Stolen. Part 44

"Ms. Santana didn't inform us that a man was living with her."

"I'm just visiting."

"Jami's curfew is ten p.m. I expect to hear from Ms. Santana by then, or Jami will be placed in custody." She cut off the call.

Patrick had no idea what that conversation was about. "Elle, what just happened?"

She glanced at her watch, then grabbed her phone back from Patrick. "I have two hours to find Jami. I've been looking for her since noon!"

"Who's Jami?"

"A fifteen-year-old who's in deep trouble and will be in deeper trouble if she doesn't show up in court Tuesday morning. Something spooked her when I went out for groceries. I know it. She wouldn't just leave. She knows how important this is!"

Elle ran into the kitchen, opened the freezer, and took a can of coffee from the freezer. But there was no coffee inside-only money. Roughly a thousand dollars in fives, tens, and twenties.

"I've never known anyone who keeps money in her freezer."

"My mom," she said. She counted out three hundred dollars and pocketed it, then put the can back. She ran upstairs and came back a minute later with a bag filled with clothes, and a heavier jacket with a hole in the elbow. "Thanks for covering with Lea for me."

Patrick was going to regret this. But he said, "Let me help."

She stared at him as if surprised by the offer. "Don't you have someplace to be?"

"My flight doesn't leave until tomorrow."

"It's nice of you. Really. But no one is going to trust you. You look-well, you look like a cop. I know where she hangs out. They don't like cops. Especially cops who dress like kids from a rich prep school."

Patrick glanced down at his khaki Dockers slacks and leather loafers. Rich prep kid? Hardly.

He said, "You've been looking for her all day and couldn't find her."

"I have to convince the right people that they can trust me, and I'll be able to find her." She didn't sound optimistic, just determined.

"You need help. I have the time. And the training."

Her expression showed her inner battle, but she finally said, "Okay, fine, thanks. But just trust me out there, okay? Don't do anything, well, cop-like."

"I haven't been a cop in nearly eight years." She glared at him. "All right, I'll try not to act like one." They walked out. He motioned to the door. "Aren't you going to lock it?"

"Jami has the downstairs door code, if she comes back she needs to be able to get in." She waved her hand dismissively. "It's not like I have anything valuable in there, except my computer."

They walked down the metal stairs to the lobby. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with this kid?"

"There's nothing to tell. She's a witness and I need to keep her safe until Tuesday morning."

Warning bells rang in his head. "A witness? Why aren't the cops watching her?"

"Because no one realizes that she could be in danger. They wanted to 'protect' her by putting her in juvenile hall, and that's exactly where Lorenzo's crew could get to her. I promised the judge that she'd be in court on Tuesday morning to testify-it's required for her plea arrangement-and everything was going great until this afternoon. I gave her a phone, but she's not answering it." Elle went out not the front door, but down a hall and through a door marked FIRE EXIT. No alarms went off. "It's disabled," she said dismissively. "If Lea is hanging around, I don't want her to see me."

Patrick realized then that something much, much bigger was going on. "Why not call the cops and have them help you?"

She spun around. "Look, you're going to have to trust me on this. If I tell anyone she ran away, they'll put a bench warrant out for her and she'll not only go to jail before she testifies, but her plea deal is off. She's fifteen. She's been on and off the streets since she was eleven. I got her a great arrangement, and if she testifies, the day after Christmas she'll be put in a group home that can protect her, send her to school, make sure she has a real shot at a future. And that's why I'm not going to San Diego."

Patrick had a dozen questions-was Jami a client of hers? What kind of law firm did she work for? Why would she agree to bring a client to live with her? Who was the girl testifying against? Did she leave the apartment willingly? Had she been coerced?

Elle led the way to a carport in the building next to hers. "I don't have my own spot, but my best friend is a flight attendant and she's gone half the time and lets me park in hers." She looked back at Patrick as she headed for the car. "I'm going to retrace my steps, but she's probably hiding out in the Haight."

"The infamous Haight Ashbury?"

Elle rolled her eyes as she stopped next to an older Honda Civic. She put the bag of clothes in the back seat, which was packed with blankets and boxes of granola bars and Gatorade bottles. "Just get in."

"Santana!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Patrick turned and saw two men rapidly approaching.

"Get in!" she shouted. She was already turning the key to the ignition before she'd closed her door.

Patrick did. "More social workers?"

A gunshot rang out.

"That's a warning, b.i.t.c.h!"

Elle pulled out of the carport and sideswiped one of the guys. He shouted profanities at them and his partner fired another shot, this time at the car. It missed.

"How did they know where I live?" Elle glanced over her shoulder, eyes wide, knuckles white on the steering wheel. She turned onto Howard from the alley and sped up.

"Who are they?"

"I think they work for Richie Lorenzo."

"Who the h.e.l.l is that?" Patrick was getting testy, because he really hated being shot at-especially when he didn't have a gun on him.

"A drug dealer. Jami used to work for him. That's what got her in trouble with the police."

"Is that who she's testifying against?"

"No," she said in a tone that made Patrick feel like he'd missed several conversations. But she didn't clarify as she turned onto another street and started winding through hills.

"Elle, talk to me! Who is this kid testifying against? Does Lorenzo work for him?"

"Lorenzo works for no one. He's a twenty-three-year-old punk who takes runaways and has them sell his trash."

"And the case? The trial?"

Elle hesitated, then said, "Jami is testifying against a prominent businessman who is running a sweatshop down in Dogpatch-over near the old Candlestick Park. Without her, the guy walks, and he'll just set up somewhere else." She bit her lip. "But I think Lorenzo has been helping him, and Lorenzo wants Jami back in his stable, or dead. Maybe they cut a deal or something."

She bit her lip and glanced at Patrick. Though there were tears in her eyes, her jaw was clenched in anger. "I have to find her, Patrick. I can't lose another kid to those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds."

t.i.tles by Allison Brennan.

Stalked.

Silenced.

If I Should Die.

Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Love Me to Death Carnal Sin.

Original Sin Cutting Edge Fatal Secrets.

Sudden Death Playing Dead Tempting Evil.

Killing Fear Fear No Evil See No Evil Speak No Evil.

The Kill The Hunt The Prey.

Critical Acclaim for Allison Brennan's Novels.

Stalked.

"Once again Brennan weaves a complex tale of murder, vengeance, and treachery filled with knife-edged tension and clever twists. The Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan novels just keep getting better!"

-RT Book Reviews (4 stars, Top Pick).

"The novels featuring Lucy Kincaid and her cohorts are marked with deep characterizations and details of the workings of investigations by private eyes, the police, and the FBI ... Catch the latest in this series as Lucy continues to evolve in strength and wisdom."

-Romance Reviews Today.

Silenced.

"Brennan throws a lot of story lines into the air and juggles them like a master. The mystery proves to be both compelling and complex ... [A] chilling and twisty romantic suspense gem."

-a.s.sociated Press.

"The evolution of Lucy Kincaid from former victim to instinctive and talented agent continues in Brennan's new heart-stopping thriller ... From first to last, this story grabs hold and never lets go."

-RT Book Reviews (Top Pick) "An excellent addition to the Lucy Kincaid series. Lucy and Sean continue to develop as complex, imperfect characters with a pa.s.sion for justice ... The suspense was can't-put-it-down exciting."

-Fresh Fiction If I Should Die "Brennan's Lucy Kincaid/Sean Rogan books are not only excellent procedural thrillers, but also chart the evolution of an intriguing relations.h.i.+p. The peeks into the mind of this heinous killer are all too chilling, making the threat level palpable and the story riveting. Brennan is on a major roll!"

-RT Book Reviews "In bestseller Brennan's roiling third suspense novel ... rooting out the cancer that infects Spruce Lake reveals a convoluted history of increasingly deadly crime."

-Publishers Weekly Kiss Me, Kill Me.

"[A] riveting new series ... Lucy continues to be a fascinating and enticing character, and her ongoing development adds depth to an already rich brew of murder and mystery. Brennan rocks!"

-RT Book Reviews "Ms. Brennan ratchets up the suspense on page one and keeps it going until the last page."

-Fresh Fiction.

Love Me to Death.

"A world-cla.s.s nail-biter ... Brennan is in the groove with this one."

-Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author "Grabbing the reader by the throat from almost the first page, this pulse-ratcheting romantic suspense from Brennan delivers intense action, multifaceted characters, and a truly creepy bad guy.... [A] fast-paced, engrossing read."

-Publishers Weekly.

"A fan of Allison's for many years, you always know what you are getting ... a great story with love 'em or hate 'em characters and perfectly placed plot twists in every book."

-Shannon Raab, Suspense Magazine Original Sin "Brennan shows a deft command of all things both normal and otherworldly in crafting one of the best tales of its kind since Dean Koontz and Stephen King were still writing about monsters. There's no shortage of those here and the result is a new genre cla.s.sic."

-Providence Sunday Journal "Allison Brennan pens a chilling tale in Original Sin, the first in her Seven Deadly Sins series. [It] will keep you up all night-whether it be from the horror or because it's such a page-turner."

-Sacramento Book Reviews.

Cutting Edge.

"Both the nature and nurture sides of the 'what makes a psychopath' argument are on display in Brennan's chiller ... Leave it to Brennan to deliver the creepy and deadly. This is definitely the stuff of nightmares."

-RT Book Reviews.

Fatal Secrets.

"In this chilling thriller, Brennan explores the consequences of sliding from fierce commitment into obsession ... A master of suspense, Brennan does another outstanding job uniting horrifying action, procedural drama, and the birth of a romance-a prime example of why she's tops in the genre."

-RT Book Reviews (Top Pick).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty novels and many short stories. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their five children.

Visit: www.allisonbrennan.com.