Page 100 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

‘Um, boss…’ his voice dropped and my stomach sank.

‘What is it?’

‘Um…’

‘Jose!’ I yelled his name.

‘Her ankle monitor is here…’

I rolled that sentence around in my mind a few times. If the monitor is there, so should she be, there was no way to take it off. It was essentially metal covered in soft plastic, that required a key to unlock, and was tamperproof. Likely, the authorities already knew.

‘Yeah?’

‘In two pieces.’

Shit. I pounded my hands on the steering wheel.

‘Stay where you are. Actually, don’t touch anything, walk back outside and sit on the back deck and wait for me. I’m calling the cops…’

‘I gotta go…’

‘Don’t you fucking go anywhere! You call me with any updates, got that?’

‘Yes, sir.’

Fuck, fuck fucking fuck.

I dialed Breton, who I knew was in London, thankfully not currently on a mission.

‘Yo,’ he answered the phone.

‘Did she do a runner again?’

‘W...what?’

‘Breton, don’t fuck with me…’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Jessa…’ I took a deep breath. ‘Did she do another run?’

‘No…’ he said slowly in a low voice. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I have one of my crew’s kids doing some work at the house after school. He just showed up and Jessa’s not there, but her ankle monitor is in two pieces inside the house.’

‘What?’

‘So I ask, did she do another runner?’

‘Fuck no…’ he breathed out. ‘Drew, call the police,’ he shouted.

‘That’s my next call, I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page.’

‘Drew, I promise you we are on the same page. Where are you?’

‘I’m on my way back to the house, I'm about fifteen or twenty minutes away. I swear I’m going to be arrested for speeding…’

‘Ok, you call the police, I'm going to call Steve to let him know and arrange a flight home.’

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