Page 76 of Hart of Redemption
Me:The address I sent you is the one. Shit is going down now.
The three bouncing dots flashed.
Gwen:I’m still trying Ted Hughes. We’ve left the facility. Not sure of ETA. Will text you when I know more. Do. Not. Engage!
I slowly stood upright and grabbed the binoculars from the pouch, not sure they would help with the fog. As I adjusted the focusing ring, I couldn’t see a thing.
Returning the binoculars to the pouch, I headed farther down the perimeter from where I had spotted Gustavo’s soldiers. At the very end of the fence, before it angled at ninety degrees, the chain link was bent outward, as though someone had tried to use the spot to gain access into the yard.
The problem was that I could hear the guards talking. So they were close.
“Mateo is waiting for you in the building up ahead,” a man said.
I imagined he was speaking to Duke.
I pulled the fence backward as far as my strength would allow then shimmied through. I couldn’t wait for Gwen and the team. They wouldn’t be here for at least an hour because of the fog and their distance from South Boston.
I crawled around a heap of metal, debris, and other blunt objects digging into my hands and knees. The adrenaline was keeping me from feeling too much pain as my pulse blasted in my ears.
Once I was hidden between stacks of metal, I stood up and practiced my yoga breathing, sweat sliding down my back one slow inch at a time.
The sound of tires crunching over gravel was ominous through the dark, foggy morning hour, which according to my phone was five a.m.
I needed to find a spot to hunker down, one with a bird’s-eye view. I kept my senses open as I went to the edge of the stacks of metal and peeked around them.
Brake lights illuminated the surroundings as the vehicle turned in to a spot in front of what looked to be a two-story cement building. It was a bit hard to tell. The fog was both a blessing and a curse.
Regardless, my goal was to get into the building.
I looked both ways, took a deep breath, and ran across the expanse of the open gravel road as fast as I could.
29
DUKE
The damn fog was freaking me out. I couldn’t scan the yard for threats. Ted had assured me he wouldn’t call the Feds, at least not until he had Mateo in custody. For all we knew, federal agents could be hiding among the piles of metal—if Mateo was using the law to fuck with us.
“This weather is not helping us, Duke,” Rosario said, exiting my SUV only to be stopped by the grunt with an assault rifle.
“Touch me, and I’ll scratch out your eyes.” She held up her cat claws. “They’re sharper than you think.”
“I need to check for weapons,” he said. “So if you don’t want me touching you, then hand yours over.”
Rosario’s laugh was laden with evil. “I am not walking in there unarmed. Mateo!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “We do this outside. Bring my daughter out. Now!”
I collected the briefcase of money from the back seat. I preferred that we did the deal indoors. Not being able to see my surroundings was giving me a bad itch in my side.
I touched Rosario’s shoulder. “We go in. I got you covered.”
I left my weapon in the SUV.
She handed hers to the grunt. “You better return it when I leave.”
The dude had no expression as he frisked me. “I need you to open the briefcase.”
I did as he instructed. Once he was satisfied, Rosario and I went inside.
The second she crossed the threshold into the cement building, she swore like a drunken sailor at a bar during happy hour.
