Page 41

“You guys can hang here. We’re in Canada, it’s safer than San Diego,” said Jenny.

“And we’re more than capable of looking after ourselves,” added Maria.

Mike glanced at Rick, who shrugged. “OK, but if anything suspicious happens, call us.”

“And what would that look like?” asked Ali. “People being overly friendly and polite? Mike, this is Canada. Everything they do is suspicious to us, and as Jenny said, it’s safer than California.”

“When you said you were in town with a few friends, I didn’t realize it was an entire entourage,” said Joni as Jenny, Ali, Maria, and Saber joined her at a table in the popular French-themed cafe’s garden setting. The tall, short-haired blonde spoke with a heavy French-Canadian accent. She made a beeline for Saber, knelt, and offered the dog the back of her hand. “And who is this gorgeous girl?”

“This is Saber, and she’s actually the reason we’re here,” said Jenny. “Let me introduce you to the rest of my team, and then I’ll give you the back story.”

Ten minutes later, Joni was sitting, drinking her coffee with a shocked look on her face. “He stole an entire litter of puppies, what a bastard!”

“Yeah, and a friend of ours in the FBI linked him to a bikie gang here in BC,” added Ali.

“Oh, which one?”

“The Hells Angels.”

Joni frowned. “That’s not good. They’re really, really bad news. With links to a plethora of illegal activities in BC that include extortion, drug dealing, illegal logging, illegal fishing, strip clubs, prostitution, and murder. All the usual macho patriarchal bullshit. RCMP has a task force focused on them, and the Emergency Response Team executes all their warrants. If this Kane guy is linked to them,” she paused. “Then I’d recommend you avoid him entirely.”

“That’s not going to help us find the puppies,” said Jenny. “We need to find Kane before he separates and sells them.”

Joni shot Saber a sad look. “Guys, he’s most likely already done that. If he’s as big a scum bag as you guys say he is, he’s going to be well-versed in fencing stolen merchandise. It’s almost certain that he had buyers lined up well before he took them. I wish I had a more positive spin, but the reality is those puppies are probably already gone.”

“But that might not be the case,” said Ali. “That’s why we need to find him.”

“Look, I’ll have a look at what’s on file. If he’s a minor-level player, I might be able to pass something along to you. But if he’s in deep with the Angels, you need to promise me that you’ll leave it be.”

“We really appreciate your help, Joni,” said Jenny.

“Any information on Kane would give us a chance,” added Ali.

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”

TJ balanced a stack of pizza boxes on one hand as he stepped through the front door of the Ernesto residence. Kids’ music blasted his ears as he strode through a living space strewn with clothing and toys. He made it halfway across the room before a fusillade of Nerf darts caught him. Rubber-tipped projectiles bounced off the boxes as he dashed for the cover of Maria’s kitchen island. “If you guys want pizza, you’d better accept a cease-fire,” he yelled.

“Nah, we’ve got the firepower, Uncle TJ,” yelled Ernie’s elder boy, James, from the living room.

“Yeah, all the firepower,” added Ryan, the younger brother.

“Give us the pizza,” contributed Junior.

“So, you think you’ve got this old dog beat,” said TJ as he crouched and opened the top pizza box. Inside were two custom Nerf blasters.

“Give up, Uncle TJ, you’re cornered and outgunned,” yelled James.

“SEALs don’t go down without a fight,” he replied.

“Don’t do it, Uncle TJ. Just give us the pizza,” cried Junior.

“Never!” yelled TJ as he jumped up from behind the counter and let loose with the Nerf blasters. He fired a volley at the boys, forcing them to take cover behind the couch. Then he dashed from the kitchen into the living room.

“That’s not fair,” yelled James as he desperately tried to reload his pump-action Nerf gun. Ryan and Junior managed to launch a couple of darts, but they missed TJ as he flanked them.

“Do you surrender?” asked TJ as he stood aiming the pistols at the boys.

“Never!” yelled Ryan, launching himself at the grizzly SEAL.