Page 87 of Operation Heartbeat

Everyone jumped to do his bidding. Mason jumped behind the wheel of the vehicle, and he took shotgun. From the back seat, Denver thrust a hand between the seats, a phone with a map on the screen in hand.

Con snatched it from him. “Drive. Toward the dock.”

“What the hell’s happening?” Mason shoved the vehicle in gear and stomped on the gas pedal.

“They have Sophie.”

“Holy fuck. Who does?”

“Our mark. The one we’ve been looking for. They made her read off a script. Saying that if we attempted to stop that shipment from reaching the States, we’d put targets on her back and ours too.” He stared at the screen, moving the map along the coast.

“And she gave you a location?”

“No.” He skimmed one portion of the waterfront twice.

“What are you looking for then?” Denver asked.

“A Lebanese restaurant on the waterfront.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“She was playing around one night, making up code words. She was speaking in code to me.” He didn’t look away from the screen but felt Mason, Denver and Henner’s attention on him.

He looked up at them. “I know how her mind works. These are clues, goddammit!”

“Tell us everything, Con. We need to know what to look for.” Mason cut off a driver, and a cacophony of horn blasts sounded behind them.

“You’re telling us that you and Sophie made up a secret code?” Henner sounded as much amused as he did stunned.

“She made it up. She said, ‘I’d love to talk longer, but I have to go. It’s nom-nom time. I hope these guys can understand me—I’m pretty sure they only speak Lebanese.’”

Mason jerked his head to pierce Con in his stare. “And you got a location from that? What the fuck is nom-nom time?”

“It means that she’s near a Lebanese restaurant. Then she said, ‘Wave bye.’ She’s on the waterfront.” He brought the phone closer to his face. Triumph blasted through his chest.

“Here! I got it!” He held up the phone.

“Why would they hold her in a restaurant? Con, you’re not thinking straight.” Concern seeped into Denver’s tone.

“It’s a landmark—something she saw. She’s feeding me a clue. Just get there, dammit.”

He ground his teeth in frustration. When it came to Sophie, his feelings might be at play, but the plan was crystal clear.

Mason had the coordinates dialed in. As they neared the location, Con searched for spots where someone would hold a woman against her will.

“Henner, quick. Are any of these places connected to that gang?”

“The one you detained has a brother with an auto shop around here. Let me get the address.”

“That has to be it.” Con gripped the armrest until his fingers ached. When a full minute had passed, he whipped around in his seat. “This is why we don’t fucking get involved with people. Give me your phone, Chickie!”

Henner held out the device to him, and Con ripped it out of his hand. Silence throbbed in the vehicle as he searched the streets for the garage in the vicinity of the restaurant Sophie had seen.

When he spotted it on the map, relief flooded into his veins. “Turn right here!” He stared at the building. The block seemed to be crumbling from age and lack of upkeep. A sign that had been painted by hand hung crooked on the side.

“This place isn’t open for business.”

“No. It’s a hangout.” He reached for the door handle, prepared to leap out the instant Mason stopped the vehicle.

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