So did Pin, but I wasn’t about to mention that to Daniel.
“Excellent work, Brennan,” Daniel said, flipping through the rest of my notes and then setting the file aside. “As always.”
“Thank you,” I said. “But you know I want something bigger.”
I liked Daniel, and I respected him. I didn’t talk back, but I had let him know of my frustration with the easy cases and the cheating husbands. He had assured me that when a case was the right fit, he would make sure I got it. He gave me a big smile, and my heart started racing with anticipation.
“Today is your lucky day,” he said. “Sit down.”
I sat down in the seat across from him and pulled it closer to his desk. He tapped his hands against the desk, giving me a look. “We haven’t officially gotten this case yet, but I met with potential clients yesterday.”
“What is it?” I asked. My mind raced with potential issues I could sink my teeth into.
“Two sets of parents with runaway teens,” Daniel said. “A fifteen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old, both from La Playa.”
“So?” I asked. “Teens run away.”
“Yes, that’s what the police have told the parents,” Daniel said. “But the parents are convinced the teens were coerced by some sort of drug dealing ring.”
I raised my brows. That was interesting. “What are the parents like? Social status? Any step-parents or divorce?”
Daniel smiled at my eagerness. He could tell I was chomping at the bit for information.
“Suburban, no divorce,” he said. “Seemed like nice people. Classy. White picket fence.”
I let out a low whistle. Now that was interesting. Teens run away from poverty-stricken homes or broken families all the time. Most times, if the parents are divorced, the teen runs away from one parent to be with the other one.
But a suburban upper middle-class family had much lower rates of runaways. That wasn’t to say that some dark shit can’t lurk behind a nice picket fence. The statistics are just different.
“Why do they suspect drugs?” I asked.
“The teens didn’t really know each other, but they went to the same school,” Daniel said. “West La Playa High – and both of them had been getting mixed up with an older, shadier crowd right before they ran away.”
I furrowed my brow. I was already desperate for more details. I needed the age and personality traits of these teens so I could figure out who they were. What would have motivated them to run away from their safe homes? And how would we get them back?
“Brennan, they were mixed up with bikers,” Daniel said. “The parents are convinced the biker club is using their kids for drug dealing.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Outlaw Souls.”
“The police poked around, but they didn’t find much,” Daniel said. “But Outlaw Souls is one of the major clubs in the area and let’s face it, guys like that are good at evading police questions.”
I propped my forearms on Daniel’s desk and chewed my lower lip as I thought. Pin wasn’t like that. At least I didn’t think he was. But it was a big club. What were his so-called brothers like? I had to find out, and I could find out. I just needed to text Pin. Or even Kim. Go out with them at the Blue Dog Saloon again. Keep my eyes open.
“I want this case,” I whispered.
“I know,” Daniel said. “The parents are considering another PI, but I think they liked me. I made sure to play up your new connection to the Outlaw Souls.”
“When will we know for sure?” I asked.
“They should get back to me this afternoon,” Daniel said. “As soon as they hire us, it’s all yours.”
I gave Daniel a massive smile. This was exactly what I wanted. A serious case with different factors. Not just some mopy asshole wanting to feel like a real man with some shiny mistress.
“Thanks,” I said. “I won’t let you down.”
I stood up and headed for the door. The parents would hire us, I was sure of it. I would start researching drug activity in La Playa right away. Once I had all the information and profiles on the teens – the real work would begin.
Then I would figure out how to infiltrate the Outlaw Souls.
