Deadly Games - Cate Noble [36]
Damn it!
How had these men gotten word of Rocco’s whereabouts so quickly? Either Minh Tran had a larger network here in the states than they knew—which meant the Agency’s intelligence was seriously flawed—or Tran was accessing inside information, which validated Travis’s ongoing concern about a leak.
And if Tran knew that much about Rocco’s movements, it didn’t take much to believe he could also access the safe house location where Adele and Billy were currently being protected. The same place Rocco had intended to take Gena.
With Minh Tran’s actions becoming increasingly unpredictable, Rocco needed to come up with a new location. One not associated with the Agency.
“Tell me again about the man who abducted you,” Rocco said. “He was Hispanic?”
Minh Tran would have realized that sending his Thai associates into the tiny border town would have made them conspicuous. Still, for Tran to work outside his own close-knit clan was highly unusual.
“He was definitely Hispanic,” Gena said. “But he spoke with a different accent. South American perhaps.”
“What about scars or tattoos?”
“None that were visible.”
“Have you ever seen him before?” Rocco asked. “Around town perhaps?”
“At first I thought he looked familiar.”
“Familiar how? Height? Weight?”
“No. Like someone I met when I was married to Harry. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m positive I was mistaken.” Gena still scanned the roads behind them.
“Is it possible you saw him recently or that he followed you from the hospital?”
“No. Yes.” She rubbed her eyes. “Maybe. I was distracted. As I was leaving, a friend of Lupe’s stopped me. She—” Gena’s voice cracked. “She gave me a shoebox containing some of Lupe’s personal belongings. She wanted me to get them to Lupe’s grandmother. On the way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the old woman. About how long it would be before she found out her granddaughter is dead.”
“Don’t tell me. That’s where you were headed.”
“I had to go somewhere, didn’t I?” Gena shoved her still-damp hair back with one hand and grimaced with pain. “I figured no one would look for me in Mexico.”
Rocco caught a glimpse of her scraped palms, knew they stung. He needed to fully check out her injuries, but until they were farther away, they couldn’t afford the time.
His cell phone rang. He checked the display, saw it was Catalina. Rocco had called her previously with the tag number of the black truck.
“The license plates were stolen. The Sugar Springs police are still searching for the black truck,” Cat said. “But they don’t seem to have any reports of your vehicle being involved, at least not yet.”
“The perp’s probably already ditched the truck,” Rocco said. “What else have the police got?”
“They are interviewing witnesses, trying to get a better description of the shooter. A dark-haired Hispanic male probably describes over half the population in that region.”
“We’ve got another problem,” Rocco said. “Apparently, whoever grabbed Gena knew to watch out for me. I’m concerned they may know where I was planning to take her.”
“Do you want me to arrange a relocation and get you a new locale?”
“Make arrangements for Adele and Billy. I’ll handle Gena’s security personally.” There was only way to ensure that no one knew how to find Gena and that was by telling no one.
“Understood,” Cat said. “How can we contact you?”
“I’ll stay in touch. Any news from Dante or Travis?”
“Nothing from Travis. Sorry. I know you’re concerned about Maddy. Dante said the missing store clerk has been located unharmed, and she identified Taz as her abductor. The Kentucky police are pressuring the FBI to publicize the manhunt.”
“Has Max had any more contact with Taz, via, you know, their head connection?” Rocco asked.
“Max apparently made contact with him last night, which Dante feels is what influenced Taz to release the woman without harm. But Max had another seizure afterward. Erin wants to join them.”
“And Max is saying no, right?” Dr. Erin Houston was the psychologist who had helped Max after his return. They were engaged