Page 35 of Hostile Witness
“We have Bemka Crown,sir.”
Perfect.He glanced ahead, picked a spot, and cut the zip tie on her hands. “Walk twenty paces and turn around.”
“You want me to scream again?”
“If you’ve got it in you, go for it.”
She pulled away from him and stumbled forward with a piercing scream that shattered the forest. The trees rustled,and startled birds took flight. Turning around to face him, she walked backward.
“Pavel’s wife’s name is Nadia. His kids’ names are under her contact in his phone. The access code to his phone is one-three-five-seven-nine-two. Repeat the code to me.”
“One-three-five-seven-nine-two.” He aimed the gun at her.
“For God’s sake, you’ve got that thing trained on my head.”
“I’m aiming slightly to the right. Make sure you fall to your right. They’re blanks.”
“How good of a shot are you?”
“Number one in my class, lady. On three. One. Two.” The crack of the gun sent the forest wildlife into a flurry as the server feigned falling limp to the ground. Ethan shoved the firearm into his pocket. “Don’t. Move. Your extraction team will pick you up as soon as we drive away. Have a good life. Maybe take a vacation.”
“My name is Lana. We’ll meet again, muscle man.”
Ethan said nothing, turned, and quietly made his way back to the road. The only woman he wanted noticing his muscles was Tia, and she was still trying to fix him up with one of her friends. Considering his relationship track record, her lack of interest might be wise. But still . . . even he deserved a second chance at least one time.
Slipping the mask of a cold-blooded killer onto his face, he strode to the limo. The real work of rescuing those trafficked women began now.
22
Tia shoved aside the lap desk she was using to correct papers on the couch and jumped up. Mo’s ringtone chimed close by. She ran for the credenza in the hallway.
Tapping the speakerphone button, she shouted, “Girl, you won’t believe what happened today.”
“Well, hello to you, too. Sorry it’s so late, but the treadmills at the gym were booked, and I took a Pilates class instead.”
“No worries. I’m glad to hear your voice.”
“Same here. What happened? I hope it was something good.”
Tia plopped into a chair and crossed her legs, instantly regretting the move because of the sore spots from Flynn’s nails. “A cop stopped me out on Holly Knoll Road, and Flynn decided he didn’t like the guy, leaped on top of me in the front seat, and bit the guy’s hand. The cop hit Flynn with his baton, and now my sweet dog is back at Bayside for yet another overnight stay. The vet needs to trim his broken claws, x-ray his mouth, and fix any dental damage.”
“What? Oh, that poor animal,” Mo groaned.
“I know. My heart breaks for him. No dog’s life should be this hard. When I got home after the traffic stop, I asked Ethanto get Flynn out of the car because he wasn’t listening to my commands.”
“That’s not good. Why wouldn’t Flynn listen to you?”
“Ethan thinks he went into K9 mode to protect me, as if he were working.”
“Protect you from a traffic stop?”
“There was something he didn’t like about that cop. Ethan said Flynn felt threatened.”
There was a long pause. “Wait, who’s Ethan? A new neighbor I haven’t met?”
“You know, Flynn’s other guardian. Detective Kelley.”
Mo gasped. “The cop from the ride along?”