“Yeah, well, so am I. See you at noon.”
When the call ended, Kate set his breakfast in front of him, and his stomach growled. The aroma of bacon and eggs drifted up as she set the other plate on the table across from him and sat down.
“FBI?” she asked, picking up her fork.
He nodded. “Kingsley, yeah. We’re meeting him at noon.”
“I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.”
Jase dug into his eggs, which tasted delicious. “I’m pretty sure Kingsley’s thinking the same damn thing.”
Special Agent Mark Kingsley was lean, hard and handsome. With his shoulder-length black hair, olive complexion and carved features, Kate thought he looked more like a drug dealer than an FBI agent. Which was probably the point.
He slid into the booth across from them and ordered a cup of coffee, same as she and Jase had already done. He didn’t speak until the aging waitress delivered it a few minutes later.
“You want to go first or shall I?” Jase asked.
Kingsley stretched his long legs out in front of him and leaned back in the booth. “Definitely you first.”
“Fine. But I expect the same courtesy.”
Kingsley just nodded. Kate sat quietly as Jase filled the agent in on the case they had been working since her sister’s murder, which took a considerable amount of time.
Kingsley turned his attention to Kate. “So you hired Maddox to help you find your sister’s killer.”
“That’s right. Since then we’ve been working together. We found a second victim in San Antonio, both women marked with the same lipstick tattoo.”
“Los Besos,” Jase said.
“The kiss of death,” Kingsley added.
“One of the victims was bludgeoned to death,” Jase said. “The other strangled. Both where killed with a baton or club of some kind, possibly the same weapon utilized in two different ways.”
Kingsley’s gaze sharpened. He took a sip of coffee, giving himself some time. “Go on.”
“There are three massage parlors in Houston where the women are being held. Paradise Massage is one of them. We’re hoping to come up with the names of the other two fairly soon.”
Kingsley straightened in his seat, beginning to look impressed. “What’s Los Besos got to do with Rafael De Santos?”
“He’s taking payoffs from them, a cash delivery every week. We’re trying to find out who he’s working for.”
“If he’s involved with Los Besos, he’s top of the pecking order,” Kingsley said. “The guy running the show. But we think he’s trying to move even higher, get into the big leagues.”
“You wouldn’t be talking about Maximillian Schram and Arthur Wiedel? Their names keep popping up, wealthy real estate developers.”
Kingsley groaned. “Briton, Inc. That’s our target. We know Schram and Wiedel are heavily involved in drugs and organized crime. Haven’t run across a connection to trafficking.”
“My sister, Christina, was a sixteen-year-old runaway when she was picked up two years ago and taken somewhere in Houston. We believe she was drugged, beaten and prostituted against her will until she finally escaped. One of them tracked her down in Dallas and murdered her. I want that man brought to justice.” She felt Jase’s hand settle on her thigh, comforting her with his touch.
He looked over at Kingsley. “All right, your turn.”
“I’ve got a couple of things you might be interested in. First, something big is going down at the club tonight. I’m not sure what it is, but De Santos is pulling out all the stops. Private party in his quarters, sparing no expense.”
“Lucky for us, we’re invited.”
“Christ,” Kingsley grumbled. “I should have known.”
“What else?” Jase asked.
