Page 31 of Special Agent Joseph

“He told the truth. He was too scared not to. And I’ll pay more if necessary.”

Again, shaking her head, she groaned. “You’re a baby. You start flashing that bankroll around here, and you’ll end up with a shiv in your back and your money gone.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“Plain old common sense. “We’ll stop as many people as we can, pretending to be worried relatives. Show Lucia’s picture, tell them who’s granddaughter she is, andhintat a reward. If we give them a place where we’ll be at a certain time, we go there and wait for them to come to us.”

“You figure it’ll work?”

“Got nothing else to do, right?”

The rest of the morning and after a quick lunch at a casino they stopped a lot of the street people, being careful not to hook onto tourists. Many ignored them at first and a few walked away. But others heard the Farina name and that stopped them in their tracks. No one who survived in the hood was ignorant of one of the biggest suppliers who kept them provided with their elixir. Many crafty souls were bloody interested. Just didn’t want anyone else to see that they were.

At the designated hour, Joe and Megan waited on the street where they’d said they’d be. This time, Joe had Jack on a lead beside him. The dog appeared nervous and Megan mentioned it to Joe. “I don’t think it was a good idea to bring the dog. He’ll deter anyone from approaching.”

“You figure? I kind of thought that these folks liked animals. You see a lot of them on the street with pets.”

“Sure, for protection. But Jack isn’t like the ones you see around here. He’s a monster, and he’s intimidating as hell. I’ll put him back in the car. You talk to the guy who’s been hovering around across the street, looking this way for the last fifteen minutes. I think it’s Jack who’s stopping him from approaching.”

***

Joe swung to look where she motioned and though he heard her groan, he didn’t know why she made the noise until herwords ‘don’t look you idiot’ registered but too late. Ignoring her irritation, he spoke with authority.

“Good idea. Take him.” He handed over Jack’s leash. “But stay with him at the car. It’s dark. You shouldn’t be out here alone now. It’s dangerous.”

“Lord above! Is the moron even aware I usually carry a gun and know how to use it?” Megan’s grouchy words floated back to him as she swiveled away.

Chapter Twenty-two

Rather than getting the exit she planned, Megan kept pulling at the leash, giving Jack an order to come which was ignored. Trying again, she yanked a bit harder, petted the dog’s head which reached her waist, and turned to go. Still, he wouldn’t leave with her.

Joe watched, enjoying seeing the dog bring her down off her high horse. Then he issued a command, secretly hoping that the dog’s training would kick in. “Go with Megan, Jack.”

Instantly, the dog began loping along beside her, showing that he followed orders, but from only one person. Instantly filling up with pride and affection for this incredible animal’s loyalty, he tried not to let his face beam his inner pleasure.

When he heard the tsking sound from Megan, and saw her head shaking, he figured he hadn’t pulled it off. But she did eventually smile and that more than made up for her earlier trash-talking. Considering he was a trained FBI agent, he sure as hell didn’t act like one. Sensing someone looming, he triedacting cool, waiting to be approached rather than starting the exchange.

A black man in his fifties – maybe forties, poorly dressed but not in the same category as Geoff, inched closer. He didn’t look at Joe nor appear as if he wanted anything to do with him. Joe sensed the man didn’t want to be seen carrying on a conversation yet he had information to sell.

Waiting, pretending to be checking out something on his phone, Joe stayed alert. Finally, he heard the man speak from a couple feet away. “You looking for Lucia Farina?”

“I am. Do you know where I can find her?”

“Maybe. Depends. How much you payin’ to find out?”

Remembering his earlier screwup, Joe muttered, “Depends on what you got? Give me an address. That’s worth more than if you just saw her on the street. Know what I mean? I need to find the kid. She’s only sixteen, and Vinnie is frantic. He wants her back asap.”

“I know Vinnie. He’s a prick. Can’t say I feel bad for him, but the girl’s a different story. She’s a baby, and they eat babies alive around here.”

Joe listened to the man’s speech and heard an intelligence that surprised him. “You sound different from the usual folks in this area.”

“I’m a father myself. Lost my baby girl to drugs many years ago. Used to be on the roller coaster back then myself, but I found the Lord. Now I hate the filthy shit, and I’m here to help these kids whenever I can. Started a church so’s they have a place to come. Get them to safehouses, try talking to them about Jesus. How they souls can be saved if they believe in the power of the Almighty.”

Not sure what to do about this stranger, Joe spoke truth to decency. “Good for you, man. These poor lost ones need all the help they can get. So you know, the reason Lucia ran away fromher grandfather was because she’d just found out what he does, and it broke her heart. Now she’s alone in this freaking desert storm, and she needs to be saved. Please, give her a break.”

“She was here. The boys who run with Bear chased her, but another dude stepped in, and they ran away together.”

“His name?”

---