Page 29 of Sinner's Bond

“Hm,” I reply. “Have you heard from him since then?”

“Nothing since before the bust. He texted me that evening to confirm the DA was acting on the tip.”

I sit quiet for a minute. I’m thinking about what Ethan has confirmed, but also giving him time to remember anything else he needs to tell me. Finally, I stand up from the bench.

“Alright,” I say. “Thanks for the information.”

Ethan glances up at me, relieved that he’s not in any trouble. I turn and walk back toward my apartment.

Ethan confirmed that Luca was the one that ratted us out on the deal with the Russians. I suspected it when Raf told me that Luca called him and said not to go to the deal.

I hoped that maybe Luca found out that the cops were going to show up. But then he would have informed me, and we would have rearranged the handoff to another time and place. Luca wanted it to happen. And I can’t figure out why.

In the elevator, I get a text from Klein:

I’m meeting with a contact at the Disciples tomorrow evening. Join me?

She still wants to work together to figure out who’s behind the shootout. And she’s going to meet someone from the Wayward Disciples Motorcycle Club. I don’t know that we should be working together on this. But I do know if I don’t go with her, she’s going to go alone. And she’s no good to me dead.

Yes, I’ll come.

13

KLEIN

Mateo insistson picking me up and giving me a ride to meet the Wayward Disciples. After work, I run home and change. It was challenging to focus on work, knowing I’d get to see him tonight. I go back downstairs to wait on the sidewalk in front of my apartment until his car pulls up. Mateo hops out of the back seat, holding the door open for me to get into the car. He follows, sliding in smoothly next to me.

I lean forward to give the address to Mateo’s driver. “The address is 1810....”

“Mission Billiards. I’ve got it.”

I turn to look at Mateo next to me as the car pulls away from the curb.

“It’s a pretty common place to meet the Disciples.” Mateo puts his hand on my knee as if to say ‘hello.’ I respond by laying my hand on top of his. I’d rather kiss him, but this will have to do for now.

“Who are we meeting with?” Mateo asks.

“There’s a young guy that I met when I was doing some pro-bono work a few years ago,” I explain. “Before I worked for the DA’s office. He had gotten into some trouble, and I was his public defender. He’s a smart kid though. I’ve kept in touch with him loosely via email.

Mateo lifts an eyebrow slightly. He’s perfected that expression that doesn’t give anything away other than that he’s listening. I can’t tell what he’s thinking. It’s frustrating, but also intriguing. I wonder if he’s always like this or if it’s just because he’s still not sure whether to trust me or not. I decide to test this theory by giving him a little more information.

“That guy I work with,” I start to tell him, “the one who was shot in the leg – he was back at work today.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, his leg’s still bandaged up and he’s on crutches, but he’s already back in the office.”

“Is this the annoying guy?” Mateo asks.

“Ha,” I forgot I had mentioned that to Mateo. “Yeah, Blaine Roycroft. He’s a piece of work.”

“Blaine Roycroft?” Mateo shakes his head. “What period of history is he from?”

“Not this one,” I laugh. “He definitely seems like the kind of guy who wishes we were still in the ‘good ol days’. We had a ‘Welcome Back’ party for him. I almost think he was glad to get injured. He lapped up the attention like a starving puppy.”

“There’ve got to be easier ways to get attention. Getting shot seems a little extreme.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” I ask Mateo. I haven’t had time to examine his body fully and slowly, but from what I’ve seen or felt so far there are some scars that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn were bullet wounds.

---