Page 104 of The Reluctant Siren
Landon’s eyes narrowed. “Big Tag says he does, so if youwant to fire me, shoot me because that’s the only way I’m not glued to thisdude. Apparently there’s a hit on him, and it’s supposed to go down today.Also, my boss thinks that this Hamilton guy might already be on the move.”
Jack’s head shook. “No. My intel puts him still in LA untilthis afternoon.”
“You have a leak,” Harlow pointed out. “Otherwise, how wouldthey have known you were moving him? We need to put hands on him. I can’tbelieve you let him walk up there alone.”
Jack flushed slightly. “I was on the damn phone and thenthis guy came flying in like a bat out of hell. Look, you might follow the bigguy’s orders, but I work for the FBI, and Big Tag isn’t a god there.” His jawdropped as he stared at his cell. “Fuck me.”
“He’s on the third floor according to Ruby’s intel,” Niallstated. “I’ll go up and bring him down.”
Landon moved in. “Not without me you won’t. I’m serious. BigTag’s niece wiggled her way out of a bathroom window and got kidnapped on mywatch. And then she got her ass kidnapped from where the kidnappers held her.The first kidnappers. There were two. Now I was not responsible for thesecondary kidnapping…”
She held a hand out. “I don’t need to know. Niall and I willgo get Jensen and once he’s safely at the MT building, we’ll let you guyshandle it.”
Jack’s head shook. “We’re going downtown to my building.”
“No.” On this she would not be moved. “You might work forthe FBI, but someone there is obviously working for Hamilton. There is zerochance all of this is coincidence. Who did you call last night? Did you tellsomeone you thought you would be bringing him in today?”
“More importantly, did you tell someone where his data was?”Niall asked.
“I talked to several people. People I trust. People I’veworked with for years now,” Jack replied.
“Then give me a logical reason why the hit suddenly had atarget date, and it was the very morning you were bringing Jensen back toDallas.” She wasn’t letting Jack off the hook. He was loyal, but he had to seelogic. “I’m not joking with you, Jack. You are going to take him to Big Tag andyou can have whatever meeting you want in that building, but you aren’tbringing him in until you figure out how this information got out. You’re luckythey weren’t waiting for him. How long has he been up there?”
“He was walking up the stairs when I got here,” Landonexplained. “I saw him disappear around the corner, but Jack said it was okay.”
A pit opened in Harlow’s gut. She stared at her cousin. “Iswear if he’s dead, I’ll take you out myself.”
Jack seemed to suddenly take the threat seriously. “Ididn’t… I thought Ruby was calling to tell me I was a bastard for taking Jensenin. He wouldn’t let me leave him, damn it. Whose idea do you think this was? Itsure as hell wasn’t mine since somewhere out there my papa is mad as hell at meand likely ready to sic my momma on me. What am I supposed to do? Knock him outand leave his ass behind? I have a killer to bring in.”
She wasn’t truly angry about that. “I don’t care that youbrought him here. Jensen is a big boy, and he made his choices. He wants to gointo witness protection for the rest of his life, more power to him. He’ll geta whole new life, and I won’t be around to bug him anymore.”
“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Jack argued.
She didn’t care. “What I’m angry about is the fact that youignored every attempt to contact you. Ruby has been trying to warn you allmorning, and you ignored her like she’s some chick with a crush you don’t wantto deal with.”
“Believe me, I know she doesn’t have a damn crush on me,”Jack shot back. “That woman can’t stand me which is why I avoided her, but I dounderstand. I’m sorry, Harlow.”
“I don’t need an apology. I need Jensen alive and whole andon his way to someplace safe, which will not be the FBI building until youfigure out where your leak is,” she announced. “I know you can’t imagine anyonewould take Hamilton’s piles of cash over their deep belief in our justicesystem…”
Jack held a hand up. “I get it. I fucked up, and for somestupid reasons that I need to work on. I’ll go get him. You stay here.”
She was done talking to Jack. She started for the stairs.“Landon, we’re going up. Watch for anyone coming in or going out.”
Landon moved behind her. “I’ll take a spot on the stairswhile you grab him.”
She strode down the path toward the stairs at the west sideof the building that would lead her to Jensen’s apartment. Naturally it was asfar away as possible, and she wondered if he chose it for the privacy. Itcertainly wasn’t for comfort, as the place looked like it was going to fallapart. The walkway was lined with overgrown bushes that would have been nice ifanyone gave a damn. They gave the place privacy, but in a creepy way.
She rounded the corner and felt a hand on her arm as someonemoved from said creepy bushes, and she realized that her instincts were righton time. A big guy with disheveled hair and kind of wild eyes pulled heragainst him.
“Drop the gun, bitch,” he snarled. He had his own gun shovedagainst her side.
Niall immediately dropped the gun and had his hands up.“Hey, no problems here, buddy. Why don’t you let the girl go?”
Fuck. They were here. She noticed neither Landon nor Jackhad rounded the corner. Smart boys. So they would be trying to find a way toget behind them. She wasn’t sure that was possible with the overgrown greenery.“Where’s Jensen?”
“I said drop the gun,” he reiterated, trying to get as closeas he could, likely making himself a smaller target.
She did as he asked and let the gun fall to the grass. Andeased her hand into her pocket, feeling for the knife she’d put there. Shedidn’t need a gun to take this asshole out, but if she could get someinformation from him, she would.
