Free Double Play by Kelley Armstrong Page A

by the number you used that you’re on a backup phone from one of your lockers. It’s a safe connection, yes?”
    It was. Jack had disabled the phone he’d used in Ireland. He hated doing that to his only possible connection to Nadia, but it was the safe move. He passed his phone to Evelyn. She left out the details of where Jack had been and who he’d been working for—most of which Jack hadn’t shared himself. Then she put Felix on speaker.
    “So the client who brought you overseas, Jack,” Felix said. “You knew him?”
    “From years back. Owed him a favor. Open chit.”
    “And he conveniently chose to close it at a time when you’re trying to cash all those in.”
    “Yeah. Guaranteed I’d come.”
    “Where’s he now?”
    “Tied to a bed.”
    Felix chuckled. “Did you leave him a bowl of dog food and water? I’ve heard that’s a specialty of yours.”
    “Something like that. He’s fine. Not going anywhere. Gotta figure out how to handle it. What to do with him.”
    Evelyn made a noise that said the answer was clear. Cillian had to die.
    “If you need someone to handle it for you . . .” Felix said.
    “If it needs doing, I’ll do it. Only right. Anyway, he’s alive. Needed that. Just in case.”
    “Agreed, but you’ve made sure he can’t tell this cartel you’re coming for Dee and that’s the important thing right now—that he is incapacitated. As for the cartel . . . Evelyn is right, this scheme is a lot of effort to hire a pro. That means they need the best. No substitutes possible. I’m going to guess it’s political. That is, sadly, becoming more common for the cartels. If they can’t bribe a politician, they take him out of office—permanently. To need you on the job suggests it isn’t some village mayor they want killed. We’re talking serious political assassination.”
    “Doesn’t matter. Not doing it.”
    “No, but the point, Jack, is that it will help if I can find out what they want you to do. That will tell us who’s pulling the strings, and then Evelyn and I can scour our contact lists for someone who can get inside information. Go through the back door.”
    “Right,” Jack said. “Okay. Good. Appreciate it.”
    “I know you do, and while I won’t turn down a return favor, this is mostly for Dee and Quinn. Yes, I know you aren’t a fan of Quinn’s, but he’s saved my skin a few times. I owe him. Let me see what the news is on the grapevine for cartels and political assassination jobs.”
    “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome. Evelyn? Let’s put our heads together on this while Jack drives.”
    As soon as they neared the GPS spot, Jack knew what had happened. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to read the signs. Skid marks suggested a hard braking on the road. Then tire treads led into a partly overgrown laneway, the undergrowth mowed down. When Jack slowed driving past, he could peer down that lane and see the rear bumper of a car.
    “They ran her off the road,” Evelyn said.
    Jack kept driving. “No. She led them off. That’s not her car. Too big. Not a rental either. She made them. Braked. Drove down there. They got stuck.”
    “And you’re doubting that she can handle herself?”
    “Never said that. Everyone can use help.”
    He found another pull-in farther down and drove the rental in as far as he could and then pulled off to the side, rolling over the rough ground until he was sure the car couldn’t be spotted from the road.
    “We need to be ready for a trap, Jack,” Evelyn said as he opened the door.
    “Know that. But her phone’s on. Gotta be a reason.”
    The reason he hoped was that Nadia had known she was about to be taken and ditched the phone so Evelyn would contact Felix and unlock the GPS. But there was also a good chance that whoever took her had left that phone on intentionally, to see who might come looking.
    Jack checked his watch. Just under ninety minutes until the cartel goons would call “Cillian” again.
    He got out and looked