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The staring contest lasted five seconds before Yaroslavsky gave in. “I look into it.”
I expected Lucas to push, but he only said, “Noon tomorrow or we have a big problem.”
I couldn’t ask any questions until we were outside and secure in the car. But once the door closed behind me, I nearly burst. “What happened? We should have pushed for the name. Now we have to wait a day.”
Lucas shook his head. “We won’t have to wait long. He’s going to give the guy a head start to get out of Dodge. Anything less and he loses face.”
“But—”
“But nothing. We’re on his turf, and we got another clue when he said he couldn’t double-check his information. His source is either in the wind or dead. Just in case, we’ll look for bodies.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it. I hadn’t picked up on that. Lucas was as smart as he was lethal.
“She’s not safe until we figure out what they’re after,” he added. “Igor is only a middleman. We take him out of the picture, and whoever is behind this gets somebody else.”
Winston nodded, exited the car, and drove off in his vehicle.
“You have to find out what Serena knows,” Lucas told me. “It’ll be some detail she doesn’t realize is important.”
I nodded as Lucas waved at the two kids and sped away.
Things looked a lot less rosy now than when he’d first told me we’d tracked the Suburban.
A few minutes later, his phone rang. He put it on speaker. “Jordy, what have we got?”
“He made two calls, one to a local burner phone that took the call driving south on the four-oh-five and then went dark.”
Lucas grinned. “That’ll be our guy. Watch for the phone to go live again, and let us know the minute it does. It might end up in another state. What about the second?”
“He called Miami. I’ll have to get back to the office to identify who took it.”
Lucas braked for the next light. “Good work, Jordy.”
“What did he say on the call?” I asked Jordy.
“Hi, Duke. That would be a major miracle, and I deal in minor ones today. Numbers only.”
“Thank you, Jordy.”
“You’re welcome, Duke.” The call disconnected.
“How did he?—”
Lucas didn’t let me finish. “Howard Hawks once said…”
I waited for another of his corny quotes.
“Fortune favors the prepared.” He glanced over and smiled. “I had Jordy set up behind the restaurant to spoof the local cell tower.”
Yes, definitely as smart as he was lethal.
Serena
At the endof the day, Katelyn walked out with me again, and we rode down in the same elevator to the lobby.
She pulled me to a stop. “Pinch me. I must be dreaming.” She pointed out Duke, who hadn’t noticed us yet. “Is he for real? Leo never came to pick me up. Let me know when you’re done with him. I could use a man like that.”
“Oh, he’s real.” I didn’t address her request. Duke wasn’t one to be passed along.
