“Yes, unless you want to stay put because my sons told you to?” Her challenging tone fires me up.
“No.” I swallow the reflexive ma’am at the end.
“Good.”
I might be skittish—and with good reason—but I’ll never back down from helping my loved ones.
“Do we know what lead they are following?” Lori turns to Michael.
“Did the seduction work?” Linda asks him.
“Nope. I’m a slut for my husband,” Michael replies. “But he told me everything I wanted to know afterwards.”
“Just like that?” I squint at him.
“He can’t resist my cuddly chest.” He shrugs.
Lori’s nose scrunches up. “Gross. I dig it.”
“Mendez, the Cartel’s drug lord,” Michael starts. “Raph paid him a visit with some of the others. Rami was able to restore his daughter's X-rated video. They used it to make him talk. He was pissed at first, also because they killed more than a few of his men. But when he heard why they were there, he changed histune. He hates Nine, since she stopped him from killing Jacob. But after Hunter told Mendez someone took care of the fucker he talked. He didn’t know where Nine is, except he’s sure she is in Chicago and that she has around fifty men with her.”
Fifty? Damn, that’s a lot of firepower. And she could be anywhere around the city.
“I overheard Gabe’s call this morning,” Lori admits.
“Eavesdropped, you mean.” I raise a brow at him.
“Like I’m ashamed of that.” He smirks before continuing. “Remember what the poisoner said about Nine and the strawberry-sweet artificial smell? Well, Ezra suddenly remembered seeing a storage room filled with Red Vines candy—strawberry, artificially flavored—when he was kept at the facility. The scientists started giving the subjects sort of a prize when they followed their orders.” He makes a disgusted face.
“His was M&M’s,” I muse. And he still likes them.
“He talked to you about his time inside?” Linda looks relieved about it. Ezra’s decision to share his past with me must be good.
“Which means that those Red Vines were hers. I mean, they were the only two subjects there,” Michael states.
“Bingo!” Lori exclaims loudly, waking Noodle up.
“That’s why Ramiel and Dare have been looking into recurrent and large orders of Red Vines all around the city,” Linda interjects. “I’m sure they found more than one. Hunter, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel have been going around the city all morning, probably to check the different locations where the orders were sent. They divided themselves into two groups.”
“How do you know?” I ask her.
“Ezra is not the only professional around here. I was a field operative for forty years,” she reminds me.
“Was?” Lori’s laugh sounds incredulous. Is she not retired?
“Are we going to pull a Lori?” Michael asks. “And stalk them?”
I snort.Pulling a Lori. Funny.
“Yes we are,” Linda replies, looking at her phone.
“ClassicLori move. Love it.” It sounds weird when Lori says it.
“Lori and Sully will follow the twins, Raguel, and Oliver. While Michael and I will go after Gabriel, Raphael, Ramiel, and Hunter. Here are earpieces with a mic incorporated for each of you. When you have eyes on the boys, push here so that we can keep in contact.” She shows the top of the earpiece where we need to press to activate it. “Now, go get changed. Put on comfortable clothes.”
“I am comfortable.” Lori looks down at his high stiletto shoes, leather skirt, and turtleneck sweater. “Okay, I see what you mean. I’ll get my stalker kit from Michael’s car. I have somespecializedclothes in there.”
“I encourage readiness, but if you try to sneak another kit inside my Jeep, I’ll make you eat it in its entirety and defecate it the same way, Lori.” Linda smiles sinisterly at him.
