Page 11 of Blind Justice

Chapter Two

Duncan gripped the steering wheel tighter as he drove home. Seeing AJ and Scotty along with Thomas solidified one thing for him: he needed to get laid. Of course, he should’ve stayed at the club after his meeting with Trixie concluded, but before he realized it, he hopped into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

It didn’t make sense. Nothing about the budding feelings he had for the two siblings in his apartment could manifest. It was lust. A lack of blowing off steam after a long case. They were, for all intents and purposes, witnesses willing to cooperate with an ongoing FBI investigation. Blurring the lines between personal and professional with either of them could cause Duncan problems.

As he merged onto the interstate, his phone rang. He frowned. No one called him after midnight, especially on the weekends. He glanced at the screen, and his frown deepened. Laura Pratt. He’d meet her once at some FBI function he attended with Thomas. Her godfather introduced them. She didn’t seem too impressed with him, probably because she didn’t want to mess up her fancy clothes or sully her reputation. It didn’t bother him one bit. He wasn’t there to be liked, anyway. The only thing he’d focused on was going home, so he welcomed her cold shoulder. For her to call him out of the blue, though... It didn’t sit well.

He hit the answer button on his steering wheel while speeding up to change lanes. “Red? What can I do for you?”

She blew out a breath. “We have an issue.”

His stomach knotted. Had it been his da? He hadn’t called the old man for a few weeks, and knowing his da, he could get himself into trouble without trying. “Lay it on me.” Duncan played it cool for the moment. He couldn’t jump to conclusions.

“I’m in San Diego at a gruesome scene.”

He blew out a breath, sagging as much as he could while driving. His da was safe. “Okay, tell me how this pertains to me?”

“Do the names Ignacio Suarez and Naomi Duran-Suarez ring a bell?”

He clenched the steering wheel. “Fuck. Yeah, according to our records, they should be our witnesses’ parents.”

“The intel we had was spot on. Two days ago, Raul crossed the border near Mexicali. He was caught on CCTV stealing a vehicle from the parking lot of a liquor store. Then he was spotted again near San Diego at a gas station. If our theory is correct, Raul paid the Suarez family a visit. The place is pretty trashed. There’s a strong indication of Raul and more than likely Ignacio fighting at some point. You should know Naomi is dead. Ignacio is being considered a missing person but presumed dead as well, due to the amount of blood in the residence.”

“Shit.” The idea of having to tell Enzo and Bella about their parents made his stomach roil. This had to be his punishment for all the hurt he’d inflicted on others.

“There it is,” Laura said.

“What?” He pulled off onto the side of the freeway and flipped his flashers on.

“That accent of yours. From the intel I’ve gathered about you over the years, you’ve perfected your American accent.”

“Now isn’t the time to get nostalgic on me, Red,” he replied. “I’m fecking pissed, and I have too many questions.”

“Here’s what I can tell you. About a week ago, a team of our agents were alerted to his whereabouts in Arizona. When our agents arrived, they trailed him for several days until he disappeared. We believe he used the tunnels and went back to Mexico.”

Duncan clenched his jaw until he thought his back molars would crack from the pressure. “You had agents tailing him, and they didn’t pick him up? What the fuck were they thinking?”

“In their defense, they believed if they followed him, they’d be led to another of Raul’s compounds.”

“Instead, Raul broke protocol. He got his hands bloody,” Duncan snapped. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

“It also appears that at some point Raul ransacked the place, looking for something. For what, our investigators aren’t sure. Does your team happen to know?”

“If I had to guess, where Enzo and Bella are,” he muttered, scrubbing his face. “Looks like Raul’s trying to clean up all of his loose ends.”

“Appears that way,” she replied. “I’ll have a file from this scene emailed to you by the morning.”

“Thanks.” Words failed him. Bella and Enzo were fucked. They couldn’t go home. They wouldn’t have a normal life ever again due to Raul. Sure, they had their own responsibilities in creating this mess, however Raul bore the brunt of it. “I’m moving them to a safe house tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted as well.”

“As will I. If you find Raul before us...”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Come to the FBI, they said. Give FBI agents seminars about terrorists and organized crime, they said. Clear up your record, they said.”

Laura huffed a laugh. “Goodbye, Duncan.”

When the call ended, he merged back into traffic and headed home. In the morning, he’d have to do a conference call with Asher and the guys before he left with Bella and Enzo for Club X. They needed this information for their op with Bexley. It might also mean bringing in backup for Bella and Enzo’s protection.Shit, what have I gotten myself into?

He kept his head on a swivel as he stepped inside the building and headed for the bank of elevators. He didn’t have to go too far, but with the new information, tension filled him, causing the throb at the sides of his head to intensify. Duncan cursed under his breath. Not only did he have to tell the siblings about their parents, but he also had to explain where they were going.

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