Kidnapped Hearts (15 page)
Authors: Cait Jarrod
Jake dove. Yasin threw two solid punches,
making contact with his face before Jake could grasp Yasin’s neck. Jake
propelled Yasin against the car’s hood. The Scorpion slumped to the ground.
Just perfect, apprehending a perpetrator without a badge. Jake reached for his
cell phone, gone.
Sirens blared. Jake jerked the Black
Scorpion, now coherent, by his jacket to a standing position.
“Fucking pig.” Yasin nostrils flared as
he spit in Jake’s face.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before.”
Jake pulled Yasin’s hands behind him and reached into his pocket for twist
ties, he never left home without them. With the man’s hands locked together, he
waited.
“Jake.”
Sergeant Harrison, the officer who came
to The Memory Café the night someone tried to break in, appeared. “Dispatch
told me a black Chevelle was racing down the streets. There’s only one person
who owns a car fitting that description.”
Jake arched his eyebrows and shoved Yasin
toward him. “Read him his rights, would ya?”
“No problem.”
Jake retraced his steps, searching for
his phone. No luck. He reached his car. He had left the door wide open, and of
course, the engine was running. “Damn.” He raked his fingers through his hair.
“You’re lucky this time. Next time,
someone’s gonna drive off with it,” Sergeant Harrison remarked as he walked
with Yasin toward his police cruiser.
“Stating the obvious.”
Jake closed his door, put the car into
gear, and pushed the gas pedal. It didn’t move. He ran his hand along the
floorboard, then behind the pedal, and touched the missing phone. He called
Agent Dennis.
“I’m here.”
A half an hour later, Jake trailed Agent
Dennis dragging a furious Yasin into the FBI offices. Special Agent Larry
Newman met Jake in the outer office of the interrogation room while Agent
Dennis yanked Yasin into the small room with no windows. “What do we have?”
“A Black Scorpion looking for a fight.”
Jake scratched his jaw. “We need to find out who’s behind the threatening
notes. From the events of the last few days, I don’t believe Sanjar is behind
it. Not his normal MO.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you.” Larry
looked through the two-way mirror at Agent Dennis pushing Yasin into a chair.
“Let’s do this.”
Jake and Larry stared down the wiggly
gang member as Agent Dennis leaned against the wall, his arms folded. Bracing
his hands on the table, Jake glared at the beady-eyed, olive-skinned man.
“What’s your name?”
No response.
“Not cooperating will make life harder on
you.”
“You’re threatening me?”
“Stating facts. Go to jail. I don’t
care.” Jake fixed his eyes on the stitching on the jacket. “What kind of name
is Yasin?”
Yasin leaned back, but his hands
prevented him from getting too comfortable. “Take these things off.”
“Not happening.”
“Then I ain’t telling you anything.”
“Your choice, have fun in jail. I’m sure
the boys there will like a pretty boy.” Jake started for the door.
Yasin flinched. “Okay, if I cooperate,
you’ll go easier on me?”
“It can’t hurt you, but I’m not making
any promises.”
Yasin measured Jake. “Yasin is my gang
name.”
Jake wiped a hand down his face. “What’s
your birth name?”
“Muhammad Ali.”
Jake sat in the chair. “Give it to me
straight.”
“Hey man, can’t you remove these cuffs?
They’re cutting into my skin.”
“Answer my questions,” Jake barked.
“Muhammad Ali is my birth name. Ali’s my
momma’s hero, so she named me after him.”
Finally,
getting somewhere
.
Yasin’s eyes darted between Larry and
Jake. “You wannabe cops done?”
Larry joined in the interrogation. “Don’t
be dumb. You’ve done well so far. Answer the questions.”
Yasin watched Jake. The disgust on
Yasin’s face was formidable.
“What’s the name of your gang?” Jake
demanded, knowing the answer.
“What? You dumb or something?” Yasin
spat.
Jake stood and slammed his hand down on
the table. Yasin jumped. “Don’t toy with me,” Jake snapped.
“Black Scorpions,” Yasin snarled.
“Why are you in
“Don’t know. The boss told me to watch
someone.”
Clearly, Yasin wasn’t giving up any
information easily. “Who?”
Yasin diverted his eyes.
“A woman?” Larry probed.
“It would have to be a woman. This punk
isn’t tough enough to watch anyone else,” Jake sneered, trying to make Yasin
mad enough to spill.
Yasin scoffed, and his eyes darkened.
“The man who shot my leader.”
Jake recoiled. Crap, not the direction he
wanted this line of questioning to go.
“You know who I’m talking about, don’t
you, wannabe? You ain’t got nothing to fucking to say now, do ya?”
Larry cleared his throat. “Who’s your
boss?”
Yasin eyed Larry standing near the door.
“Why don’t you ask me again who I’m watching? Ask me who I’m taking down as
soon as I get the word.” He leaned forward. “I’ll tell ya,
The Warrior
!” Hands tied behind his back, Yasin jumped out of his
chair and charged Jake. “You’re dead, mother fucker!”
Jake sidestepped Yasin. If he moved a
second slower, Yasin would have body slammed him. Balance lost, Yasin fell into
the empty chair before hitting the floor.
The reason to hold Yasin fell at Jake’s
feet, literally.
Agent Dennis barged inside, carrying
ankle cuffs. He locked them in place.
Yasin lay on the floor, yelling
profanities.
“Lock him in the holding cell, Agent
Dennis.” Larry followed Jake out of the interrogation room.
Jake crossed to the conference room
located at the back of the department. The door slammed shut behind him as he
stood across the conference table from his former boss.
With the phone attached to his ear, Hal
moved his eyes from his note pad and met Jake’s scowl.
Hal slammed down the phone and reared
back in his chair. “We have problems.”
“That’s an understatement.” Jake rammed
his fingers through his hair. “I have a huge problem.”
“I heard.”
Jake stopped and gaped at Hal.
“Intel came in, confirming what we
expected. Sanjar isn’t in the middle of the case with Pamela, but he is behind
the Scorpions searching for
The Warrior
.
Word leaked out that
The Warrior
is
alive and well and working with the FBI.”
Jake raised his hands. “Well, they found
him.”
“Jake, sit down,” Hal commanded. “Your
pacing won’t help us figure this out any faster.”
Agent Dennis came into the room.
“I do my best thinking when I’m moving.”
Still, Jake pulled out a chair and sat. “Who’d compromised
The Warrior’s
position?”
“I don’t know. We’re moving you to a safe
house.”
“The hell you are,” Jake rebutted, pacing
again. “I can’t leave Pamela alone.”
“You could cause her more problems by
staying near her,” Hal argued.
“I’m her best bet. I know the Black
Scorpions’ behavior. I lived their life. I know how they think.”
“It’s not a gamble I’m willing to take.”
“No gamble. My house is secure.”
“I know you have all the latest toys.”
Hal tapped his finger on the table, then addressed Agent Dennis. “IA got
anything yet?”
“A few leads, but nothing concrete.
Without more facts, I can’t speculate.”
“Well, I hope you can find out who in the
hell is our mole before someone else gets hurt,” Hal growled.
“Yes, sir.”
“Outside of us four, I don’t want anyone
else knowing Pamela’s whereabouts or Jake’s. As far as anyone knows, Pamela and
you are staying at your house, Jake. I’m moving you to a safe house we just
acquired on the eastern shore.”
Jake groaned.
“Deal with it, Gibson,” Hal ordered.
Jake’s cell phone vibrated, and he turned
away from the table. “Gibson.”
“
The
Warrior
, so we finally speak.”
An agent or Scorpion?
“Are you keeping my girl safe?”
Jake grimaced; it was worse, an agent
acting as big brother. Could this day get any worse? “Agent
“I expect you to keep her safe.”
“Anything else,
“You’ve pissed off the Scorpions, and
they want retaliation—”
Jake closed his cell. He didn’t need a
lecture.
“Steve Anderson?” Larry asked.
“Yup.”
Jake tilted his head toward the phone Hal
released a few minutes ago. “Agent
Chapter
Eleven
Jake entered The Memory Café, a grim
expression on his face. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of his mood, she
quickly went into the storage room to finish her supply order.
Her dad would be arriving later to finish
the necessary preparations to open tomorrow, and she wanted to help as much as
possible. Her father had called earlier and demanded that she didn’t come in to
work while the cafe was opened until the FBI caught whoever was threatening
her. Knowing it would be fruitless to argue with an ex-marine, she kept her
mouth closed.
She sat on a crate, and the thought of
not seeing her café, family, or friends for some time, made her chest tight.
Jake strode inside the storage room. She
looked up from her perch and met his scowl. Although, she knew the scowl wasn’t
directed at her, she felt responsible. It had only been a couple of hours since
she saw him, and during that time, he had gotten a bruise on his jaw and above
his right eye. “Did you run into a tree?”
“Nope, a fist.”
She pursed her lips, debating if she
should inquire any further. Had he received the punches because of her case or
for some other reason? He spoke before she could figure out what to say next.
“You need to finish up. We’re going into
hiding.”
“To your house?”
“Nope.”
Her pencil slapped against her clipboard.
“What? I thought you said we would stay at your house.”
He shrugged. “The higher ups have changed
our plans.”
“Where then?”
“I can’t say until we get there.”
She slid her hand over her nervous
stomach. “I need to get some clothes from my townhouse.”
He nodded before heading out the door.
“We’ll have to leave in five minutes.”
Suddenly, feeling all alone, she decided
to call Paul. She needed a friend, and it’d be a lot easier to talk to him than
Celine. She’d probably have Pamela in tears within a few seconds
“Athletes R Us,” a cheerful voice boomed
in the phone.
Not knowing what to say, she blurted,
“Your brother is a pain.”
Paul remained silent.
“Well, say something.”
“Did you expect me to argue? He
is
a pain.” Paul paused. “Pamela, I
don’t know what has happened between the two of you, since I’m not
in the know
. I’m assuming something is
going on with the case.” He hesitated, and she heard him sigh. “You haven’t
fallen for him, have you?”
Had she? Could that be the reason he got
under her skin so easily? She’d finally thought of him as more than a sex on a
stick. “I could do a lot worse.” Sam popped into her mind, a perfect example of
regret.
Paul groaned. “Pamela, no. Don’t do it.
He’s broken, not stable. He doesn’t do relationships well. He’ll tell you the
same thing. Run while you can.”
“Paul, I didn’t say I fell for him. I
said I could do worse.”
“Yeah, well, it sounds like you’re
halfway there. Once Jake spins his charm, women have a hard time resisting.” He
chuckled. “Up to a few years ago, his long hair had lured the ladies. I wonder
what it is now.”
“Paul, I have to leave.”
“Yeah, I have several customers that are
demanding my attention, too.”
“No, I mean, Jake is taking me—”
“Don’t say a word,” a deep voice said
from the door.
She glanced over at Jake standing at the
threshold, his hands on his hips, looking pissed. Her mouth fell open. “Paul—”