Bounty Hunter. Lynette Eason
Читать онлайн книгу.
repeated the story word for word. The details didn’t change. Nothing left out, nothing added.
They had to check it out.
“Hold on a second.”
“Sure.”
She did a quick Google search. It was about a ten-hour drive to Drum Creek. If they left within the hour, they’d have time for a couple of hours of sleep before jumping on the case. She pondered taking the choppers, but they’d need their vehicles for the dogs.
Then again, she wanted to get there before too much time passed and Jake had a chance to move on. Or, there was another option. One that made the most logistical sense. “All right, I’ll tell you what. If I take a chopper, I can be there within a couple of hours. The others drive up with the vehicles and meet me there, but at least I can start searching.”
“No sense in hurrying,” Riley Martelli answered. “You’re going to want to start your search where I last saw him, I’m sure. There’s no searching in the dark. Not in that area, trust me.”
“Give me the location.”
“Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s about an hour and forty minutes from Denver and about fifteen minutes from Drum Creek. It’s got tons of camping areas, lakes and other great hiding places. I repeat, you won’t find him in the dark.”
Harper bit her lip, her frustration raging. She didn’t want to have to wait until morning to start looking for Jake, but apparently she wasn’t going to have a choice. They could chopper in lights and other equipment, but that was still risky. They could miss something important on the fringes of the light.
No, they’d have to start the search at dawn. “All right, we can be there first thing in the morning. Can you recommend a place to stay that can accommodate six team members and six dogs?”
“Sure. There’s a hotel in downtown Drum Creek. I’m staying there right now. The owner is a friend of mine. What do you need? Six rooms?”
“Yes.” Harper worried her bottom lip with her teeth. They had to be careful how they approached this. They still didn’t know what they were dealing with. Was Special Agent Morrow an agent in need of help or was he a double agent, actually working for the very mafia kingpin they’d been trying to put away for months now? She just didn’t know. But she was going to find out.
“Keep this confidential, will you? We’re going to make a big enough splash with our vehicles and the dogs, but if you can help us fly as far under the radar as possible, that would be great.”
Keeping the press and the public unaware of their classified missions was the only way to ensure the success of the team. However, with the dogs, the handlers had to be identifiable in certain situations so the FBI provided a variety of uniforms and gear for different occasions. Max West, their team leader, would have to figure out the best option for this situation.
“I’ll do my best and I’ll reserve the rooms for you,” the bounty hunter was saying. “Like I said, the guy who owns the hotel and works the early morning desk is a friend of mine. He can keep his mouth shut—and if you park in the back, your vehicles won’t be seen from the main road.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll meet you in the lobby at 5:30 sharp. Sunrise is around 5:45. If we get out of town and head into the park early, there won’t be a lot of traffic or inquiries.”
“Good. Our vehicles are black Suburbans. No flashy logos or anything.” But the dogs would attract attention. They gathered stares wherever they went. She sighed. Well, they could only do their best.
“Sounds good.”
“Thank you, Mr. Martelli.”
“Call me Riley.”
“All right, Riley, see you in the morning.”
She hung up and sent an email to her team. She was a member of the elite FBI Tactical K-9 Unit. While the FBI started its K-9 program many years ago, the Tactical K-9 Unit was started by the agency ten years ago in response to the increased levels of terrorism haunting the country. They ultimately answered to the FBI Director, but her team was special in that they had very little micromanaging from above. They were good at their jobs and the director knew it. He left them alone, only requiring debriefs as necessary from their team leader.
Harper’s computer dinged as the responses came in. Good, everyone would be ready to leave by five this afternoon. They’d drive to Colorado, check into the hotel, sleep a couple of hours and be ready to roll by 5:30 a.m. She shut the laptop and placed it in her bag.
They had to find Jake. He’d disappeared in the shootout with the Dupree kingpin and his uncle, Angus Dupree, in Los Angeles, California. Jake’s Malinois, Buddy, was injured in the shootout and was slowly recovering. Unfortunately, as smart as he was, he couldn’t talk and tell them what happened or where his partner went. It was up to Jake’s team to find him and bring him home.
Or bring him to justice.
* * *
Riley glanced at his watch. 5:28. On any other morning, it would be too early for the motel to have breakfast ready, but he had requested that pastries and juice be available for the team. Since the two of them were friends, the manager had been happy to oblige and had even added scrambled eggs and bacon to the spread. Special agents milled around the buffet, their expressions solemn, determined and ready for anything. Each one had a highly trained, working dog. He didn’t see how they would be able to fly under the radar, but working in the early morning hours while most people still slept or late into the evening would help.
His gaze moved back to the woman who had captured his interest the moment she’d entered the breakfast area. She was one of two females in the group and he assumed she was the one he’d spoken to on the phone yesterday.
Harper Prentiss. He liked her name and thought it suited her. She looked to be in her late twenties. Her dark hair was cut short, but in a style that flattered her face. Her blue eyes had locked with his just moments before and he figured she’d be heading his way after she finished her bagel. He swallowed another sip of coffee. He hadn’t expected her to be so pretty.
Special Agent Prentiss took her last bite and walked over. Her German shepherd stayed at her heel and sat when Harper stopped in front of him. “Riley Martelli?”
He stood and held out a hand. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re here early.”
“I like to be prepared.”
A faint smile curved her lips and small creases formed at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you for reserving the rooms. We needed them by the time we got here.”
“Hope you got some rest.”
“A few hours, but we’re used to going without when we have to.” She looked around and he noticed the others clearing their trash. Her gaze landed back on his. “We’ll be ready to roll in just a few minutes.”
“All right. Your vehicles look like they’ll hold up to the rugged terrain.”
“They will.” She paused. “This is an afterthought, but I don’t suppose you got a picture of the guy you saw?”
“Nope, but his face has been plastered all over the news and that was the guy.”
“And he shot at you,” she murmured.
“He did. And kept shooting even after I identified myself with my arms up and my weapon held over my head. Trust me, he wasn’t interested in being helped. The bullets he fired weren’t warning shots. They were way too close for comfort. If he could have killed me, he would have. He wanted me dead.”
She frowned and exchanged a look of concern with the man on her left. He’d been listening to the exchange and now he nodded and stood. “Guys? Let’s do a quick introduction and get going. You all about ready?”
A