Page 53 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)

A low moan from the parking area drew their attention away from the silent radio.

One of the attackers they’d taken down was regaining consciousness.

He twitched back to life and pressed his hand against a shoulder wound as he tried to sit up.

Jason was already jogging across the gravel. “Perfect timing.”

They surrounded the injured man, who looked to be in his thirties and wore a hard expression. Blood seeped between his fingers, but the wound didn’t appear life-threatening.

“We need information.” Olive knelt beside him. “Starting with who sent you.”

The man glared at her but said nothing.

“Where’s my father?” Jason’s voice sounded tight with controlled anger. “I know he was here. I know your people have been using him.”

The man laughed, a harsh sound that made Jason’s jaw clench. “I’m not saying anything.”

“You will if you want medical attention.” Jason’s hand moved toward his weapon. “That shoulder’s going to need stitches, and we’re the only people who can get you help.”

“It ain’t happening.”

Jason took a step closer, his self-control clearly being tested. “My father is a good man. He’s helped people his entire life. If you’ve hurt him?—”

“Your father?” The man’s laugh turned nasty. “Your father’s in on this. Has been from the beginning.”

Jason’s fist clenched, and Olive saw him fighting the urge to turn violent. The accusation hit exactly where it would hurt most, playing on all of Jason’s fears about his father’s true involvement.

“Jason.” Olive placed a hand on his arm. “Don’t give him what he wants.”

As his nostrils flared, Olive held her breath, waiting to see how he would react.

Jason took a deep breath, stepping back from the wounded man. “You’re lying.”

“Am I?” The man smirked. “Ask yourself why he never really retired. Ask why he maintained those accounts. Your dad’s been playing both sides for years.”

“We’re done here.” Olive’s tone left no room for argument. She could see the pain in Jason’s eyes and knew this conversation shouldn’t go any further. “Let him bleed out if that’s what he wants.”

They walked away from the wounded attacker, leaving him to contemplate his options.

“I found their vehicle,” Mitzi called from the far edge of the parking lot.

They hurried to reach her.

She stood beside a black SUV hidden behind a dumpster.

“And I pulled the GPS history,” she told them. “They came from an address about forty minutes north of here.”

“That could be where they’re holding Lloyd,” Nova said.

“Or where they took him after they finished using him.” Jason ran a hand over his face—but not before Olive saw the concern in his expression.

“Only one way to find out.” Olive’s ribs protested at the thought of more action. “But first we contact Trick and Tevin. They need to know what happened here.”

As they prepared to leave, Olive couldn’t stop thinking about the voice on the radio.

Whether the woman had been her mother or not, one thing was clear: The people behind this operation knew exactly who she was, and they were running out of patience with her investigation.

The next location might be their last chance to find Lloyd alive and get the answers they’d been seeking. But it might also be walking directly into the trap that had been set for them from the beginning.