Page 25 of Urban Justice

Chapter 11

Sloane groanedin annoyance as she stalked a bunch of thugs that were clearly not as interesting as they’d all first believed. One of Chicago Street gangs had been rumored to be using the tunnels, but from what she could see, there wasn’t enough brain cells among them all to even come up with that idea.

From her vantage point, she was about to call it a night when Devin came through her earpiece.

“Just calling with an update...”

She cut him off before he even finished. “An update about the fools I’m looking at right now? They’re hopeless. If you want my opinion, this is a big, hairy dud. I don’t know who suggested them, but I’m going to pour arsenic in their coffee for that.”

“Sloane, not an update about your surveillance, but about the professor.”

At the reference, Sloane’s body went into battle mode, all thought of the thugs pushed aside. “Was the safehouse compromised?”

Devin snorted. “No, but he’d need to stay there to remain safe. And that professor of yours isn’t tucked up in bed. He took the truck and went downtown.”

“What?” She almost yelled loud enough to be heard from a distance, and if not for the mask, it would’ve probably been the case. She rushed to the car, revving it into gear and speeding away. It wasn’t discreet, but she was beyond the point of caring. “Talk to me, Devin.”

“If you’d allow me to, I would. The GPS in the truck pinged an hour ago, and it stopped downtown.”

“Why didn’t you call me then?”

“Because I needed more information! If he moved, there was a reason. Which is why I’m calling you. After the car stopped, I tracked his cell.”

Sloane accelerated, grateful for the almost inexistent traffic and Devin’s talent to make her presence blurred to the city’s electronic eyes.

“And I wouldn’t be calling now if I hadn’t lost his signal.”

Swerving right, the weirdest thing happened to her; panic seized her. Words had never evaded her before, but her mind went blank, apart from smashing her foot to the gas.

“Sloane, your silence is freaking me out. Please tell me you didn’t smash my Bugatti baby into a wall.”

“Just guide me to the last place you had his signal.”

“Better than that, I’ve just found you a perfect parking spot. Turn left now.”

In less than thirty seconds, the car was hidden from sight and she was standing beside it, Devin speaking in her ear.

“I’ve disabled the camera and some of the lights, but it will only be for a few seconds, so run fast.”

She did exactly that, her eyes scanning for any possible glimpse of Luke, but the street was deserted at that time of night, although her eyes caught on a form huddled in the entrance of a shop. The form seemed familiar, but Devin distracted her.

“You’re there. Exactly where the signal vanished.”

Sloane looked around, and there were so many entry points, it was impossible to pinpoint where he could have gone. “Can’t you check the cameras?”

“Come on, Sloane, it’s me. Of course I’ve already checked the cameras. The professor didn’t appear on any of the feeds around that time. The only people I saw were homeless folks.”

Sloane turned and caught the form in the corner, and it gave her an idea. “Keep the lights out a little longer, Devin.”

Retracing her steps and keeping to the shadows, Sloane went to the man who hadn’t moved. Her first thought was that he was sleeping, but the way he tensed and tried to get to his feet as she approached told her that he was very much aware of her presence, and that reminded her of what she looked like all suited up.

“Easy, old man. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was difficult to sound reassuring with the voice modulator, but that’s all she could offer.

“Never thought I’d see the Vigilante on these streets. If you came for me, you can fuck off.”

Being face-to-face with Quincy had her doing a double-take until her training took over. “You’re not my mission.” Despite the dim light, she recognized Luke’s coat. That meant that Quincy had contacted Luke and the nerdy professor was out there somewhere doing something stupid. “Where did he go?”

Quincy was far from being impressed by her stern voice and not scared at all. “I don’t know what you mean.”

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