Page 38 of Grave Peril

“The hours can’t go by fast enough. How did she look?”

“She looked fine,” Rip said. “I didn’t get the impression that she’s been hurt. But I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”

*****

Rip had suggested a meeting late in the day, so Ashlee wouldn’t have to leave the office early. Any behavior out of the ordinary might arouse suspicion.

Plus, the beach park was a thirty-minute drive from downtown, so Ashlee would need time to get there. And it could take a little longer. If she suspected that she was being followed, she’d need to detour and lose the tail.

Rip took Lela in the rental car, arriving early to avoid any chance of missing the meeting. He also wanted to be there in advance to make sure the area was secure. He’d chosen a public place away from downtown, as it was better to be out of gang territory as much as possible.

It was still light out. Lela scanned the area but didn’t see any sign of her friend. She was excited to talk with her, but a little afraid, too. She regretted that Ashlee was involved, but that couldn’t be avoided. The senator had seen to that.

A few minutes before the hour, Lela saw Ashlee drive up and get out. She had her hair in a ponytail, stuck through the opening of a baseball cap. And she wore jeans with an oversized jacket. Dressing down had been a smart idea.

Lela nodded to Rip. He watched from the edge of the bathroom building. She’d asked him to stay back, give her a little space. Ash would be freaked out enough, so it would be better if Lela explained the situation alone.

Ashlee met her at the edge of the pier and gave her a hug. “You’ve had me scared to death.”

Lela moved out onto the boardwalk, relieved to see that her friend was okay. “And what about you? Has Ortiz been giving you a hard time?”

Ashlee laughed. “He thinks I don’t see him ogling my body. What an imbecile. And then some cop invites me to the station on false pretenses. He actually expected me to believe that you had committed crimes, like I’d ever believe that.”

“I didn’t want you in the middle of this. I had to see you, to see for myself that you’re fine. I don’t trust anything I hear.”

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t.” Ash smiled. “You’ve done a good job of vanishing. Ortiz is dying to know where you are.”

“I’ll bet.” Lela handed her a phone. “That’s a safe line. It calls my bodyguard. You met him at the coffee shop.”

“Yes, you mean that hunk leaning against the wall over there?”

“That’s him.”

“He’s quite the looker.”

“No arguments,” Lela said. “Anyway, I’ll feel better if you have a way to contact me, but we have to be very careful.”

“I’ve been keeping my eyes on the senator for you. I figured if he thinks he’s safe that he’ll mess up. And I found something out.”

“What’s that?”

“He has direct contact with a cartel boss, not just the street-level guys.”

“That’s news. I knew about his drug connections, but not how high up in the organization they went.” Lela wrinkled her brow. “How did you find out?”

“I monitored his phone.”

Lela widened her eyes.

“It wasn’t that hard. These days, so many people want to know what their spouses, or even their kids, are doing. Software exists for that. And Ortiz got a new phone when he returned to the office. I spotted that it was a new model.”

“I’m impressed. You’re good to have on my side.”

“So one of those times when he was coming on to me—you know, when he’s in the zone and all he can see is ass and cleavage—I found an opportunity to install the software.”

“What did they talk about?”

“Mostly about getting their hands on you. It seems that’s the senator’s main focus these days,” Ashlee said. “The only thing is that the cartel guy didn’t give a name. Ortiz just calls him jefe.”

“Yeah, boss…that doesn’t narrow it down. But it’s very incriminating that he has such a connection. It’s more to go on.”

“I’d better let you do your disappearing act,” Ashlee said. “I’ll watch Ortiz and let you know if I get anything more.”

Lela hugged her. “You’re the best. I’m so relieved to see you.”

Then Ashlee stepped back to the sidewalk, and Lela escorted her toward the car. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rip vigilantly watching.

An unmarked cop car slowly cruised toward Ashlee’s vehicle. It caught Lela’s attention. The last thing she needed was to be recognized by the cops. She put her head down and let Ashlee go ahead of her. “You’d better get out of here. I have a bad feeling about that car coming down the aisle.”

---