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Burke pocketed his phone and a minute later, André came back, his face angry.
“Cameras,” André hissed. “Battery-operated, motion-activated cameras. They were moving, watching us. I’ve seen these before. Most likely a live feed over a cellular network.”
Burke frowned. “They know we’re here.”
“They were afraid that Jace told the police where to find them,” Kaj added. “If Jace was a target before, he’s even more of one now.”
And Jace was with Elijah, putting them both in danger if Corey had tracked Jace to Kaj’s house. Val needs to know. Now.
Kaj typed out a text. Corey left cameras at his camp. If he’s watching, he knows we’re here. He’ll know Jace went to the police.
Shit, she texted back. We will be on high alert. André’s cops finally got here around dawn. They’re doing drive-bys around your block. Don’t worry. We’ve got this. Be careful.
I will. Tell Elijah I love him.
Come back and tell him yourself. A smiley face emoji popped up, softening her tone.
It very nearly made him smile himself.
He put his phone away and met André’s even glare. He wasn’t going to apologize for keeping his son’s bodyguard apprised of danger. “Did the cameras have audio?”
“I don’t know,” André said. “We disconnected the ones we found, but until I order a sweep, I can’t be sure that there aren’t others. You got something to say, best type it on that phone and show it to me.”
So Kaj typed: Put out word that Jace found a cop last night and spilled all. Say it was somewhere other than a police station, so no one will question that they didn’t see him. Say he’s been taken into protective custody and is in an NOPD safe house. Pretend to let slip which one and have someone you trust be waiting there to arrest whoever shows up. If no one tries to grab him, you can put him in protective custody.
André read the message and nodded. “That’s a sound plan. I’ll make it happen.”
The Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 9:00 A.M.
Noni Feldman smiled pleasantly at passersby as she exited her network’s studio, not wanting to attract attention by appearing too anxious. She’d received a text message while she’d been in morning meetings and she needed to call the texter back. The number was a familiar one. It belonged to the anonymous source who’d called her two weeks ago and told her that Corey Gates was up to something.
“Yes?” the woman answered.
“It’s Noni. What’s going on?”
“I need your help.”
Noni walked around the building, stopping when she was sure she was out of earshot of passersby. “What is it?”
“I need you to warn Bella Butler that her family’s lives are in danger. Someone is planning to ambush her car when she comes into the city. And she’s just decided to bring her husband and child with her. If they’re in the car, they’ll be killed, too.”
Noni slowly released the breath she’d been holding, both at the newest warning and because now she could place the woman’s voice. Allyson Meyer was one of Bella Butler’s security guards. Noni had met her briefly when she’d interviewed Bella about the trial the month before. Allyson Meyer had also been the one who’d tipped her off about Corey Gates.
That Corey was planning to kill Bella Butler wasn’t a major leap.
This was huge. It might be the biggest story she’d ever delivered.
“How do you know this?” Noni asked warily. But she didn’t doubt Allyson’s words. She remembered the posters of Bella Butler hanging in the Three Vets office. It had struck her as odd at the time that Bella was fully clothed in her posters, unlike the nudes that covered the rest of the wall.
“You don’t need to know that.”
Yeah, I actually do. “Do you really think they’ll kill them? The whole family?”
A long hesitation. “They murdered one of us last night.” Allyson’s voice trembled, like she was rattled. “He said no to the job, so they shot him. He was a vet. Paramedic. Dead now. They dumped his body in the bayou. They mean business.”
“Oh my God,” Noni breathed, horrified.
