Dead Heat Read Online Free PDF Page B

They’ll be safe.”
    “I think Bella knows more than she told us,” Lucy said. “But I don’t think she’s intentionally withholding information. She might not know what’s important to us and what isn’t.”
    “I’m not stopping you from talking to her.”
    Lucy considered. “We should let her adjust and talk to her tonight or tomorrow morning. It’s overwhelming right now. I don’t think I can get anything more until she feels safe.”
    He gave her shoulder a brief squeeze. “Good job, Kincaid. Casilla was right about you.”
    “You really called my supervisor?”
    He eyed her quizzically. “No—you know that was all an act.”
    “Yes, but—”
    “He’s the one who recommended you and Quiroz for the task force. I was skeptical since you’re a new agent. Ask anyone around here—I’m not a fan of rookies.”
    The K-9 officer concurred. “He’s not.”
    “I want you as part of the takedown when we locate Jaime Sanchez. I’m sure Casilla will agree. You earned it.”
    “Thank you, Agent Donnelly.”
    “Don’t thank me yet. This isn’t going to be easy, and it’s certainly going to be dangerous. Ready to tackle George Sanchez?”
    “Yes.”
    They walked back into the house. Donnelly said, “My AUSA wants good-faith information. Something that proves to us you’re willing to cooperate. If it pans out, the girls go to a nice, safe foster home in a very good neighborhood until this situation is resolved. If it doesn’t, they go in the system, just like every other kid with family in jail. Do you understand?”
    George glanced at Lucy. “I get this in writing, right?”
    “Yes,” Donnelly said, not giving Lucy a chance to answer. “Give us one thing we can verify now.”
    He seemed skeptical and kept looking at Lucy. She said, “George, I won’t let anything bad happen to Bella and CeCe.”
    “What if you can’t stop him?” George asked in Spanish. Lucy didn’t know if Donnelly had picked up on the comment, but if he did, he didn’t react.
    Lucy replied in Spanish. “I have friends in high places. I’ll keep them safe. I promise you that. They aren’t part of this. But you need to be honest with us. Verifiable information. Do you understand?”
    George hesitated. He looked into his lap, as if the answers were written on his dirty jeans. Then he said, “We use a place on Thirty-Ninth for storage. Jaime just moved a bunch of guns there. But he has people guarding it, you know.”
    Lucy thought it interesting that George started with we but ended with he —Jaime. Confirming that the younger brother was the leader.
    “Address,” Donnelly said.
    George looked at Lucy. He gave them the exact address. “Can I see my nieces? Please?”
    “Bella only,” Lucy said. “Officer Wyatt will bring her back in. But then she and CeCe are leaving.”
    “Is CeCe okay?”
    “Yes,” Lucy said and left it at that.
    Outside, Donnelly said, “Why not let him see the other kid?”
    “I don’t want CeCe to know that he’s helping us,” she said quietly. “We can’t trust her not to spread the word that George is turning snitch. She won’t understand that she could put him in danger.”
    “Eleven,” Donnelly muttered.
    It hurt, Lucy realized, that she couldn’t trust the girl. They now had an obligation to protect not only the girls, but George Sanchez as well.
    *   *   *
    That little motherfucking brat was going to be gutted and left to die in the streets, like the rat he was.
    Where would he go? Jaime already put a man outside Michael’s old foster home, but would he be stupid enough to go back there? For a kid, he was a smart little bastard.
    But not smart enough. Jaime would find him and kill him for jeopardizing this operation. If the plan didn’t go off perfectly, the general would be gunning for Jaime, and no way in hell was Jaime going to die. This had been his grand plan, his brilliant strategy to unite three smaller gangs into a cohesive group. Smaller than the Texas