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 He s not here, Emilio said from the couch before glancing back down at a
magazine Garrett knew the man wasn t reading. He couldn t have been. The damn thing
was upside down.
 Huh, Ames said, the noise sounding like a question.  Odd. Tate didn t tell me he
was meeting with his informant today. Ames shook his head and shrugged.  Sorry to have
bothered you.
Garrett watched the guy walk out of the shop before he exploded.  That fucking
bastard! There is no way Zane is Tate s rat. No fucking way!
 Calm down, Santos said.  It s obvious what the guy s doing. He just wants to tear
us apart, make us start questioning our loyalty to one another. Even though it s obvious that
Zane is digging on that cop, I know he wouldn t rat us out.
 I know he wouldn t either. Who is Ames anyway, Tate s partner? Garrett asked.
 Why would he come in here and pull a stunt like that? Did Tate send him in?
 I doubt it, Santos said.  I ve always gotten the impression that Tate doesn t play
mind games. Not like that. The guy might have hauled me in for questioning,
but& something just doesn t seem right.
Garrett noticed that Emilio wasn t saying anything.
Rider raced down the hall, jumping up onto the couch where Emilio was sitting.
Emilio tossed his magazine aside and began to pet the boxer, but he still didn t say a word.
He had a pensive expression on his face as Lonnie appeared.
 What d I miss? His customer came out, paid, and left. Lonnie pocketed his tip
before resting his arm over Garrett s shoulder.  Spill.
 Some detective came in here Tate s partner, I think. He called Zane an
informant.
Lonnie began to laugh. He laughed so hard that he staggered against Garrett.  Good
one, Rett.
 I m not kiddin , Lonnie.
Lonnie waved a dismissive hand.  I know you weren t. But Zane is no more an
informant than I m the president of the Dark Riders. He isn t a snitch, Lonnie said with
confidence.  Unless the cop is dicking him down really good, then maybe we shouldn t
leave a forwarding address. You know, jail-worthy secrets and all.
 Garrett scowled at his best friend.  Zane would not spill the beans over some dick.
Lonnie shrugged.  I sing like a canary when Santos fucks me.
Santos coughed and then laughed.
But Emilio didn t.
 Have you heard from Jake? Garrett asked Emilio, ignoring Lonnie s weird
revelation.
Jake had been a familiar presence since Garrett and Lonnie first opened the shop.
The guy hardly ever missed a day. But he d called in three days in a row now, saying he
had to take care of family business. That wasn t like him and Garrett was worried about the
guy. What kind of family business took a guy away from work for three days?
Emilio s pensive face darkened.  No.
 He ll be back, Lonnie said.  It isn t like Jake to stay away.
Garrett hoped Lonnie was right. Still.  Can you swing by his place and check on
him? Garrett asked Emilio.
The man looked relieved to get out of there. He nodded and got up, not bothering to
ask for Jake s address as he left the shop. Garrett glanced over at Santos.  Do you think
Emilio believes that Zane is a turncoat?
Santos shrugged.  I don t think he wants to believe it, but you have to admit, things
are getting sketchy around here.
That was the understatement of the year.
 Chapter Nine
Zane had slept for a good twelve hours now. Tate was worried, but the guy didn t
have a fever and he was still breathing. In that twelve hours, Tate had gone to the station
and put in a for a week s vacation. Since he hadn t taken one in forever, Captain Savage
gave him the days. Not sure what was wrong with Zane, Tate had stopped by the local
grocery store and picked up some soup and ginger ale. He d never taken care of anyone
who was sick and was pretty clueless about what to do. He d also picked up some Halls,
cough syrup, some Vicks, nasal decongestant, and a whole shopping list of other items for
someone who might have anything from the common cold to the black plague. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]