Page 95 of Stains of Desire
"Yep. Thought I was going to die the first week." We approach a sign with Omoa on it. "We're getting closer. I don't know Tinker's address. How's your Spanish with phone books?"
"I'm sure I can navigate it," she says.
"Great. You're my Spanish translator, then."
When we get to a gas station, we go inside. Several phones are on the wall with phone books attached to metal cords.
"What's his real name?" Penelope asks.
"Tyler Inkster."
She bites on her smile.
"What's so funny?" I ask.
"Tinker. That's cute."
We write down his address, and I buy a real map. We find the road he lives on and drive toward it.
It doesn't take too long to get to Tinker's. He lives in the country with no other houses around, which doesn't surprise me. It's a blue bungalow and sits on several acres.
"This is lovely," Penelope says.
I pull next to an SUV in the driveway with Belize plates. We get out, and when we get to the front door, it's wide open. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I push Penelope behind me and reach for my gun in my bag. "Stay back."
"What's wrong?" she asks in a panicky voice.
"Hopefully, nothing."
When I step in, two guys lie on the living room floor with blood pooled around their bodies."
"Tinker!" I yell.
Dirk peeks his head out the door of what I assume is a bathroom. "Axel. Everyone is fine. Zoe got sick. Hey, Penelope."
I pull Penelope close to me.
She needs to understand what stay back means.
You've been hard enough on her today. Drop it for now.
"Is Zoe okay?" she asks with worry on her face.
"I'm fine," Zoe calls out.
"Throw a blanket over the bodies, Axel," Dirk orders.
"Turn around," I tell Penelope. I yank the afghans off the couch and put them over the corpses. "Done."
Dirk comes out of the bathroom and keeps himself between Zoe and the bodies, escorting her to the kitchen. Penelope and I follow.
"What happened?" I ask when we get inside.
"Don't know all the details, but when we got here, two guys held Andre at gunpoint, and he said Naomi's ex is with the Colombian cartel and took her," Dirk informs us.
"What?" Penelope covers her mouth.
"Andre went after him?" I ask.
