“He could’ve been in the safe house when it blew.” Nathan shook his head. “You realize that Montez set a trap to kill his own man. Maybe Julio said something in code. If he did, it cost him his life. It’s damned cold-blooded to kill your own man like that, even for Montez.”

“Don’t humanize Montez too much, Nate.”

They fell silent for a minute.

“If you’re right about Julio alerting Montez,” Harv said, “he wanted to take us out as well. Nearly did. Which might give us an advantage if he thinks we’re dead.”

“We shouldn’t assume that.”

“If Montez believes his safe house was compromised then he’ll also assume this location could be compromised as well. There could be a similar booby trap here. Getting cooked alive isn’t exactly at the top of my bucket list.”

“Relax, Harv. I’ve got everything under control.”

“I hate it when you say that.”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“You call this living?”

“Just admit it, you love this.”

“I’ll have to take the Fifth on that.”

Nathan focused on the landmarks along the road now. “Nichole Dalton said the house is past a stop sign.”

A few minutes later they found the stop sign Nichole had mentioned. The cross street was Linea Del Cielo. They drove down a gradual grade, focusing on the right side.

“There’s a white fence,” Nathan said. “This could be it.”

“Looks promising.”

“Keep going, we need an electric gate.”

“I don’t see a big stump.”

“The gate’s too far away. Kill the headlights and pull over past the driveway. I’m gonna take a look.”

Nathan wasn’t out of Harv’s Mercedes more than ten seconds before hearing an approaching car. He cursed inwardly and bolted up a steep slope. He had to lie flat on his stomach to avoid being touched by the headlights and peered through a low bush as a San Diego County sheriff’s cruiser rolled to a stop next to Harv’s Mercedes. Unbelievable. Friggin’ unbelievable.

He saw the cruiser’s passenger side window roll down. “Sir, is everything okay?”

“Thanks for stopping, Deputy. I needed a drive to clear my head. Had an argument with my kid. He came home drunk.”

“You live around here?”

“Yes, sir. Just a mile or so away.”

“Please show me your driver’s license.”

“No problem.”

He couldn’t see Harv, but the deputy shined his flashlight into the Mercedes. Good thing they’d removed their tactical gear and face paint following the safe house explosion. “My name is Harvey Fontana. I own First Security, Inc.”

“The company with the radio ads?”

“We offer a twenty-five percent discount to all military and law enforcement personnel.”

“I might give you a call, we have an old system. Have you had anything to drink tonight?”

“Absolutely not, Deputy.”

“All right, Mr. Fontana. Have a good evening.”

“Thanks again, Deputy.”