Page 59 of Bit's Bliss

“Did you say anything about your dad when you ran into Tiernan?” he asked.

“No. I wasn’t sure if I should.”

“It was probably the right decision.”

“Are you sure about that?”

His gaze hadn’t appeared to be focused on anything in particular, but he abruptly looked at me. “At the time, yes. However, I’m wondering if you should arrange a meeting with him. One where we could listen in.”

“You mean like wear a wire?”

“Something like that, except it isn’t done that way any longer.”

I almost asked how it was done, but decided I really didn’t want to know.

18

BIT

“What have you been able to find on Tiernan Burke?” I asked as soon as Brix called the meeting to order.

“He doesn’t exist,” said Snapper.

“So who the hell is he?”

“Definitely someone associated with the Killeens,” Snapper added. He pulled up footage from over a year ago, before the FBI raid. The surveillance video was grainy, like what Vader got from the gate at Eberly’s place, but there was no question the man on the screen was the one we ran into in Cambria earlier today.

“Whoever he is, he’s flown way under the radar,” said Brix. “Have you read Decker’s message yet?”

I hadn’t, and I appreciated that, this time, he asked. I dug my phone out of my pocket and opened the app he used to send messages containing sensitive information.

While Ashford said he was still working on an ID, he found enough facial recognition hits to place himwith known associates of the Killeens on more than one occasion.

“You don’t think he’s an informant, do you?” I asked.

“I’ll run it by Ashford, but if he was, I would think he would’ve found him in the system.”

I murmured my agreement.

“Let’s say he is part of the organization,” Snapper began. “How was he able to elude the feds, and what’s his plan now? To put the Killeens back in business?”

“Everything they were involved in is still out there—drugs, weapons, extortion. It’s a matter of time before either someone affiliated with the Killeens or a rival organization is able to get the cash flowing again,” said Kick.

Brix looked over at Zin. “Do you still have a guy on the inside at the bureau?” he asked.

“Not a guy. My cousin.”

“On Eberly’s side of the family?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s my uncle’s son. David is my dad’s and Aunt Belinda’s brother.”

“Is this cousin clean?” Kick asked.

“Breck? Hell, yeah,” said Zin.

“What are you getting at, Kick?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe Eberly was targeted.”