Page 65 of Mouse Trapped

“Now hold your horses, everyone. There’s just one snag.” Prez tugs on his beard, his eyes, softening now, focus on me. “Need you doing what you do best, Mouse. We need to find the lair. At the moment Devil’s working blind. He’s prepared to share all his info with you. He’s talking to Emir Kadar to sanction Cara to help you.”

I blink rapidly. From the way Drummer has been speaking, I assumed we’d shortly be in the air on our way to find her. My thoughts of racing to Colombia immediately to start tracking her down start dissipating.We need data.I turn away, and look out over the well-maintained park, barely seeing it. Slowly I unclench my hands. I’ve been wrong to blame Devil. There’s nobenefit to him if Mariana has disappeared into thin air. It’s my job now to find her.

Over my shoulder I say, “Need to get back to the compound, Prez.” My laptop’s not powerful enough for all the searches I want to start. I’ll need to contact Cara. She’s married into the ruling sheikh of Amahad’s family. Her hacking into government systems is curtailed as there could be fallback on that country if it was ever discovered, as shown by her reluctance to hack into the ICE database for me. But Colombia? Surely Emir Kadar would allow that. With Cara’s skill and our combined contacts on the deep web, hopefully we’ll be able to flush The Procurer out.

As the adrenaline rush starts to fade when my body realises this is no time for action, my brain kicks into gear. My skills are all that can help Mariana now.

Blade stubs out his cigarette on his boot, then steps to the nearest bin and drops it into it. “We going home or what?” He’s watching my face, giving a slight nod when he sees I’m now more focused.

“Yeah, we’re going.” Prez slaps me on the back, then we’re walking back to the bikes, mounting up, and riding back to Tucson.

All the way I push the memory of Mariana riding behind me out of my head, remembering I’d had hopes she’d be returning with me. Instead everything got fucked up, and she’s in the worst place she could be.Hang on, Mariana. I’m coming for you.

On my return, I grab a plate of food from the kitchen, then go straight into my cave, light a joint then start thinking.How do you find a drug baron, gun running, slave trafficking mastermind in South America?I’d searched his real name before, now I start looking for anything under his handle.

My phone rings. “Cara. Has…”

“Devil’s been talking to me. I’ve got the go ahead from Kadar.” She laughs. “He says he owes you one for taking Rais down a peg or two.”

Yeah, after a bizarre combination of events, Satan’s Devils ended up going to Kadar’s extravagant wedding in the Arab state of Amahad. Flying in a private jet, we got away without passports then too. It still amazes me that we were rubbing shoulders with the world’s politicians, royalty and film stars. There were celebrations for people of all types, and we gravitated to the less civilised desert sheikhs, interested in the tribespeople’s entertainment. I took part in the bareback riding, and to Sheikh Rais’s disgust, came in first, beating his best rider. They hadn’t thought anyone from the US could ride without the support of a western saddle, but they hadn’t reckoned on a Native American. Even in the circumstances, her reminder makes me smile. And if that means her brother-in-law, Kadar, thinks he’s in debt to me, so much the better.

“I’ve notified my contacts,” Cara continues.

“That’s great.” Cara’s a world-renowned hacker and moves in circles even I can’t get into. “Thank you, Cara.”

I hear an intake of breath. “We’ll find her, Mouse.”

“We will,” I say firmly. I can’t think of the alternative.

As I end the call, my door opens. “Mouse?”

I replace my joint in the ashtray. This is going to be a difficult conversation. “I’ve just come back from football practice. Drummer said I should talk to you. Mariana…”

“Come in, sit down, Drew,” I say wearily. I knew this conversation was coming, yet am completely unprepared for it. Seems that piece of paper I signed so he could have a car has more ramifications now than I ever imagined. I’m not going to abdicate the responsibility I’ve taken on. I’m his guardian in the eyes of the law, and with Mariana out of the country, the only personhe has. Instead of keeping the desk between us, I rise, going to the chair next to his.

Splaying my legs, I place my elbows on my knees, and clasping my hands, rest my chin on them. I try not to let my voice crack, as I begin. “Mariana’s been deported.”

He’d have known something was wrong when we didn’t bring her back with us. “She can appeal. That can take months, Mouse. I’ve been looking it up…”

“Drew,” I say firmly, “She didn’t appear in court. It’s not a deportation order we’re up against. She’s gone, Drew.” Yeah, my voice breaks, even though I wanted to remain strong. “She’s already in Colombia.”

Suddenly it’s not a fifteen-year-old boy trying to be a man in front of me. His upper lip trembles, his face pales, then he launches himself at me, tears flooding from his eyes. His fists hitting my cut, but without any force to them. My arms go around him as he sobs into my chest.

“No, Mouse. It’s not true. Mouse, tell me you’re wrong. Tell me, tell me.”

But I can’t do that. With tears sliding down my own face, all I can do is hold him. My anger of earlier, my resolve to concentrate my efforts on finding her, all slip away as I let another emotion consume me. As my own tears mingle with his, I’m holding onto him as tight as he’s holding me.

We stay like that for a few minutes. Gradually his sobs start to abate, and my tears stop flowing. When I’m at last able to speak, I make us both a promise. “I’ll bring her home, Drew. I’ll find her, I promise you.” I don’t mention Devil’s involvement, or the danger I might be putting myself and my club in. He doesn’t need to know that. He just needs to know I’ll save his sister, or die trying. She’s under my skin, and in my heart though I couldn’t explain how she got there. This kid in my arms? He’s become important to me too.

“What’s going to happen to me, Mouse?” Hiccups punctuate his sentence.

Pushing him away, I hold him at arm’s length, and wait until he raises his face. “I’m your guardian while Mariana’s not here, Drew. You’re staying here. With me. With my brothers. You’re my responsibility now, okay? Not going to abandon you.”

His head tilts, his watery eyes fix on mine. “Why, Mouse?”

“Why?” I try a smile; I think it works. “Because not only do I like your sister, I seem to like you too. Even if you can be an asshole at times.”

His lips curl slightly. A moment passes. Then he frowns. “You are going to find her, aren’t you?”

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