Page 93 of Dangerous Pursuit

“That’s Ronny. I know the guy.” Darryl shrugs like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, I about fall out of my chair.

Fucking A.After 270 days, I’m closing in.

Mia

It was a date; nothing happened, but it almost did. When Jeff started closing in for a kiss goodbye, I opened the door and bolted inside. My mom was there to hold me as I broke down in her arms. It’s the first time in 270 days that I was completely honest about where my head was and my struggle since being here.

It was liberating to confess everything. Mom had no idea Jackson and I had become that serious in such a short time and felt terrible for not helping me through it. It was my fault for not confiding in her to begin with, but my absolving her of guilt didn’t make her feel better. She tried insisting that we pack up and exit the program, dealing with the fallout.

I almost filled my suitcase right then, but after thinking about it more, I knew it wasn’t the solution. Yes, I’d have Walker in my life, but going home at the risk of seeing Jackson with someone else would break my heart all over again. So, after talking it through, we both decided the best thing was to stay.

I’ve made progress. I downloaded all my pictures of Jackson to a separate file on my computer and deleted them from my phone. That way, my temptation to look throughout the day was taken away. Jeff finally convinced me to go on a date, which ended up being fun. It wasn’t much different from work, just a change in environment.

If I stay the course and continue taking baby steps, the gaping hole in my heart will eventually heal, right?

Jackson

After having beers with Darryl last Friday, executing a plan for Roland took a week. He did me a solid and organized a fake game set up in a hotel room so Roland would walk right into my hands. I’m glad for the extra few days to prepare because it turns out that Mia’s dad is a piece of shit who couldn’t care less about his daughter.

Once I let him in the room and he realized he’d been duped, he tried to make a run for it. The fucker didn’t make it far before my gun came out, and he quickly decided his life was more important than bolting.

I ordered him to sit the fuck down, pointing the gun in his direction, and it’s been trained on him since.

Now, here I am explaining to him what’s going on and what’s about to happen. After I finish, he pauses for all of thirty seconds and goes straight into “save his ass” mode.

“I’ve been hitting some big pots. Name your price, and we’ll pretend this conversation never happened,” he says coolly.

“You’d seriously let your daughter take the heat for you? Ruin her life so you can keep playing poker? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I’m seething.

“She’s being taken care of, isn’t she? They’re fine living off the government for free while waiting for a court date. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“There’s a reason they’re in the program, dumbass. They’re in danger because you ran. They’re hiding, giving up their lives because of your shitty decisions.”

“You don’t thinkI’min danger? I’m hiding from the same guys they are.”

Who the fuck is this asshole?Mia is better off without him.

“Then go in and give your testimony. Take Mia’s place and let the FBI protect you. Do it for your daughter.”

“The best thing for her is to have me out of her life. This way, it stays like that. Tell me how much to make you go away so you can pick up the next guy on your list.”

While we agree that he should stay out of her life, I think it’s time to make clear what’s about to go down and that it’s nonnegotiable.

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not here for the FBI. I’m here for Mia, and the only payment I’ll accept is you.” I stalk toward him.

“Let’s talk about this—work something out.” He’s got his hands up in the air facing me, trying to stop my advance.

I’ve already had enough of this asshole and his begging, so I knock him out with the butt of my gun and cuff him. It was intentional to pick a motel with exterior doors. It’s not hard to drape him over my shoulder and load him into the back seat of my car, which is already packed for my return to San Diego.

Two and a half hours later, and 277 days since I vowed to deliver this asshole, I drag Roland into the FBI’s office, demanding to see Agent Bale.

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” he says when he sees us. “If it isn’t Jackson Soloman. And I assume this is the one and only Roland Marcos? I gotta hand it to you… I didn’tthink you’d be able to find him, but here you are.” He turns to another agent walking up. “Put him in room one. I’ll be in shortly.” The guy leads Roland away.

“You’ve got your man. Now tell me where Mia is.”

“It doesn’t work that fast around here. We need to sort this out first—take Roland’s statement, ensure he’ll cooperate, then talk with Mia and Sofia to review their options. It won’t happen overnight, Jackson. These things take time.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve waited over nine months, so I’d appreciate you speeding that up.” I’ll go crazy if they make me wait much longer.

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