Page 49 of Shadow Man

“As what, a bloody-handed intermediary?” It’s a fitting description for him. If there’s an opportunity to kill, he’s not the type to walk on by. “You’re assuming there’ll still be a table, and not a pile of firewood by then…”

“Oh, there’ll be a table,” he says with a growl. “And every single member ofLos Cinco Grandeswill be warming their respective chairs. That’s if they don’t want me resurrecting my legacy.”

“Is that a possibility?” I’m surprised. Cartel life isn’t conducive to happy marriages, and I know he values that most of all.

“It’s more of a heavy threat at this stage. Eve has no fucking desire to live in Colombia, and I have no desire to expose myself like that. Talk about an American Interference clusterfuck… The CIA would be hounding our asses, day and night.”

I go mute when I reach the girls’ discarded vehicle, trying each of the four doors in turn. The driver one gives me pass. I swing into the seat and check the casing under the wheel, cursing as I slice my finger on the edge of the plastic.

“What the fuck are you doing?” asks Dante curiously.

“Hot wiring a car,” I say, opening the door wider for more light. “It’s an old vehicle so I need to smash in the key mechanism.”

“Side business, is it?” he drawls, sounding amused.

“Long story with a satisfactory sub-ending.”

I think about Anna’s face when she climaxed. How I caught a split-second glimpse of the woman in red on the sidewalk. She isn’t like any other drug I’ve ever known. She’s an elixir for all the dead and useless parts of me.

“Give me an update on the women,” he says, losing patience. In the background I can hear a baby crying. It’s drags me back to a time when I had a baby crying in my life too.

“I’m closing in on them.” The engine roars into life.

“Have you seen her?”

“Anna?”

“No, the other one.”

“Yes, I’ve seen her.” What the hell is up with him and this woman? “She’s a pain in the ass, like you said.”

“Starting all this shit is the least of it… What did she look like?”

“Colombian.” I’m bored of the conversation already. I drop the clutch and ease the car out of the parking bay.

“Are you trying to make me lose my shit on purpose?”

Go fuck yourself, Dante.I have a serious case of blue balls,I haven't had a shower in two days and I need a goddamn drink. “Why don’t you stop dicking around and tell me what’s really going on?”

There’s silence on the line. “Did you take a look at her eyes?”

“Hereyes?” The unthinkable slips into my path like landfall, and I slam my foot down on the brake. “I swear to God, Santiago… If you have some secret woman down here in Colombia I will hunt you down for Eve myself.”

He blows out a harsh breath. “Grayson, the day I look at another woman will be the same day I find religion staring down the barrel of my own fucking gun. Call my question a curiosity.”

“I’ll call it something else if you don’t start talking to me.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize her yourself.”

This stops me in my tracks.I knew I’d seen her before.

Dragging my mind back, I replay the action by the outdoor vending machine, with my hand pressed tight over her mouth as those two fireballs tried to knock me on my ass.

“Motherfucker,” I mutter, as the dots connect, depicting a face I’d never thought about or had any goddamn desire to see again. “Did you know he had a daughter?”

“I heard a rumor. Figured it was hearsay. Figured the truth was all twisted up like the inside of his fucking head. The man was screwing half the whores in Colombia and busy slitting the throats of the rest. So I ignored it. Hoped it would go away. Then I took a phone call yesterday, and now my ass has bite marks all over it. She’s not a fan of me, as you can imagine,” he adds dryly.

“Who else knows about her?” Unease has paced my voice to a slow drawl. I sound like a fucking Bond villain.

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