“What was the purpose of—”

Raize stuck his finger in the air. “Wait for it.”

I waited.

A moment later, we could hear buttons being punched and then the dial tone. Then a voice came over the line. “What do you have to report?”

I sat upright in my seat. That was Carloni.

Carloni, who was Raize’s boss, and who I didn’t think Jake was on a reporting basis with. But I sat back, stunned, and listened as he did just that.

“He made contact with Estrada,” Jake said.

“Estrada is there?”

“He was. I don’t know if he still is. This was the first time I could get away to call.”

“Tell me about the meet.”

“Estrada picked up the girl with us. Raize set up a meet to get her back. We were there with him, and then he called us off. He and Carrie returned an hour later. That’s all I know.”

“The girl? The Canary?”

“Canary?”

“That’s what she’s being called on the streets. She’s a human lie detector.” He paused, and I could hear his smirk as he added, “She sings, you know.”

“Yeah.” Jake’s voice was a bit rough. He bit out, “Her.”

“He has a weakness for her?”

Jake didn’t respond right away.

I looked out and saw that he had paused along the driveway. His head was bent forward, and he was staring at the gravel driveway. “I don’t think it’s that.”

“You’re biased.”

“I’m just saying it’s personal with Raize and Estrada. It seems personal, but I don’t know the history.”

“He sent you away?”

“Yes.”

“She was there the whole time?”

I stiffened, a shiver of wariness snaking down my spine.

“They were holding her, but he’s with her most of the time,” Jake replied, his voice a little muffled.

I glanced over and saw that Raize was also watching Jake. There was something different in his face I couldn’t decipher.

“I want her phone,” Carloni said.

I frowned.

“Get her phone, and we’ll send you an app to download onto it. It’ll give us full access.”

“He has her phone.”

“What the fuck?” Carloni snapped. “I sent you to watch him. You’ve reported literally nothing we can use. He’s still icing you out?”

“I’m on Cavers-babysitting duty.”

Carloni cursed again. “What’s the point of me having you on him? I might as well let it go and pull you back to work up here for me.”

Jake was silent for a beat again. “I’ll work her.”

“You told me that was impossible.”

“I’ll push harder. I’ll do better. She’s vulnerable. She said something about a sister. I’ll work that angle, talk about my family. I got a grandmother. I’ll talk about her, talk about my little sister. It’ll work.”

“You told me that wouldn’t work, that she’s locked down like you’ve never seen before.”

“Raize got in with her. I can do it, too.”

“You told me you didn’t have a little sister.”

“She don’t need to know that.”

There was silence on the line.

I held my breath, my stomach twisting.

“Fine,” Carloni said after a moment. “Raize down there is my call, but he answers to my brother. I know this, and he knows this. So does my brother. I can’t touch him. Her, on the other hand? She’s disposable. I don’t give a fuck if she’s a human lie detector. Get something to use from her or die—you and her. Got it?”

“Got it, boss.”

The line clicked silent. Carloni must have hung up because Jake stared at the phone for a full ten seconds before he ended his connection.

I could feel Raize’s gaze.

“That’s what they’re calling me?” And by ‘they,’ I hadn’t a clue who ‘they’ was.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

My gut, I guess it made sense. My hair.

I didn’t know what to say or feel or think about that.

But, Jake. I talked about something real with him.

Never show your cards. Never talk about anything real, anything personal.

I’d broken my own rules.

They didn’t know my real name, though. No one did, and that was everything.

I wouldn’t fuck up again.

I turned my eyes to Raize, finding him watching me. He was always watching me.

I showed my teeth. “Jake’s on the list.”

I gave Jake the cold shoulder for the next two days.

I know. Such a bad idea. So obvious. But I couldn’t help myself. I’d talked about her to him, and this was how he repaid me? And if he didn’t come up with something, both he and I would die? I wasn’t worried about that.

I wasn’t that girl anymore. I was me. I knew the stakes now. I knew what could happen.

I also knew who I was, and who I worked for, and I knew if it came to it, Raize would put a bullet in Jake’s head. Whatever was happening here, Raize had it under control.

He told me later that he’d learned Jake used the sexy calls as a safeguard in case someone was listening. Anyone recording would stop listening when the phone sex started, so no one would record the real conversations.

Fucking. Genius. On both accounts—Jake and Raize.

Me? I just wanted to learn how to shoot better, so Raize took me out every time he sent the guys on an errand.

On day five since my kidnapping, we were still waiting for Estrada’s decision.

Then it came.

I wished it hadn’t.

24

Ash

“Mom!” I came inside, the screen door slamming shut behind me. It was hot outside, and sunny.

“What are you doing?” My sister was in the kitchen.

My eyes needed to adjust to the inside. We didn’t open the curtains. Mom never wanted them open. I was heading for the stairs, but Brooke was at the table. She was stirring something, and I wandered over.

“What’s that?” Brooke was eyeing the order sheet.

“The neighbor is selling Girl Scout cookies. I wanted Mom to buy some.” I frowned, glancing up. She’d been spending so much time up there lately.

“She’s in bed.”

“Yeah.” And? When was she not in bed?

Brooke stopped stirring and glared at me. “So when she goes to bed, she doesn’t want any of us to interrupt her. She’s taking ‘Mommy time.’”

Ask my opinion, ‘Mommy time’ was stupid. We didn’t do anything to stress her out. Wasn’t that why most the moms on our block said that? They needed a spa day or a pub day? Their kids were stressing them out? I swear that’s what I always heard.

“What are you doing?” I leaned over, trying to see what she was making.

“Stop it!” She snatched her hand over, pulling the bowl away and to the side. Another glare from her. “I’m experimenting.”

I half laughed at that. “Experimenting? That’s what you said you’d be up for doing with Tommy Riskins last week, too.”