Page 21 of ELITE Justice
“I’m going to send these to my email,” Quin looked from the tiny screen to her, “if that’s okay with you.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “Anything to help.”
Quin nodded at Jonathan, passing the ball to him, then returned to the task of emailing each picture.
Here goes nothing, or everything. “How often do the boys come in?”
She either didn’t hear him or was ignoring his question completely.
He lightly laid his fingers on her shoulder and she flinched.Fuck. She was so repulsed by him that she couldn’t stand even the lightest of touches.
“Gwen.” He waited for her to look at him.
Moving only her head, she glared at him over her shoulder and snapped, “What?”
“How often do the boys come in?” he repeated.
“About two to three times a week.”
Good. He waited for her to continue but she turned back to watch Quin.Well, damn. This was going to be a hostile interrogation.
In a stern, slightly louder voice, he asked, “When were they here last?”
She obviously read him correctly and turned slightly this time. “What you really want to know is when do I expect them next.” Her lips were a tight thin line.
“Do you think they might come in tonight?” Jonathan asked as politely as his tense body would allow.
“Probably.” Her voice lost its sharp edge. “Unless they caught onto me.” Her shoulders fell. “They haven’t been here in a few days.”
“Excellent.” Quin handed her phone back. “What time do they come in? I’d like to have a few of my men around to follow them so we can get addresses. It would really help to know who we’re dealing with.”
“You can do that?” she asked.
Quin’s smile was reassuring. “Yes. They’ll never know they’re being followed.”
“Two Westerns,” the waitress stepped up to the empty side of the table and served. “More coffee?” she asked nodding to the nearly empty pot.
“Yes, please, Mandi,” Gwen instructed as the two men dug into what Jonathan considered the best food in all of Dallas.
When the girl was out of earshot, Gwen said. “After school, around three forty-five.” She sipped her coffee. “Do you want me to call you when they come in?”
“No.” Quin and Jonathan said in unison.
“We’ll take it from here,” Quin explained. “I’ll have my men positioned in the area so the kids will never know they’re being followed.”
Mandi dropped off a fresh pot and tended to Viola and Gladys who had parked their aging bodies in a booth up front.
“What if they don’t come in this afternoon? You’ll have wasted…I’m sure your men have better things to do than hang around—” Gwen sounded apologetic.
“We’ll consider it a training exercise.” Then Quin added, “Until the boys show up. You don’t think those kids are armed, do you?” All three knew that back in the Middle East, especially in areas deep in unrest, they probably had carried rifles and pistols and knew how to use them.
“No. The schools in this area are very strict. The administration is well aware that gangs start in middle school, if not earlier. The boys talk about older siblings, uncles, fathers, friends of their parents being involved,” she reassured them. She thought for a moment and added, “They almost appear disgruntled that they aren’t part of it.” She huffed out a breath. “That’s what is so frustrating. I have no idea whatitis. They all seem to know but won’t say out loud.”
Quin leaned in. “Gwen, you’ve given us so much more than you will ever believe. As far as we know, a terrorist action happening in Dallas next week wasn’t even on Homeland’s radar.”
Jonathan caught her glancing in his direction.
Apologetically, she said, “I was going to show you what I had and ask what you thought...”
