Page 55 of Special Agent Joseph

Jie headed to the hidden staircase, expecting Joe to follow. “We’ve called out the regulars who’ll unpack the drugs and separate them into bags, getting them ready to sell on the street. It’s absolute chaos for a few hours, but they all know their jobs and money is a big incentive. By this time tomorrow, the place will be empty.”

“Right. And the cops will be raiding the other warehouse, pissed at being given bogus info.”

“Exactly. We believe in covering all the bases.” Jie pointed at the front door that opened to a bunch of men. “Good, the workers are arriving now. We figure the trucks will be here within the hour.”

Joe watched as a busload of workers entered. Some stayed upstairs, but many of the others disappeared behind the wall hiding the staircase.

Jie laughed. “Yep. It’s party time. Let’s get them settled. In a few hours, it’ll all be over, and we can breathe easy.”

Following, Joe watched as Jie approached the others, lording over them like he had every right as their boss. Unwilling to comment, he stood back and watched them get ready. Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him and turned to see Vinnie approaching. Before he could say anything, he saw another man step out from behind the old Italian.

That’s when his heart stopped.

Special Agent Joseph Marcus appeared… his expression thunderous. Truly, the man could be his twin. Every pulse inside Joe’s body reacted to the moment, yet he kept his cool. Then Joseph glared at Joe with a surly mocking smile on his face.

And it was nothing like the unique side grin Joe used in return.

Chapter Forty-one

As the day wore on and Megan didn’t hear from Joe, she decided not to listen to her boss. Sensing a need to go out to the mansion and check around, she held off as long as she could before giving in to her intuition. When she got there to find Jack waiting outside of Joe’s vehicle, but no Joe or Vinnie, she hesitated but still questioned the nervous butler.

“They’re gone, miss. First Jie and Mr. Joseph and then Vinnie got a call and went to a meeting. Don’t know when to expect them back.”

“No problem. I was just worried about Lucia and wondered if Vinnie had heard anything. I’ll call later.”

When she went back to her car, it was to find Jack anxiously pacing, racing to her, unwilling to be left behind.

“What are you doing here?” She patted Jack but he wouldn’t settle. “Something wrong, boy?” Megan tried calming the big dog but to no avail. He intended on staying with her, and she didn’t have the heart to leave him in the heat any longer.

“Okay. Come with me then. I’ll drop you off at his place.” She didn’t admit to herself that her idea had been to hopefully see Joe and find out why he hadn’t gotten in touch with her. Knowing his absence could be accounted for helped soothe the anxiety somewhat, yet with Jack so unsettled, her worry couldn’t be stomped out completely.

Maria was just leaving as they pulled up to the house. Megan waved to the older woman and the boy in her car as she met the Russian housekeeper at the gate.

Maria spoke first. “Sorry, Megan. Joe’s not home.”

“I kinda figured that, but he left Jack, and I wanted to bring him back.”

Megan led Jack inside the yard, leaving him loose and still agitated. “You’re okay, Jack. Go relax.”

Maria added, “There’s water and food in the house. Joe had a doggy door installed so he can come and go as he pleases. He’ll be fine. I’ve got the weekend off so if you see Joe, please remind him of my plans to take my son and mother to the mountains.”

“Sure, Maria. You go and have fun. I expect to see him later tonight.”

Unease mounted as Megan scanned her phone continuously, expecting Joe to reach out with more explanation once he’d checked out the warehouse with Jie. Disappointment flooded, and as the time passed, and she still didn’t hear from him, her worry escalated.

Unwilling to stay home, Megan headed back to the precinct where Agent Kramer and the SWAT team were planning the raid. Everyone seemed comfortable with the coming search and seizure plans, all their arrangements firmly discussed and in place.

Not hearing from Joe continued to haunt Megan… and then Tom. Both constantly studied their messages, and the looks that passed between them spoke volumes. Megan’s fear swelled andevery fifteen minutes that passed without a word made more unwelcome doubts form.

Soon, the time had arrived for them to set up their positions in the area of the warehouse. Informed that there were two trucks spotted outside the city limits heading to the exact location that Joe had given them, Sheila confessed that the spotters she’d placed to watch for the trucks’ arrival established the accuracy of Joe’s information.

Tom finally put into words what had been eating away at them both. “Where the fuck is the dude? He hasn’t gotten back to you, has he?”

“No. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“I don’t believe he’s betraying our trust. I just can’t. Look, maybe there’s been a change, and he’s back at the house. It’s on our way. We can swing by and see what’s up.”

“I don’t know. I never mentioned this, but I dropped the dog off there earlier, and Maria let us in. She looked normal and said she was leaving for the weekend. There’ll be no one to let us in.”

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