Free Wise Moves by Mary Burton

she was making a face and he was laughing.
    He touched the strip of pictures. Nancy had come up to Montana and he’d convinced her to go to the fair. She dubbed it all back-country nonsense, but by the end of the night, after she’d ridden the Ferris wheel, eaten two cotton candies and won a stuffed dog at the balloon toss, she’d admitted they’d had a blast.
    It was the last real fun they’d had together. They had sworn they’d get together soon. But soon had turned into months and years. Until finally, they’d run out of time.
    He thought about that last cell phone call from the safe house. He thought about the moment he’d handed the folded flag at her funeral to her fiancé, a large hulking man who’d openly wept.
    Anger flooded Dane’s body, recharging his resolve. For Nancy’s sake, he would stay the course.
    He dialed the number of a bar called Maria’s down in Miami. The place was frequented by drug dealers and served as a makeshift message center. He’d been monitoring the place for quite some time.
    The phone rang. On the fifth ring, he heard a gruff, “Maria’s.”
    “Get me Ortiz,” Dane said. Manuel Ortiz was Benito’s eyes and ears in the bar. “I got news on the king’s sister.” The king was Benito.
    Wariness mingled with anticipation. “What kind of news?”
    “I only talk to Ortiz.” Ortiz would get word to Benito.
    “Sure.” The phone on the other end thudded against the bar. Salsa music blared in the background.
    “Who is this?” a new voice said.
    “Doesn’t matter who it is.” He checked his watch.
    “What’s this about the king’s sister?” Ortiz’s English was heavily accented.
    Dane looked at the pictures of Nancy and him. His anger had gotten him this far and it would see him through until the end. “I’m making a booze run from Miami to New York when I stop in this small town in Virginia off I-81. While I’m drinking my coffee at a diner, I see a chick that looks like the king’s sister.”
    Silence echoed on the other end of the line for a good ten seconds. In the background he heard the blend of percussion and drums playing.
    Benito had promised five million to anyone who could find Elena.
    “Don’t even joke, bro,” Ortiz said. “The king is a little crazed when it comes to his baby sister.”
    “I’m not joking. She looks different. Her hair is short, dyed blond like Gwen Stefani, but the face is a dead ringer.”
    “Why don’t you just tell the king yourself?” Ortiz said.
    “Oh no, man. I stay away from him. I don’t want any part of his stuff. You pass on the good news.”
    “You’re passing up a hell of a lot of money.”
    “Just tell him Brinkman might need a favor one day.” Brinkman was an alias he’d used when he’d been undercover in Miami a couple of years ago.
    “You sure it is her?”
    “Yeah. She’s a hard woman to forget.”
    “Thanks for the tip.” The line went dead.
    Dane could almost picture the cockroach now, scrambling out of his hovel in the Miami club. He’d be on his way now to find the next rat in the chain to Benito, ready to trade his information for money or a favor down the road.
    It would take a day or two for Ortiz’s information to work up through the chain of Benito’s command—the mobster trusted few, and every bit of information was screened before presented to Benito. But by the middle of the week, Benito would receive the news. And he would send his people to check out the story. And with luck, would follow shortly after that.
    Kristen was in grave danger now.
    Lucian was watching her house for the moment. But as savvy as the computer guy was, he was accustomed to working from the shadows. He’d never dealt with the likes of Benito and his men face-to-face.
    No, Dane had put Kristen in direct danger and he would see to it she stayed safe.
    He checked his watch. The sooner he got back to her the better.

Chapter 9

    K risten was waiting in the front entryway for Cambia when she caught her