She bit back a sarcastic reply. It was her fault she hadn’t mentioned that she’d picked up the tail shortly after leaving her apartment. “Yeah, that means he knows far more about me than I do about him.” Again, her thoughts went back to her troubled past. It didn’t make any sense for something that happened eighteen years ago to have resurfaced now. Yet she needed to call her sister, Michelle, to make sure she took precautions. Just in case.
The whine of police sirens filled the air for the second time in an hour. She couldn’t blame Jarek for calling backup, yet she didn’t want to be forced into providing yet another statement.
Clearly, things were escalating fast. The sooner she figured out who was behind these attacks, the better.
Staying low, Jarek rounded the front of the squad, then quickly covered the distance between the street and the building. His blue eyes bored intently into hers. “You’re not hit?”
“Nope. Guess the guy isn’t that good.” Her attempt at humor was lost on him. His scowl only deepened.
“We need to get you into a safe house,” he said. “If this is the work of the K2 Bloods gang, then you won’t be safe until we have their new leader in custody.”
“I can go off-grid on my own,” she said. “I don’t need a safe house.”
His scowl deepened, but then his gaze was diverted by the oncoming squads. Two units came to rest on either side of Jarek’s vehicle, essentially blocking the street.
Di was convinced the shooter was long gone, but she didn’t rise to her feet until the officers emerged from their respective cars. Jarek stood, then offered his hand.
It was a nice gesture, one he’d have no doubt done for a fellow officer, so she allowed him to pull her upright. Then she released him and turned her gaze to the east, scanning the buildings across the street for a possible hiding spot.
Her gaze narrowed on a window that was open on the third floor of the building across the street and down a block. That it was the only open window was one reason she’d focused on that as a likely location. That and the angle was such that the shooter would have had a clear shot at anyone approaching the front door of the building.
How he’d missed was a mystery, although she was grateful he had.
“There.” She gestured to the window. “Tell your guys to check it out.”
“Open window, third floor,” Jarek said. “Go!”
Two officers peeled away from the scene, sprinting toward the building. Again, she was convinced the shooter was already in the wind, but she hoped he’d left evidence behind. A guy who could miss at this distance didn’t scream professional. Yet at the same time, the dead man’s lack of ID, cash, or anything other than the cell phone indicated these guys were better than most.
Better than your average gangbangers, in her humble opinion.
The two attempts to kill her weren’t typical of how gangs struck out at their enemies. For one thing, the gangs wanted their rival to know who’d done the hit. They took great pleasure in eliminating their competition.
Could Terance Warren have hired someone to go after her? Maybe.
It didn’t take long for one of the officers to appear in the open window. He shook his head, then ducked back inside. She took that to mean there wasn’t anything obvious like a shell casing or footprint left behind.
The crime scene techs could sweep for trace evidence. It was a warm June day, and the shooter may have left droplets of sweat behind. But she knew DNA took time to process, and she doubted Jarek and his fellow officers had the kind of pull needed to move the sample to the front of the line.
“Have you spoken to Grayson about this?” Jarek’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Does he know your previous case has put you in the line of fire?”
“Not yet.” She swallowed a sigh, imagining Rex’s response. “But I will.”
“Do it now,” Jarek said firmly. “And you need to rethink your idea of staying in the area. Go stay with Rex in Chicago. We’ll work the case from our side.”
“I’m not leaving.” She pulled out her cell phone, but the call she made wasn’t to Rex. It was to her sister.
“Dina? What’s wrong?” Michelle asked. “You never call in the middle of the day.”
“Yeah, sorry about that, but there’s been an incident.” She hated worrying her sister, but Michelle’s safety had to come first. “Have you noticed anything unusual?”
“No, but if you’re worried, then I’m terrified,” her sister admitted. “Nothing scares you. What happened?”
“Someone took a shot at me, but I’m fine. He missed.” Twice, but she didn’t see the point of mentioning that. “I think you, William, and the kids should get out of town for a few days. Just in case.”
There was a long moment of silence. “What are you saying? This is related to our past?”
“No, it’s probably related to one of my cases, but I just want you, William, and the kids to be safe. It’s summer, right? Take a small vacation. A week should do it.” If Di didn’t have answers by the end of the week, she’d need to switch tactics. “Please, Michelle. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
