Page 53 of A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions #4)

Tallus

D iem’s name flashed across the screen as the phone buzzed a second time, vibrating on the hard surface of the table.

“Answer it on speaker,” Costa said.

I tentatively reached out and hit Connect while shedding any hints of fear from my greeting. “Hello?”

For the briefest of moments, I imagined Diem’s snarly tone on the other end of the line, demanding to know where the fuck I’d gone because he was back at the courthouse looking for me, and I was supposed to stay in the bathroom.

I wanted to believe the past hour had been a typical Tallus overreaction and that we would laugh about it for years to come.

But the voice that responded was not Diem’s, and hope plummeted.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Domingo. I don’t believe we’ve properly met.”

“Who is this? Where’s Diem? ”

“He’s here. Furious but mostly unharmed. Whether or not he stays that way is up to you. Are you alone, Mr. Domingo? We need to have a serious chat.”

Costa nodded frantically while shooing away the server.

“I’m alone.”

“Good. Where are you?”

“That’s not important.”

The man chuckled. “You’re a wily one. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of games, so your little disappearing act has put me in a rather irritable mood.”

“Well, guess what, bucko? Kidnapping my boyfriend has had the same effect on me, so we’re even.”

Costa pinched his lips together and shook his head. Yeah, yeah, maybe I shouldn’t antagonize the asshole, but I was pissed.

“You’re a jokester.”

“Only when I’m stressed. Can I talk to Diem?”

“No. I need you to listen carefully. I’m going to spell out the terms of our agreement, and since Mr. Krause is working on his second warning, I suggest you pay attention.

We don’t give thirds. One mistake, Mr. Domingo, and I’ll give the order to have dear old granny eliminated. Are we on the same page?”

In the background, Diem called my name. A choked cry tore up the last syllable.

“Shut him up.”

A muffled sound of impact.

A groan.

“Don’t hurt him.” My voice rose too many octaves, and Costa rested his hand on my arm, his finger pressed to his lips as he scanned the restaurant. “Please,” I added, quieter.

“Do as I say, and your life can go back to normal. ”

“You want Clarence.”

“Yes, Mr. Domingo. You have until five tomorrow evening to deliver him. Not a minute longer. If I catch wind of police involvement, your boyfriend will watch his grandmother die. Then, I will release him into the hands of the Bishop. He will be tortured, and he, too, will die. It might go on for days before his body gives up. I’ve seen it, and it’s ugly. ”

“No police. Got it.”

“Good. Smart boy. Five tomorrow evening. If you don’t succeed, both granny and your boyfriend will die . I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Lastly, if you fail, I will hunt you down and deliver you to Ace personally.”

“Let me guess. I die, too?”

“Likely. After he’s had some fun with you, no doubt. Perhaps I should allow Diem to live long enough to watch.”

A familiar growl sounded in the distance.

“I’ll find Clarence. When I do, then what?”

“Call this number. We will arrange an exchange.”

Before I could ask further questions, the line went dead.

For a long time, I stared at the quiet phone, unsure of what to do. I felt like I was on a malfunctioning carnival ride with no way to get off. Only when Costa stood and tugged my arm did I blink back to reality. “Come on,” he urged.

“Where are we going?”

“To find Clarence.”

“But…”

“We’ll talk in the car. ”

The walk back to the SUV was tense. My mind spun, and Costa texted nonstop. I didn’t know who he was talking to, and I didn’t have the capacity to ask.

The sound of a muffled impact replayed inside my head over and over. Diem’s groan filled my ears.

I stumbled after Costa. He drove us back to his wife’s place of employment, where he left the SUV in the same spot we’d collected it earlier.

As we crossed at the intersection and aimed for the strip mall, one blazing thought overrode all the others. “You can’t help me.”

“You’re funny.”

“You heard him.”

“Yeah, I did, which is why we’re taking precautions. You can’t do this alone.”

“I’m a qualified PI. I know how to find people.”

“Yeah? Are you willing to risk your boyfriend’s life on your newfound investigative skills, Tallus?”

“Fuck you. I know what I’m doing.”

“No, you don’t. Get in.” He motioned to the car.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t want to talk in the open. Get in.”

Once inside the vehicle, Costa placed a call. He didn’t put it on speaker, so I had no clue who he was talking to, and listening to one side of the conversation didn’t help.

“Hey. I have a situation. Can you do me a favor?” Costa paused as the other person spoke, and then he chuckled. “Deal. I need a few things… An unmarked and some stuff from my office. Put the car in your name, not mine. Also, write this down. ”

My cousin rhymed off a list of items, including a specific laptop, a phone he kept in a hidden compartment in his desk, and a labeled box he claimed was full of goodies.

Again, he chuckled. “A sexy Latino James Bond. Would I outrank your precious Daniel Craig?” Another laugh. “Yeah, yeah, stop flirting… Meet me behind Casey’s in an hour. Perfect. Thank you.”

“Who was that?” I asked when he hung up.

“A good friend.”

I didn’t pester him for a better answer. Whoever it was, we were meeting them in an hour.

***

Casey’s Diner was a popular cop joint located close to the headquarters building.

My apprehension mounted as Costa pulled into the parking lot.

I was all too aware of the passing of time but knew if anyone was going to succeed in helping me find Clarence, it would be my cousin.

He was head of the IT department and a hacker to his core.

Even Diem begrudgingly admired Costa’s brain.

We had spent the past hour driving aimlessly around town.

The conversation I’d had with Diem’s captor suggested they had no idea where I was, but Costa wasn’t taking chances.

Spiffed-up Converse dude had been outside the courthouse during our escape.

If he saw me, he could easily report that there had been two of us in the car. My story would crumble.

Costa asked what Diem and I had learned about Clarence, so I told him about our illegal nighttime excursion to the man’s apartment, the photographs in the closet of the dead wife, the notebook of passwords, the bank statement, the massive donation to St. Michael’s, and our suspicion that Clarence had hired Ace to eliminate his wife.

Costa asked a few questions but mostly sat quietly, absorbing the details. Once he was convinced we didn’t have a tail, he headed for our scheduled rendezvous.

Instead of parking in the lot at Casey’s, he drove down a service road beside the building and cut into an alley where deliveries were made. A blacked-out unmarked police car waited near the rear entrance. Costa pulled in behind it, and his good friend got out.

“I should have known. Is this a good idea?”

“He’s solid. I trust that man with my life.”

Quaid Valor, an MPU detective I’d had a few run-ins with, shook his head with a humorous glint in his eyes as my cousin and I met him in the alley. “Making trouble, Costa?” he asked.

“Me? Never. This one seems to land in it without trying.” He thumbed in my direction. “Always gotta rescue him.”

“I resent that.”

“It’s true.”

Sadly, he was right. “Hi, Quaid.” I tipped my chin at the detective.

“Tallus. Should I ask?”

“The less you know, the better,” I said.

“Fair enough.” He gave my cousin the keys to the unmarked.

“As requested. Your stuff’s in the trunk.

” From a pocket, he removed what looked like an old-style Nokia phone.

Quaid studied it with a quirk at the corner of his mouth before tossing it at my cousin.

“I’m best friends with James freaking Bond.

You have no idea what kind of a turn-on that is. ”

My cousin laughed and slipped the phone out of sight. “It’s probably why you’re so attracted to me. Here I thought it was the tattoos, but it’s the bad boy persona, isn’t it? ”

“Must be.”

Costa handed Quaid the keys to his vehicle. “Leave it in my spot at headquarters. Anyone looking for me will think I’m working.”

“No problem.” Quaid eyed me before asking, “Is there anything else I can do?”

“Not right now,” Costa said. “Like Tallus said. The less you know, the better.”

“Are you safe?”

Costa pff ed, waving off his concern.

Quaid nodded as though he figured that was the answer he would get. “Call me in a couple of days and let me know you’re alive.”

“I will. How’s my goddaughter?”

Quaid practically glowed with the question. “She’s wonderful. Napping with Papa when I left. How’s Tia?”

“Miserable. Morning sickness is killing her. She didn’t have any with the girls. I’m telling you, it’s a sign. I’m getting my boy this time.” He crossed his fingers.

I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt this lovely catching up, but I’m on a tight timeline, and my boyfriend has a short fuse and a hot temper that could easily get him killed if I don’t hurry the fuck up and rescue him.”

Quaid arched a brow.

Costa sighed. “Subtle is not in your vocabulary, is it?”

“No. Brash, abrupt, forward, impatient. Always sassy. Recently, I’ve discovered myself to be petulant at times, but I’m not proud of that. Subtle is… nope. Not for me.”

“On that note.” Costa slapped Quaid on the shoulder, and they said goodbye.

In the blacked-out, unmarked police car, we headed off to places unknown. My cousin could be a real pain in the ass.

** *

By the dinner hour, Costa and I were camped out in a questionable motel somewhere in Chinatown. When my cousin flashed his badge at the front desk, they happily accepted cash instead of the mandatory credit card and gave us keys to a room without question.

The accommodations were fine. I wasn’t sure I wanted to sleep there, but we didn’t have time for such luxuries anyhow, so it didn’t matter. We had officially tipped into the less-than-twenty-four-hours-left zone.

As my cousin unloaded the box of items he’d collected from Quaid, I stared at the lively city a few stories below, wondering where Diem was, if he was okay, and how I was going to get him back.

This roller-coaster ride was all my fault. A direct result of greed. Had I not insisted we keep the card and investigate its value, none of this would have happened. If Diem or his nana got hurt, I would never forgive myself.

Reflexively, I scanned the street, certain my Converse-loving friend was among the crowd. My vantage didn’t work in my favor. I was too far away to study people’s shoes. Besides, the last time I saw him, he was decked out in a suit. A man who blended with his surroundings was hard to find.

Instead, I looked for the common Joe. I studied the homeless, the shop owners outside on smoke breaks, the people waiting for the bus, and those seemingly inconspicuous pedestrians walking with a purpose to destinations unknown. My Converse spy wasn’t among them, nor did anyone stand out .

When a jogger with a dog on a leash ran along the opposite street, I jolted.

“Shit.” I spun from the window. “Echo.”

“What?” Costa didn’t lift his head and continued configuring his makeshift workstation.

“Echo. We left her at the office.”

“Her who?”

“Diem’s dog. We’ve been gone since noon. I have to go get her.”

Costa tapped on the laptop keyboard, only half paying attention to my dilemma. “Not happening.”

“I can’t leave her there all night. She’ll need to eat and go to the bathroom. Besides, if you want Clarence’s passwords, they’re in a notebook on Diem’s desk.”

Finally looking up from his task, my cousin met my gaze. The inner workings of his brain visibly spun behind his dark eyes as though he was contemplating the importance of having those codes.

“It would save time, wouldn’t it?” I asked. “The codes.”

“Yes, but I’ve gone to a lot of trouble getting us here unseen. They will have eyes on your office building, anticipating your return. We can’t waltz in there and collect stuff.”

I wanted to argue, but he was right. Think , Diem’s voice whispered in my head.

You’re good at this when you want to be.

I glanced around the motel room, seeking a solution.

I couldn’t leave Echo. I couldn’t get caught.

These people couldn’t know I had Costa in my pocket either. What the fuck could I do?

You’re creative, Tallus. It’s one of your strengths. Use it.

My phone rang, blasting Diem’s voice from my head. I nearly jumped out of my skin. A wave of fear rolled over me as I frantically scrambled to remove the device from my pocket .

“Wait. Who is it?” Costa asked, hand extended to stop me from answering.

I stared at the name on the screen, and the knot inside me loosened. “It’s Kitty.”

“Why is Kitty calling?”

I smiled, the creative juices flowing. “Because she’s a witch, and I may have given her just enough ingredients for her to work her magic.”