass, scanning the area back and forth. Then, after a few seconds, he drove off to search the rest of the premises. Reed waited for me to move, and we both sprang up and booked it back to the truck.

Once back behind the wheel, we raced across town, following the tracking lights on my phone to make sure my hunch paid off. It did. Minutes before we arrived at the storage facility, the trackers came to rest smack dab in the heart of the sprawling field of storage sheds and garages. Most of the units were outdoor, drive-up access, but there was also a three-story building that housed another hundred or so climate-controlled units and the leasing office.

“Shit, they could be anywhere.” I leaned forward in my seat as we drove by. “This place is fucking massive.”

The gate at the front was just coming down, locking into place as we passed it. There was a yellow box with a keypad to punch in the code for after-hours access. I could easily get the override code. All it would take was a text back to Pax and crew.

I turned the corner and swerved the truck into the nearest parking garage. I threw it into park and hopped out of the cab, my fingers flying over my phone as I kicked the door shut.

“What’s the plan? I walk in with the contract?”

I shook my head. “No, then I’ll just have to save your ass along with theirs. Trust me, Reed, you walk in there, hand over these papers, and you won’t walk back out again. None of you will. See, guys like Richie and the rest of the fucking Sandersons, they’re like starlings. You ever hear about them?”

“Those birds that kick other birds out of their nests?”

“Bingo. Richie’s in your nest, and he doesn’t give a fuck if you live or die. He’s gonna boot you over the edge one way or the other. No remorse.”

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“Stay here. Take this—” I pressed my phone into his hands. “If I’m not back in half an hour, dial this number.” I showed him on the screen. “That’s Pax. He’s another agent. You tell him everything, and they’ll come.”

Reed looked ready to argue again but didn’t. “Thank you, Eric—or Bennett—whoever the fuck you are.”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “Bennett works. But don’t go thanking me just yet.”

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