Page 78 of Lust
Boots pounded the pavement, closer.
Another punch to the head, and then darkness.
Please let the baby be okay.
25
Lately,it seemed like all Joe did was mop up after crimes. Whether it was a murder scene or the aftermath of a vigilante family raiding a criminal’s hideout, he was the one coming inafterthe deed was done. He’d rather be preventing it from happening in the first place, but he supposed he had to start somewhere. And this was it.
Ambulances, local police cars, and firetrucks gathered at the downtown laundromat where the raid had gone down. A burst water-main sprayed into the early evening sky, but the flames from inside the basement hideout had been extinguished. The Faithful that resided there had tried to burn the place down after the Deadly Seven arrived.
Joe had sat from the safety of his car while the Lazarus family did the hard work. At first, he was annoyed to not be included, but the moment it was safe, they called him in and then left just as suddenly. They’d said their communications system went down. Since then, Joe’s stomach had been filled with a bucket full of nerves. It hadn’t escaped his attention that he’d failed to see Liza’s fuchsia mask among the gray-clad warriors.
The beep of a packing truck reversing smashed through his thoughts, reminding him to pay attention. As he gestured for the truck to keep reversing, a news crew arrived. He pretended not to see. If all things went according to plan, it should be Lilo Lazarus, Griffin’s wife. If the news crew caught the replicate tank on camera, then it would be hard for anyone to sweep it under the rug. The actual clone was still suspended inside. Coupled with the Faithful being carted into the back of patrol cars, there was no doubt this incident would be taken seriously. It was the second Faithful attack in as many days. The captain would receive recognition as the one who helped blow the conspiracy... well, part of it. They still had to tie the Faithful to the man running the show in Cardinal City—Julius Allcott.
“Special Agent Luciano!” Lilo shouted above the noise.
Holding the boundary, Geoff tried to keep her back. “This is a crime scene, ma’am, please stay back.”
She plucked her press ID from her lanyard and held it out, as though it gave her immunity to do whatever she wanted. “Is it true these white-robed terrorists are more than just some disgruntled workers getting revenge like we were led to believe? I heard the inside of that place looks like it’s been bankrolled by someone with expensive tastes. Can you comment on—holy shit. You got that on camera, Mo?”
The cameraman, a tall gangly guy in his late forties, aimed his lens somewhere behind Joe. Four firemen staggered up the laundromat’s basement steps carrying the long replicate tank, sloshing with a viscous liquid, and a naked man.
Geoff tried to block the camera, but Joe waved him off. “It’s all right, Geoff. I got this.”
And then he proceeded to tell Lilo and the camera about everything they’d found. He’d probably get an earful from the director, and perhaps the captain, but screw it. It was about time some of this leaked. He would use the opportunity to study the reactions of the higher-ups. He wanted to flush out the traitors, those under the Syndicate’s thumb.
His job was to uphold the truth, not hide it.
When he finished talking to Lilo, she told the cameraman to shut it down and pack the things away, then she gave Joe her cell phone. The green look on her face made Joe think she was going to be sick.
“What is it?” he asked.
“They’ve been trying to call you, but no one knows your number, and AIMI is down so they can’t, you know,look for it.” She waggled her brows at the last words, making Joe think she implied something else.
“The computer is down?”
She nodded. “Take it.”
He lifted the receiver to his ear. “Luciano.”
“It’s Parker. There’s something you need to know. Liza’s been taken...”
The rest of his words were a blur. The ringing in Joe’s ears grew louder until it brought his senses to a standstill. His arm holding the cell dropped to his side and he leaned onto his knees, taking deep breaths.
“It’s going to be okay, Joe,” Lilo said grimly. “I know it is.”
With a purposeful exhale, he brought the cell back to his ear. “Explain that again?”
“It was Daisy. She lured us out, somehow knew when the police would come for a witness statement from Wyatt, and—”Parker made a disgruntled sound.“She put a virus in AIMI, effectively shutting us down from the inside.”
“And how did Liza get involved?”
“She must have sensed something. She never joined us. Wyatt said she was on the roof before he was. If it weren’t for Liza’s sacrifice, Misha would be dead.”
Joe swallowed. “Is she...?”
“She’s in labor, and at the hospital.”
