Page 170 of A Dirty Business
I started for the back, mulling in my head.
Leo was family, but so was Bear.
And Bear wasn’t the leak, but someone was leaking information to the police. That could be anyone.
But Leo was family. Bear was family.
What was I doing? I was making a mountain out of a molehill.
But where was Leo? He wouldn’t have disappeared on her.
Leo had told me he checked on my mom. Bear had said the same. Both had lied. Trace had said it himself.
“What is your problem with me, Travis?”
“Nothing except I don’t like dirty cops.”
He’d looked at Leo as he’d said that.
Leo.
Not me.
Leo.
Leo was dirty.
But, no. No. That was crazy.
Right?
I looked down.
My gun was out. I didn’t remember pulling it, but I grasped it with both hands and started thinking.
Jesus. I wanted to be wrong. I needed to be wrong.
He’d go where he couldn’t be heard. Outside. His garage. He kept a fridge out there, a ready-made excuse if he needed one.
He must be. I was betting everything on it, but my heart was pounding.
This wasn’t like last time. I’d just gone through this. The adrenaline spike had hit me, carried me through shielding my mom. The shock had hit me later, then had worn off, and right now my body was tired. It didn’t want to go through this again, but as I eased to the side door, my heart began speeding up.
The sound was loud in my eardrums.
My breathing sounded like it could shatter glass.
One foot. Two. Three. I kept going, reaching for the door, finding it unlocked.
I was right. He’d gone out this way.
I opened it, and it made sense. It was the quietest door; there was no sound.
I eased out. No lights were on outside, but there was one in the garage. I saw it and moved toward the building.
Gun drawn. I didn’t have my phone this time. There’d be no backup. It was just me.
After moving to the side of the building, I stood so I was as small as I could be, heading for the door.
