Page 92 of Shadow of Doubt
“Well, yeah, but first I hooked Sumo up to my truck so I could drive out the back way. But I had to hurry before the goons came looking for Matteo and I got into a shoot-out. I couldn’t clean up any evidence of my being there, so I grabbed a spare can of gas and set the place on fire, then bolted to come here.”
She shook her head, not sure what to say. “All for the love of money.”
“Is there anything else worth loving?” He smirked.
“Not even Sumo?”
“This stupid cat? Nah. After he takes care of you once and for all, and you fatten him, I’ll be selling him to the highest bidder.”
“Not if you’re not alive to sell him to anyone,” Luka said.
Her mouth fell open over the man’s blunt statement. Just a day ago, she had one man wanting to kill her, and she thought that unbearable. Now two men wanted her dead, and a three hundred pound wild cat would likely be used to end her life. Her odds of survival got less by the minute, and she needed a miracle to get out of this dire dilemma alive.
Dev’s buddy didn’t call back. Of course not. That would’ve been too easy, and Colin could have already been on the road to whereBrooklyn was being held. Instead, they’d wasted thirty minutes while Nick hacked into the system. Thankfully, he was skilled, or the database wasn’t as secure as everyone would like to think. Either way, he’d just plugged in the license plate number.
“Vehicle’s registered to a Danny Newton with an address in Tillamook,” Nick announced from behind his computer.
“You think the truck belongs to one of Albertelli’s guys?” Colin asked. “Or could it be another alias for Tarver and somehow Albertelli is driving his vehicle?”
“We can find out soon enough.” Nick’s fingers ran over the keyboard. “I’m searching for a corresponding driver’s license to get a look at the photo.”
Colin leapt to his feet and moved behind Nick. The computer churned through records in the DMV database until it landed on one and opened. The photo displayed.
“It’s Tarver all right,” Nick said. “And the address matches.”
“C’mon, let’s move,” Colin said. “Get out there now.”
“Hold up.” Nick lifted a hand. “I’ll bring up a satellite photo so we know what we’re up against.”
“And now that we know we’re dealing with Albertelli,” Reid said, “we’ll need additional weapons and surveillance equipment that we don’t have with us.”
Colin couldn’t waste more time. He just couldn’t. Not with Brooklyn needing him right now. But could he afford to rush off? Could they take Albertelli with just handguns?
No. He had to listen. “You’re right, but no way we have time to go back to Shadow Lake for them.”
“Call Grady. “ Nick kept his attention on the computer. “Extension 126. Have him round up what we might need. We’ll stop by to pick it up on the way out.”
“I’ll do it,” Reid said.
“Hey, thanks, man,” Colin replied as he was too frazzled to think straight to request what they might need. “Make sure weget a semi-automatic rifle that we can use to take Tarver or Albertelli out from a distance if needed.”
“Roger that,” Reid said.
Colin looked at his brother. “Without Micha here, you’re our best marksman. Be ready to take a long shot if needed.”
“You got it.” Dev’s enthusiasm for the job shone on his face. He wouldn’t want to kill another human being, but he would want to be able to use his skills to help, and if Brooklyn’s life was in danger, he would take the shot. After all, law enforcement officers were trained to protect innocent lives at all costs, and that meant taking the hard shot when necessary. As a former deputy, that training would never leave Dev, and he would man up if needed.
“Okay,” Nick said. “The place is on the Wilson River. Tree canopy too thick to really see anything else.”
Colin looked back at Dev. “With the river, we might need your water rescue skills too.”
Dev gave a firm nod. “Glad to help.”
Reid hung up. “Grady will have the supplies ready in five. He also offered to come along if we need him.”
“The four of us have it covered,” Colin said, and prayed he was right. “Let’s move.”
Nick grabbed his laptop. “It’s about an hour drive. I can do additional research on the property on the way.”
