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“I like it,” Lester returned. “But don’t relocate too much. I don’t want to lose any profits because of her.”
“Got it, boss.” Galici agreed. “Now I’ve got other important things to think about, like getting the operation back up and running,” Galici continued gruffly. “Which means you’ll need to make it here quickly. We not only need this wrapped up; we need to find a new place to cook our product.”
“I’ll be on a plane within two hours,” Lester assured him. “I should be in Maine by late tonight. Then I’ll make up some bullshit story to the local cops about tracking Pikens’ phone signal—which they won’t know we can’t do with the encrypted device she’s carrying—taking them with me to find her body first thing in the morning. In the meantime,” he added, “you start scouting the area for a new venue, and I’ll give my approval after we’re through putting the final punctuation on Agent Pikens’ sorry life.”
Now Joe’s brows scrunched together, furrowing a deep groove mid-forehead. Mike wanted to simultaneously smooth it away, and punch a wall, but he couldn’t do either at the moment. The conversation between pricks had to wrap up first.
“Got it, boss,” Galici responded. “I’ll have the boys out looking today for a likely spot.”
“You do that. And make yourself scarce when I’m in town. I’ll arrange for a meeting, but it will be in an out-of-the-way spot where nobody will see us.”
Mike glowered, but with a certain satisfaction.
The only meeting between Lester and Galici would be in a courtroom. Or in prison.
“I’ll be waiting,” Galici agreed.
Yeah. In a jail cell.
They both hung up, and Mason gave his approval. “A credible job, Anthony. I’ll put in a positive word for you with the DA, but you’ll have to tell her where the prison of choice is that you want to be your home for a good long time.”
Galici grumbled, but smartly didn’t say anything because he was surrounded by law enforcement in various forms.
“Take him away,” Mason told two of the SWAT officers who were also OPD, and they quickly complied.
“So now we wait,” Mason continued, once Galici had been hustled from the room. He turned to the other SWAT members still present. “Since we’ve pulled an all-nighter, and we’ll be up to our ass in intrigue tomorrow, you’ve all been given the day off from your PD jobs. Make good use of your time and head home to bed,” he ordered, making a point to look directly at Mike, then Joe.
Cisco snickered, seeing the message Mason was sending. “Oh, we’ll all hit mattresses. But not every one of us will be sleeping.”
Mike was about to respond to Cisco’s snark, but Joe beat him to it.
“What? Jealous, Cisco?” she purred. “It’s your own fault. If you weren’t so busy bouncing from bed to bed, you might know where yours actually is.”
Burn.
Boy, had Joe gotten Cisco’s number from the short amount of time they’d talked.
But Cisco only laughed. He was certainly known for his undiscerning taste in women, and never tried to hide the fact.
“That’s just the thing, Joe,” Cisco responded once he stopped chuckling. “Since I have so many available ladies to choose from, I never have to travel far to find a warm bed.”
“Meeting adjourned,” Mason interjected loudly, clearly not wanting to prolong the conversation regarding Cisco’s overly-active sex life.
Huh. Someday Cisco’s escapades were going to catch up with him.
Mike walked over to Joe and put a hand on the small of her back. “Your place or mine?” he asked quietly, once the room had cleared out of everyone but Mason, who was on the phone and not paying attention.
“That depends,” Joe answered. “My place is small and basic; no big shower to play in,” she teased. “But your house comes with kids.”
“Right,” Mike agreed. “But they’re in school, so if we head there now, we’ve got…” He looked at his watch. “…seven hours to…sleep.”
He scowled then, as something occurred to him, and he raised his voice so Mason was privy to his thoughts. “You can’t go back to your place anyway, Joe. I’m sure Lester-the-dick will check out the cabin, first thing when he gets in. More than likely he’ll plant evidence in your stuff.”
“Good call, Mike,” Mason said as he hung up. “I’ll put eyes on her room for the next twenty-four hours, along with a few hidden cameras, just in case.” He pointed a finger at Joe. “You’ll go with Mike and stay at his house until it’s time to run our op on Lester.”
Joe smirked and laid a hand on Mike’s large chest as she acknowledged the order. “Why do I have a feeling that if I follow that order, Mike and I will be more bleary eyed at the end of the day than we are right now?”
Mason gave a huff, picked up several folders off the conference table, and walked out, shaking his head.