41

PIKE KEPT his voice even. His heart rate gave a bump, but he did not want Khali Vahnich to know he was scared.

“My friend is alive and unharmed?”

“For a while. Then we will see. To whom am I speaking?”

Pike motioned to Cole it was Vahnich, then hurried back to the house. He wanted silence so he could hear Vahnich clearly, and a pen to make notes. Confusion and mistakes would kill her as quickly as panic.

Pike said, “Put her on.”

Inside, Pike went directly to the papers and pens spread over the dining table. He copied the incoming call number.

Vahnich sounded offended.

“She is fine. I will only kill her if I do not get the money.”

“This conversation ends unless I know she’s alive.”

Cole and Barkley had followed him inside, Barkley hearing enough to realize what was happening. He stomped forward as if he wanted the phone.

“Is this about Larkin? Is she dead?”

Pike motioned for silence. Cole clamped a hand over Barkley’s mouth. Barkley struggled, but Cole whispered into his ear and he calmed.

“Put her on, Vahnich. Put her on or go away.”

Pike focused on the call. He covered his free ear and listened for background noises that might identify Vahnich’s location. He heard voices, but nothing that suggested the location. Then Larkin came on the line. She sounded fine.

“Joe?”

“I’m coming.”

“I’m okay-”

Pike heard a thump as if the phone had been dropped. Larkin shouted something Pike didn’t understand, then shrieked, but the shriek cut off. Vahnich came back on the line.

“Are you pleased to hear her living? Is this what you wanted?”

Pike hesitated. Keeping his voice level was more difficult this time. He nodded to let Cole and Barkley know she was alive.

“Yes. We only talk if she’s alive.”

“To whom am I speaking?”

“Her bodyguard.”

“Let me speak with her father.”

“You’ll speak only to me. Everything goes through me.”

“No more of this, then. Her father will transfer the money and we can be done. I will give you the account number and access codes.”

“Wait-listen-Kline took your money. He transferred the money out of the country. We don’t know where he is.”

“This is not my problem.”

The front door opened, and Bud burst in. Cole immediately motioned him silent. Bud nodded, but went to the table and began to scratch a note.

Pike watched it all, but stayed with Vahnich.

“The Kings must have told you what happened before you killed them. This was Kline’s deal. Barkley had nothing to do with this.”

“I will tell you something. This money, it is not mine. Dangerous people entrusted it to me, and they look to me for its return. They do not care where it comes from.”

Vahnich had made a mistake. That was the problem with talking, and Vahnich had been talking a lot. He had been trying to persuade, which meant he did not feel he could command. Pitman had been wrong about everything, but Pike had been wrong, too-Vahnich and his hit teams had never been trying to kill the girl; they had been trying to kidnap her so she could be used as leverage. The people who fronted the money wanted it back, and Vahnich was trying to save his own life. His fear could be used to buy Larkin time or manipulate Vahnich into another mistake.

Pike said, “How about if we help you find Kline? We’ll work together.”

Vahnich laughed.

“Of course we would. No, I think that would leave me in a weak position. I think now I am strong.”

Bud turned with his note and held it for Pike to see. SHE CALLED HIM. USED NEIGHBOR PHONE.

The list of call numbers was still on the table. Larkin had found the calls between Vahnich and Kline, and had called him. Pike pointed at her father for Bud to show him the note.

“Why did she call you, Vahnich?”

Pike was sure he already knew.

“She wants to help him, but she helps me instead. These young girls are foolish, are they not?”

Pike was staring at Conner Barkley. Barkley was looking confused.

Vahnich said, “Tell her father. He will not want to lose such a daughter.”

Cole went to the table and also wrote something. MEET HIM.

Pike nodded.

“He loves her, Vahnich. He worships that girl. I think we can work this out-”

Bud’s cell phone chimed, but he turned away fast, cupping his mouth. Pike continued with Vahnich.

“Let’s get together so we can work out the transfer. Tell me where we can meet you.”

Vahnich laughed.

“Will you bring the money in cash? How many trucks will come? Please. He will transfer the money. When the money is safe, I will release her. You and I will never meet, my friend.”

“He’s not stupid, Vahnich. He won’t transfer the money until he has his daughter.”

“Then neither of us will have what we want, and we will both be sad.”

Pike wanted to buy as much time as possible. If Vahnich wouldn’t meet, they would have to find him.

“I’ll talk to him. I have to find him, but I’ll talk to him. He wants her back safe.”

Vahnich said, “Copy these numbers-”

Vahnich began rattling off a string of numbers, but Pike stopped him.

“I don’t know how long it will take to-”

“Copy them and read them back to me.”

Pike copied them, then read them back. They were transfer and account numbers.

Vahnich said, “Good. These numbers you have are correct. He will have the money in this account in two hours or I will cut off her hand-”

Pike said, “Vahnich-”

“No money thirty minutes after that, I cut off her head. We need not speak again.”

The line went dead.

Pike held the phone tight, listening to the silence. Cole and Conner Barkley were watching him. Bud was on his phone in the background, scribbling notes on a pad. Pike finally lowered his phone.

“She’s alive for now, but he won’t meet with us. He knows better than that.”

Barkley said, “What does he want?”

“The hundred twenty million. We have two hours.”

“But I didn’t take it. I didn’t know anything about it.”

Barkley dropped onto the couch and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. His face clenched into a frustrated knot.

“Did she actually call this man? She gave herself to him?”

“She did it for you. She probably thought she could work out some kind of deal or convince him not to kill you.”

Barkley shoved himself from the couch as if taking command of the situation.

“All right, I’ll pay him. I can’t move that amount of funds in two hours, but I’ll pay him. Get him back on the line.”

“Money isn’t the answer.”

Cole said, “Paying him isn’t smart, Mr. Barkley. As soon as he has the money he’ll kill her.”

“He wants money, I have money-what else can we do?”

“Find him.”

Bud finished his call and rejoined them.

“Got something here-the MS-13 connection might have paid off. The book shows two veteranos named Carlos-one is incarcerated, but the other runs with a clique that’s been bringing in South American dope for years-”

Cole said, “Sounds like our guy.”

“That’s also the bad news. One Carlos Maroto-he’s OG with Mara and lives dead-center in a Mara-controlled neighborhood. Finding him won’t be easy. Getting him to cooperate will be even worse.”

Pike knew Bud was right. With enough time, they could find him, but time was short, and finding a gangbanger in his own barrio would be difficult. Gang membership ran in families and could span entire neighborhoods. No one would cooperate, and word would spread quickly. In a world where pride and family were everything, Latin gangbangers went down hard and would not roll on their friends. Especially not for three Anglo outsiders.

Speed was life.

Pike said, “We need his cooperation.”

“Yeah, that’ll happen.”

“It might if the right person asked.”