Page 116 of Lethal Threat

I jump up from the chair and shove my pistol into the holster under my arm. “Who is this son of a bitch and what is his address?”

She holds up her hand. “Uh, yeah. That’s what we need to approach carefully… he lives right next to the military base in a neighborhood that’s 99.99 percent military. None of us can get in there during the day. And his name is Alan Hilton. A Sergeant Major, Army Ranger.”

My hand stops as I reach for my jacket. “He’s still active duty?”

“Both of them are. The other guy is in the same unit.”

Fuck. Dirty soldiers. Just like Marshall thought. “Is it the same unit that Bryan got discharged from?”

Her eyes swing to mine. “One and the same.”

All the pieces fall into place. “Where are Roark and Marshall?”

“Doing their thing on the street, looking for leads on Sierra after she left, and anything they can dig up on her brother.”

“Anything else?”

Simona’s eyes light up. “Bryan’s girlfriend’s address. But I haven’t given it to Roark and Marshall yet. You came in just as I was about to tell them. ”

I shove my arms into the jacket I use to cover my gun. “Let’s go.”

She hops up from the desk, her small body bristling with her own weapons. “Have I told you I like the way you think?”

Simona calls Marshall while I smash every driving law that exists. She cuts her eyes at me and says lightly to Marshall, “Shit, we might not make it there if Evel Knievel here takes another exit ramp like he just did.”

She straightens the laptop sitting on her legs and continues on with a SITREP. “We’re going to Evelyn’s address now.” A pause. “Yes.” Another pause. “Hold on, boss, I’m putting you on speaker now.”

Marshall voice booms. “Okay, guys, we got some intel about the day of the boating accident. Apparently, threemilitary looking guys were seen motoring out into the bay about an hour before the call came in to 911 about floating debris from an accident.”

My hands clench the wheel so hard, the damn thing might just deform. “Now we know who it might have been.”

“Exactly,” he says, “Luckily, a salty old dude at the Marina knows where that boat is parked when it’s not in use. It’s an industrial park. A mixed use complex not far from the launch. He said that the boat sits next to an old dilapidated brick building, and that he’s seen guys going in and out of there a lot in the last couple of months.”

Simona narrows her eyes. “But at the moment, we don’t know that Sierra is with them?—”

Marshall interrupts her. “Hang on, hold on. Call coming in. I’m patching Roark in with us.”

A few seconds later, Roark joins. “Got some details.”

“Oh shit!” Simona squeaks as she grabs for the handle over the door. “Cole. You nearly rolled this thing.”

I gun the rented SUV as we hit the intersection just a mile from Evelyn Morales’ house. “Not even close.”

Simona glares at me as she talks into the phone’s speaker. “Better hurry with the info. We’re closing in on Bryan’s girlfriend’s house.”

Roark jumps in. “Sierra was seen walking into a neighborhood a little after zero six hundred this morning. Presumably, she went there on foot after she left her apartment. A short time later, a small purple Mazda was visible leaving the property on the security camera at the gate. A woman fitting her description was behind the wheel.”

I exhale. “Thank fuck.”

Then I wonder, how the hell does Roark know this? I guess the man is also an enigma. Jamming on the brakes, Itake the turn onto Warner Street and start scanning for the numbers on the houses.

Simona sits up, suddenly and leans really close to the windshield. “Oh, guys? There’s a purple Mazda up ahead. This isn’t a coincidence, as there are no coincidences. I think this is about to get real. Texting you both the address now.”

Marshall pierces the tense silence in the truck. “Watch your sixes. If these guys are around, things could get bad fast.”

Simona’s eyes light up. She grins. “I’m ready, don’t you worry. Adios, fellas. We’ll report in, ASAP.”

She disconnects and shoves the phone in her shirt. The next instant, she’s got a 9mm pistol in her hands, checking the rounds.