Colby Brass

He knew her driving and surveillance abilities.

“Lots of things can change in five years,” he noted as if that explained everything.

Another remark she wasn’t going to bother rejoining.

She gave Jones a half a block head start before easing away from the curb. The sparse traffic made getting any closer dicey at best.

“He’s taking the upcoming left.”

Like she couldn’t see the luxury silver SUV easing toward the center line. “Looks that way.”

Von drove past the street the target had taken.

Trinity didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. She felt his tension radiating across the center console. He would have chosen a different strategy. Tough, he wasn’t driving.

She took the next left. Drove the short block and braked for the stop sign at the subsequent intersection. “And there he goes,” she noted aloud as the silver SUV drove past their position.

Trinity said nothing as she made the right turn and followed the target.

Truth was, she couldn’t read minds and the target could just as easily have gone in the opposite direction. That, too, would have been fine. She would have seen his taillights and followed. This neighborhood was pretty barren.

This street was flanked by rundown shops that had long ago closed for business. Scarcely any streetlights still worked. Jones was playing it safe, keeping a low profile in a deserted area where anyone watching was likely up to no good as well. And would be easily spotted.

Von’s choice to take a different route had been a simple diversion tactic that had a fifty percent chance of success.

Brake lights abruptly lit the night as the SUV skidded to a sideways stop in the street.

Fifty percent chance of failure.

“Back up!”

Von had already hit the brakes and jammed the gearshift into Reverse before Trinity issued the order.

Something in her peripheral vision caused her to stall. She blinked as she watched the two men climbing out of the silver SUV. “They’re running.”

She hadn’t realized she’d said the words out loud until Trinity bolted from the vehicle.

Von hissed a curse. The man was going to get himself shot jumping out in the middle of the street like this with two known scumbags already running scared.

She rammed the gearshift back into Drive and barreled around the SUV they’d left blocking the street, using the sidewalk for passage.

One of the men darted to the right into an alley.

Von braked. Her SUV slid to an abrupt stop and she jammed into Park.

Trinity overtook the man still running down the middle of the street.

Von released her seat belt and burst out of the vehicle. She headed after the man who’d charged into the alley.

She reached beneath her jacket and wrapped her fingers around the butt of her weapon.

Her target body slammed a door in an attempt to break into the building to the right. The door didn’t budge. He lunged forward once more.

Von was close enough to hear him panting for breath.

That was the thing about bad guys. They took lots of risks but didn’t bother staying in shape.

She dove forward. Grabbed his jacket. Her momentum sent him stumbling forward, face-first onto the pavement. He tried to buck her off.

Clamping her thighs around his waist, Von shoved the muzzle of her weapon into the back of his skull. “Don’t move.” She grabbed a handful of stringy brown hair when his right hand continued to fumble around beneath him. “If that’s a weapon you’re going for, don’t bother.” She nudged his scalp a little harder with the business end of her .9 mm. He stilled.

“Slowly,” she warned, “draw your hands from under you and spread them above your head.” When he’d done as she instructed, she released his hair and reached beneath him. “No wonder you didn’t pull it out sooner.” His weapon had slid deep into his pants. For now, it was basically out of his reach, as well as hers.

“Charlie Jones?” she asked. Looked like him, but it was pretty damned dark in this alley and she couldn’t be certain.

“Who’s asking?” he snarled.

She jabbed the muzzle deeper. “A friend.” No wallet in his back pockets. She doubted he carried any ID. “Are you Charlie Jones?”

“Maybe. You a cop?”

“Look.” She revised her strategy. “I’m not a cop. And I don’t really care who you are or what you’ve done, I just want some answers about an associate of yours. Then you can be on your way.”

Several seconds ticked off. “So ask. Maybe I’ll answer.”

Since she hadn’t heard any gunfire she assumed Trinity’s situation was under control.

“Kobi Larkin,” Von said. “Where is he?”

The scumbag kissing the asphalt barked a laugh. “How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“You know him, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. So what? I know a lot of people.”

Von twisted her fingers in the guy’s hair and pulled hard. He grunted. “Did you see him today?”

“Depends,” he snarled.

“Did you see him?”

“Yeah, I saw him.”

She loosened her grip on his oily hair. “Did he have a little girl with him?”

The bastard snorted. “Yeah. Sweet little thing.”

Von barely restrained the need to pull the trigger. “Where’s the little girl now?”