Page 45 of Gabriel
I dialed Nikola—my nephew, friend, and a perpetual pain in my ass.
He picked up on the second ring. “What do you want, Gabriel?”
“Show some respect.”
He scoffed. “Fuck you, Uncle. How’s that for respect?”
“I need a favor.”
“You’re in luck. I’m giving out favors because I’m in a good mood.” I heard some rustling on his end, and he added, “Give me a second to help Skye.”
I chuckled. Skye had been good for him. Since their wedding, he’d been more grounded, and even more reliable, but mostly he was just happier.
It took no time and Nikola was back on the line. “Okay, what’s up?”
“I need you to try to decode information that came off a device that Amara Cullen picked up in Colombia,” I said. “It’s military-grade.”
Nikola exhaled. “She’s in your territory?”
“Yes.”
A pause. “Alright. I’ll dig.”
“Appreciate it. I’m sending it to you now.”
I stepped outside of the shitty building just as the call ended, determined to find out what was on that phone. One way or another.
I slid behind the wheel of the Mercedes at the same time my burner buzzed. The screen lit up with one name:Nikola.
Luis raised an eyebrow, already smirking. “Your side piece?”
I flipped him the bird and connected the call through Bluetooth.
“That didn’t take long, Nikola. Talk to me.”
He didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“Amara accessed a message from an encrypted device. From Jet.”
My grip tightened on the wheel. I put the car in drive and rolled out of the parking lot, trying to ignore the sudden twist in my gut.
“What kind of message?”
“A grab order,” he said, hesitating. “Its target is… you.”
My foot eased off the gas. We slowed as a siren howled somewhere in the distance, like the city had already heard the news.
Luis turned toward me, smirk gone. His voice dropped a note lower. “Does it say anything else?”
“It also mentions coordinates,” Nikola replied. “But there’s no data attached. It might’ve been scrubbed or sent through another channel. I’m still digging.” Frustration tinged his voice. Nikola hated holes in the story.
“Told you she’s a siren,” Luis muttered.
“What?” Nikola sounded confused.
“Nothing,” I said. “Luis is just feeling poetic lately.”
“Hmm. Right.” Nikola clearly thought we were both insane.
