Page 73 of Shadow Operative

“Did I?” Her voice sounded thin.

“Most definitely.”

She glanced back over at Mario and saw him heading their way.

chapter

thirty-four

Gage watchedthe man walking toward them.

Was this guy the reason Nia was so shaken? What sense would that make? It wasn’t as if Nia had ever been on the wrong side of the law. But that detective they’d run into earlier had also seemed to make her off-balance.

There was clearly a story here.

The man didn’t bother to introduce himself. Instead, he went straight to Nia and paused in front of her—standing a little too close. At least from Gage’s perspective.

The guy dismissed the cop taking their statement.

His eyes remained on Nia, an almost possessive look to them. “Long time no see.”

Nia raised her chin, her body still tense. “It’s been a while.”

“This isn’t the type of establishment I thought you would frequent.” His gaze quickly scanned the place.

Nia shrugged, almost unnaturally calm. “Trying something different.”

The man’s gaze flickered to Gage, and he lifted his chin in a stiff nod. “Police Chief Mario Cruz.”

“Gage Pearson,” he responded with an equal amount of standoffishness.

Gage didn’t know why, but he didn’t like this guy or the vibes he gave off.

“Did you see anything that might help us identify the shooter?” the chief asked.

“I heard the gunshot, and then it was chaos as everybody started to run,” Nia said. “I glanced around, trying to figure out what exactly had happened, but I didn’t see anything.”

Cruz turned to Gage. “And you?”

“The same,” Gage said. “It was chaos in here. But I didn’t see the shooter.”

Cruz studied Gage another uncomfortable moment. “You from around here?”

Gage shook his head. “Wichita.”

“And what brings you to Miami?”

“A friend asked me to come and visit, and so I did.”

The chief’s eyes seemed to be calculating something, and then he let out a grunt. “You’re Rob Lesner’s friend, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“So you come to town, and Rob dies, and now you’re here, and Darius is shot?”

Gage bristled. “Are you trying to imply something?”

“Just an observation.” Lasers seemed to shoot from the chief’s eyes.

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