He believed this as well. Kowalski could, however, have sent one of his underlings. He likely had, in fact. “Who put you up to this?”

“Mr. Raeburn.”

DJ didn’t recognize the name, but he didn’t know most of Kowalski’s men. “What did he offer you?”

Tears were flowing down her face. “Help for my son. He’s in prison, waiting for his trial. Mr. Raeburn promised to get him out.”

Now that sounded like Kowalski. Of course, the man had no ability to spring people from prison. He’d lied to the nurse just as DJ had.

“Do your employers know your son is in prison?”

She shook her head. “He was recently charged. I was trying to find him an attorney.”

“Charged with what?”

“Murder. But he didn’t do it!”

“Of course he didn’t,” DJ said dryly. He started the car and headed toward the security gate.

She paled. “You said you wouldn’t kill me.”

“And I won’t,” DJ said. Here in this parking lot, anyway. He needed to get her off the property so that the rehab center wouldn’t have him charged with her murder. He noted the card reader and grabbed the badge clipped to her scrubs. He pulled the mask up to cover his face in case there were cameras at the gate. At least he learned from his stupid mistakes.

He exited the lot after swiping her card through the reader. He’d made it to the end of the street when a plain white panel van pulled out of a side street behind him.

Oh goody. Kowalski sent a tail.

“How many bugs?” he asked.

To her credit, she didn’t play dumb. “Three.”

“I know about the lampshade and under the nightstand lamp. Where is the third?”

She closed her eyes and said nothing.

“Nurse Gaynor? I asked you a question.”

“You’re going to kill me either way,” she said hoarsely.

“No. I won’t kill you if you cooperate.” He might have even believed himself, he sounded so fucking sincere. “I will definitely kill you if you don’t.”

“In his Bible. I figured with him being a pastor, he’d keep it close.”

DJ snorted. “Thank you.”

“You won’t kill me, then?”

“Of course not.” He’d wait until he got free of Kowalski’s tail.

They were only after him, at least. Kowalski didn’t care about Pastor, so the old man was safe for now. Not that DJ cared about Pastor. He just didn’t want Kowalski getting those access codes before he could.

The van behind him kept a steady pace, leaving three cars between them. Like that’s supposed to fool me. He bided his time until he came to an intersection at which the light was yellow, about to turn red. Gunning it, he flew through the intersection a second after the light turned red, earning him a cacophony of blown horns.

Ignoring them, he turned at the next corner, following the road to the rear lot of a grocery store, where he parked and made sure his mask was still in place.