“There’s nothing better in life when you need to run than to blow what’s making you run all to hell. What Linda did rocked the business to its core, but it wasn’t completely destroyed. In the chaos of the blast, though, she ran somewhere she thought no one would ever find her.” The front door opened, and she stood. Remi walked in with Mano and Dino and they all appeared frustrated. “Did he not say anything?” She found that hard to believe—if they questioned Lizard in the right way.

“He said plenty, but it’s going to take a few more of these meetings to make any sense of what that idiot said.” Remi twirled a cigar between her fingers, and she sounded angry. “Whoever ordered this put a doberge cake of layers between them and the two idiots we talked to. It was a low-level dealer who hired him, and it wasn’t one of Jasper’s. My gut tells me that we’re going to go through a few levels before we get to what we want to know.”

“We’re going to have to put that off for now. Nathan came through, and Linda Bender is closer than you’re going to believe.” She explained what Nathan had said and what he was afraid of as they drove back to the airport. “Katlin,” she said, making one more call before they took off. “I need you to take a drive.” She gave Katlin the address and name Nathan had provided. “I’m coming back, and I don’t want to take the chance that someone beats us there.”

“I’ll take Merrick with me, and we’ll sit on her until you get back. Are you driving out there tonight?” Katlin always sounded ready to go.

“That’ll depend on you. I’ll call you when we land, and if Linda’s still up, I’ll head your way and try to talk her into coming back with us.”

“I’ll wait to hear from you, and I hope it’s her. Abigail deserves to be done with all this.”

“It’s not like we’re giving up, cousin. Not until Nicola’s truly dead.”

✥ ✥ ✥

“Make sure you let me know if you find out anything,” Jerome Rhodes said as he scanned the street outside the house he’d rented in the French Quarter. He’d made a few contacts in town, and some of the players who moved product from Mexico to New York had been in touch. All he had to do now was sit and wait to make sure the people he decided to do business with would be the best fit.

“Yes, the man you need to talk to call you,” Pablo said.