I go to the window and move the curtain a little to peer out. There is a man sitting in one of the parked cars. Wasn’t that car there last night? Was he in it then, too?
“Looks like there might be an update. I got a voicemail.” He puts it to his ear.
I can hear Stevens’s voice, but I can’t make out what she’s saying.
He paces as he listens. His jaw tics as he ends the call. “Bob has been arrested.”
Relief floods me as I glance back at the man who is pulling out onto the road. He was simply leaving for the day.
“That’s fantastic!” I’m about to jump up and hug this man, but he puts his hand up.
“There’s bad news. Apparently, the man Bob was working for is aware of you and according to their source, he’s now looking for you.”
“The man Bob worked for? Who the hell is that?”
“You don’t want to know.”
CHAPTER 16
Axel
I meant what I told Savvy. She really doesn’t want to know anything about this man. From what I’ve learned from Stevens and later from Trip, it’s not good. But she needs to know what we are dealing with.
“I’ve learned more,” I say as I walk into the living room, wondering how I’m going to keep her calm. “The man Bob worked for, who is now looking for you, is Thomas Bennett. He has a long rap sheet and has ties to some cartel members.”
She curls her legs under her on the couch. “The cartel? They kill people, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do. That’s why you need to stay here longer.”
Her eyes turn glassy, and then tears fall down her cheeks. “If I testify, I lose my life. My whole life. They’d put me in witness protection. Tell me I don’t have to.”
I rush to her side and put my arm around her. She leans into me.
“I can’t promise you that. But I do know Stevens said there was another related investigation. Hopefully, they have all the evidence they need and won’t need you.”
She wipes her eyes. “But this guy, Bennett, he knows I told the FBI about Bob?”
That’s probably what Bob told him, and I can’t lie to her. “It’s possible.”
“And then Bennett told the cartel? So, even if Bennett somehow gets arrested, there will be someone to take his place and come after me? It will never end, will it?”
“I asked Stevens about that. According to her sources, she believes that’s very unlikely,” I say. “If Bennett tells the cartel you were able to get in and see anything, they’d blame him. That wouldn’t go well.”
She takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes. “Okay, so I stay here until Bennett is arrested? Will he be arrested? Are they looking for him?”
“Yes, to all of that.”
“Do you have a photo? So, we know what he looks like?”
“No, not yet. Stevens said she would send one.”
She’s silent for a moment as we sit there. I’m about to ask her what she’s thinking, but then she says, “I’m going to need clothes and some personal items so I can shower.”
“Maria brought over a few things this morning. I figured her clothes would fit you better than mine.” I stand up and grab the bag that’s next to the door. “She said she included a few other things, too.”
Savvy takes the bag from me. “Thank you.” She heads upstairs.
There’s a loud pounding on my front door. I’m not expecting anyone. I check to see who it is. Durango and Thunder. Thunder’s head is on a swivel, taking in the street and sidewalk.
