Page 84 of Rescued Faith

“I know Arturo Hernandez is dead.”

Emma went still. Penny circled the table once more, probably letting her words soak in. “We’re closing in on your boyfriend as we speak. I thought, woman to woman, we could level with each other. So I’m gonna tell it to you straight. He’s not worth the multiple life sentences you’re facing.” She leaned over the table on both hands, looking right at her prey.

“Alonzo would never let that happen.” Emma got right back in Penny’s face.

“How does an intelligent girl like you even get caught up with a lowlife like him? You had a 4.0. A full-ride scholarship to school. Is he the reason you left in the middle of your junior year?”

“You don’t know anything. He has a plan. I’ll be free soon enough. I can’t say the same for your loved ones.” Emma smirked.

“Oh, my family is fine. Just chatted with them before I came in here. Which means your plan didn’t work. No one is busting you out, Emma. And you, Jude?”

“Everyone is great.”

“See? Everyone is peachy.” Penny sat in the chair by Jude. “I mean, except Hernandez. Oh, and Ramos. He wasn’t a smart pick for a kidnapping attempt. Very sloppy. But you saw how that ended up. And tonight we’ll have the Governor’s Ball. I’m really looking forward to meeting Cindy and Adam Noble.” Penny leaned back, looking perfectly relaxed against the chair.

Emma’s brows turned in. Her smirk faded.

Maybe she was finally catching on. Penny was going in for the kill. Bryce swelled with pride for her. Emma would do best to stay out of her way.

“So Alonzo can do whatever he wants with the militia. But I don’t see him busting down doors to get you out of here. He’s letting you rot like yesterday’s garbage. He had one shot, and that ‘low-level dealer’ blew it.”

“You know nothing,” Emma hissed. “What would a stuck-up pig like you know about true love? Alonzo is his own man. The militia thinks they’re using him, buthe’s the one in control. All the pieces are in place. The gangs already turned on each other. The militia owes Alonzo everything. And hewillfree me. It’s only a matter of time. There’s nowhere the governor can hide his family that’s safe. He’ll bow to Alonzo eventually.”

“You think your man is going to rule? And what? That you’ll be the queen beside him?” Penny scoffed.

“Why not hold the strings and let someone else do the heavy lifting?” Emma’s smirk was back.

Penny popped off her chair and stretched. “Ah. Well, lovely chat, Emma.” She tilted her head, a finger to her chin as she studied the woman in cuffs. “I bet you’ll look good in orange.” She winked and left the room, leaving Jude to escort a slack-jawed Emma out.

Bryce and Olivia met Penny in the hall. Emma hurled expletives as Jude led her away. Other officers in uniformscurried past in both directions. The chatter and radio noise from the bullpen down the hall was muffled.

But it was Penny’s green eyes sparkling with victory that captured Bryce’s attention.

“So that’s his endgame,” she said. “Sosa wants to set up his own little kingdom here. He’s already scaring the gangs away, pushing his own product. He must’ve supplied the militia for favors in return.”

“What does he want with the governor’s family?” Olivia asked. “There still hasn’t been a ransom set yet.”

Bryce had an answer for that. “I’m guessing leverage.”

Penny nodded. “The militia is antigovernment. They’ve been very outspoken about wanting a change in the capital. I bet Sosa is just using them to do his dirty work. He gets a few politicians in his pocket, it becomes a lot easier to do shady business and organize a network across the whole state with direct access to three major cities.”

Not if Bryce and this team had anything to say about it. “But we’re not going to let that happen.”

“I certainly hope not.”

Bryce spun around to see Jason Woods staring them down. He walked toward their group. “What’s being done here to find the governor’s family? Does this look like a good time to stand around and chat?”

Woods’s job was on the line, and technically the governor was family to Jason, so Bryce tried to overlook the implications. “We’re doing what we can to find them. Penny just got some valuable intel on Sosa’s endgame.”

“Are you sure he’s the one behind the kidnapping? My cousin’s wife and child are out there somewhere. You better not be wasting time.”

Penny stood, hands on her hips, and had no problem facing the man before them. “We know Sosa kidnappedmyfamily. We got them back. We’ll get the governor’s family too.”

Bryce stepped up to stand beside her. “And theyareconnected. Sosa and the militia must have a common goal or at least a mutually beneficial understanding. Believe me, we’re not wasting anyone’s time.”

Jason didn’t say anything for a moment. “Good. Keep at it. Ms. Mitchell, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hire you to keep an eye out for Sosa at the ball this evening.”

“The ball is still going on?” Olivia asked. “That will be a lot of police coverage for the event when we could be out looking for the family.”

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