Page 112 of Double the Redemption

He wished it were that simple, but he had a feeling he would always worry about her. At least until her father was found and behind bars or six feet under.

Then he could focus on convincing her to stay with him forever. Because he was never going to let her go.

41

NAOMI

Her mind raced as she stared at the notes in front of her. She’d kept her promise and contained herself to the dining room table, though she might have to get a second pad of paper soon. She was running out of room as she tried to recall all the places her father would frequent. All the hideouts he used to tell her.

But were those tests? Had he been telling her those places to throw her off? Maybe it was in case Diego ever asked, he would find out if she kept her mouth shut.

It was a dangerous rabbit hole to wander down. The possibilities were endless. Her father was a master manipulator. She’d figured that out the moment he talked to her after selling her to Diego. He’d never loved her, only seeing her as a tool to exploit for his own gain, and from then on, he worked hard to stay a step ahead of her, throwing tests her way.

He always forgot her brain liked patterns, and he had one.

She stilled. That was it. His pattern. Her father might try to change locations, but he’d keep to his pattern. A pattern known only to a few.

Her and her sister. Because they’d grown up with it.

She jumped to her feet, running for the door, notepad in hand. She had to tell Glitch and Code. They could figure it out for her. She couldn’t access electronic records, but they could.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she raced for the clubhouse. She ignored the curious looks as she hurried inside, heading straight for Code and Glitch’s office. Throwing open the door, she barely noticed their state of almost undressed. Or the curses and screeching coming from them at being interrupted.

“Sex later,” she barked. “I need your help. I know I can find him.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m getting a fucking deadbolt for that door,” Code barked, annoyed as he quickly righted his clothes. Glitch laughed, yanking her shirt back over her head.

“Babe, you have shitty timing,” she said, with a shake of her head. “I didn’t even get more than a few pets.”

Naomi shrugged. Maybe later she’d be embarrassed she’d burst in without knocking, but this was too important. “You and I can both be sexually frustrated, because I teased Ink and made him leave with Asher.”

“Poor bastard.” Code huffed. “Apparently, blue balls are going around here.”

“You’ll survive, Caveman,” Glitch admonished. She sat down in her chair and lifted her brows at Naomi.

Naomi took the other one, ignoring Code’s squawking. Glitch’s eyes danced with mirth.

Slamming down the notebook, Naomi started explaining. “My father has a pattern. He might try to do things that make people think he’s doing one thing when he’s doing another, but he’s not the best at it. He used to do it all the time when we were kids, but it became more apparent when I was held at Diego’s and he’d come talk to me. And he’d test me. He’d tell me he was going to a certain place when he was going somewhere else to see who I’d tell.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone, so he figured it was safe to start telling you his actual routine?” Glitch mused.

She gave a quick nod. “He’d still test me. Dropping juicy little tidbits that anyone with a brain would tell Diego, but I knew better. So I started recording them in a code sheet of my own. Anyone who saw it would think it was just another calculation sheet. I even kept it in the books Diego gave me so it wouldn’t appear odd.”

“And you’re going to recreate that sheet? That will tell you where he is?”

“Not exactly. Over the years, my father would get rid of some and add new ones. But he always picked a specific pattern. North, south, north, east, south, west. He’d move around, thinking he was random, but if you pay attention, you can figure it out.”

“And how does this equate to you knowing where he is?” Code asked, moving to stand behind Glitch.

“It means as long as I know where he was then I can figure it out, but I need a computer and a map to figure it out.”

Glitch turned to her computer, fingers flying over the keys. Soon, all the wall monitors were covered with a map of the country, while the one in front of her had a file and her father’s picture. “According to this, the last known whereabouts of your father, were seen on a street camera in Austin, Texas. Facial recognition confirmed it. They tracked him to an apartment building, but he disappeared. They waited and he never came out.”

“Any secret tunnels or other ways out?” Code asked, fully invested now.

“Nothing in the blueprints, but the building belongs to a Samuel Ramos.”

“That’s Diego’s supplier,” Naomi said, looking at the map, mind spinning. “He runs money and drugs over the border but also owns stash houses all around the state. He’s the contact person between Diego and the head of the faction just over the border in Mexico. He’s perfected his ability to get things over the border without anyone finding them. Even the search dogs.”