"Yes. And I thought you got there after we came outside." Her phone buzzed again.
"Just take it," Max said.
"Fine. I'll just tell her I'll call her back." She punched in her mom's number as Max pulled out his phone, checking his own messages. "What's going on, Mom?"
"You tell me," her mother said. "I saw the news about the bombing at the café, and Danny told me you were there."
"I was outside the building, and I'm fine. I told him not to share that with you."
"That's what he said, but we don't keep secrets from each other." Her mother's voice was loud, and she could see a smile playing around Max's lips.
"Well, I'm okay. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I'm working right now."
"On finding the bomber? That sounds dangerous."
"Don't worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. I'll call you back."
"You're really not hurt?"
"I'm not."
"I love you, Kara."
"I love you, too." She ended the call and put her phone back in her bag. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be. You have a mother who cares about you. No reason to apologize for that."
He was being nicer than she would have expected. "Do you have a mother who worries about you?"
"Not anymore," he said shortly. "She passed away seven years ago. Before that, she annoyed me with inopportune calls, but now I miss them." Before she could say she was sorry again, he opened his door. "Let's go find Jonas."
They got out of the car, walked across the street and down to the corner. The building Ava had described was run-down and not at all secure. In fact, the front door was ajar.
They took the stairs to the third floor and quietly approached the apartment. She pulled her gun out from under her coat, as Max did the same.
She shook her head. "You don't have authority here; I do. Put it away."
"If he comes out shooting, authority won't matter. I'm just backing you up."
She lifted her hand to knock on the door, realizing it was partly open. She knocked anyway, but there was no response, no noise of any kind. She glanced at Max, who gave a nod, obviously on the same wavelength as her. They didn't have a warrant, but if the door was open…
Grasping the knob, she opened it fully and stepped into the apartment, gasping at the bloody scene. A man was lying on the floor, his throat slit, a pool of blood under his body, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
Max swore under his breath. "Is this him? The man you saw in the café?"
She nodded. "It's him."
"Someone didn't want him to talk."
Before she could agree, she heard a noise from the bedroom. She lifted her weapon, and Max did the same as they both moved in that direction. She got into the room just in time to see a hooded figure halfway going out of the window. They both rushed across the room.
The man had taken the fire escape down a floor and then jumped to the ground. She crawled out after him, and Max followed. They sped down the fire escape and sprinted through the alley. The man was very tall, and his long strides took him quickly down the alley. When they got to the street, he was gone.
"Dammit," she said breathlessly. "We were so close. I need to call this in." She had barely pulled her phone out of her pocket when she heard the roar of an engine.
As she whirled around, she was blinded by headlights as a car roared toward them, and it didn't look like it was going to stop...
Chapter Six
