Chapter Forty-Three
Chase sat behind his desk at The Max. A week had passed since the shoot-out at the warehouse. A plan that, aside from the unexpected arrival of the black pickup truck and the bullets that had come way too close to where Harper sat behind the wheel of the Mercedes, had worked almost perfectly.
Which was good, since there had been no plan B.
Even the arrival of the police and DEA had gone according to schedule. At Chase’s instruction, Mindy had phoned Agent Tanner precisely ten minutes after Harper’s two o’clock arrival at the warehouse. By then, Maddox and Ryker should have had Shana secured, Winston’s men would have had time to leave, and the warehouse would be under their control.
Or not.
DEA and police had arrived within minutes of the call. They’d taken over the scene, called for ambulances and begun demanding answers.
“Looks like we missed out on all the fun,” Agent Tanner had said, far from pleased with the way things had gone down.
His dark gaze ran over the bloody battle zone in front of the warehouse, where EMTs worked over the wounded men. “Might have been a good idea if you’d given us a heads-up before you took on half the drug dealers in Dallas.”
“We knew you were on the way, but as it turned out, we didn’t have time to wait for you to get here.”
It was a total crock, but Tanner seemed willing to accept it. Though a number of gang members had escaped, clearly he figured the rest of the vicious gang got exactly what they deserved.
Zach seemed especially delighted to arrest a guy named Bobby Chavez. Chavez was the leader, he said, a Hispanic American who worked in Colombia for Luis Montoya.
“We’d had our suspicions Winston was involved with Montoya,” Tanner had said. “With any luck, Bobby Chavez will turn state’s evidence, and we’ll be able to move forward.”
Clearly self-defense. No charges filed. All in all, a very successful mission. The bad news was Harper and Shana had both been taken into protective custody. Tanner and his superiors were adamant that the women were still in danger. Chase couldn’t argue with that.
He hadn’t seen or heard from Harper since Tanner and a female agent had driven off with them in the back of an unmarked car.
Chase was worried sick. His appetite was gone and he hadn’t had much sleep, and though Zach had phoned several times to assure him the women were safe, Chase couldn’t rest until he’d talked to Harper and assured himself she was all right.
Add to that, there were things he wanted to say, conversations he wanted to have about the possibility of a future with her.
His intercom buzzed. “Agent Tanner is here to see you, boss.”
Relief swept through him. “Thank God. Send him in.” Maybe Tanner was ready to release the women into his care. He could put a protection detail in place—one he completely trusted.
Chase rounded the desk as Tanner walked in, his leather jacket flapping over the shoulder holster underneath. “I figured you were due for an update in person,” Tanner said.
“Hell, yes.” The men shook hands. “Where’s Harper? I want to see her.”
“First let me tell you where we are with the investigation.”
“Fine, go ahead. Just tell me the women are safe.”
“They’re fine.” Tanner sat down, and Chase returned to the chair behind his desk. “Since I saw you last, a lot has happened,” Tanner said. “Most important, Knox Winston and his attorney requested a meeting with the district attorney. In exchange for a reduced sentence—the best he could negotiate with all the evidence against him—Winston rolled on Luis Montoya.”
Chase was only mildly surprised. Knox wanted revenge on Montoya. Cutting a deal to get it was actually a pretty smart move. No one ever said the man was a fool.
“Winston provided names, dates of upcoming shipments and where they would arrive. Enough evidence against Montoya for the attorney general of Colombia to issue a warrant for his arrest. Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately, depending on the way you look at it—Montoya resisted and was killed outside his villa in Santa Marta when his men fired on authorities.”
“Montoya is dead?”
“That’s right. With the indecent amounts of money involved in the drug trade, the business will eventually resume with a new man at the helm. We assume Eduardo Ramos, Montoya’s second in command. Ramos has gone to ground, so it’s hard to know for sure. Whatever happens, it’s a major setback for the cocaine industry. Without Montoya and Winston, the amount of drugs on the street will drop considerably. It’s a big win for all of us.”
“Congratulations,” Chase said. “Now, what about Harper?”
“She and her friend have been released from DEA custody. According to her father, Montoya was the only real threat to her. Apparently his obsession with Harper was a personal vendetta.”
“So where is she?”
