Daniel had followed the Mexican and his dumb-ass banger entourage from the airport, so he knew the Mexican was inside with the cook and the waitress. The Bolivians had come through big-time with their tip about the Mexican, but reaching his targets had turned out to be a problem.

Daniel circled the block up to Sunset, planning to cruise through the alley beside Azzara’s house, but that’s when he saw the tall dude sliding out of a red Jeep Cherokee.

Tobey, suspicious.

“Lookit those arrows.”

Cleo, alarmed.

“Dude on the bridge, bridge.”

This made twice, and twice was bad. Daniel had seen him at the canal, and now here he was again, a block from the cook and the waitress.

Daniel let the van slow to catch the light. The man reached Azzara’s street, rounded the corner, then did a fast one-eighty to blend in with a crowd of pedestrians.

“He must be a cop. Gang unit, maybe. How else would he know?”

Tobey whispered, “Looks like a cop.”

Cleo hissed, “Smells like a cop, cop.”

When the light changed, the arrow dude crossed with the crowd, walking along Sunset like he was normal. Daniel clocked the dude as he passed. Big guy, hard, but he moved as if he was floating. Nasty hands, though, with big, coarse knuckles and veins wrapped under his skin like vines.

Daniel turned at the first cross street, then powered around the block back to Sunset, looking for the Jeep. He found it quickly, copied the tag number, then maneuvered into a parking lot to call the Bolivian.

First thing the Bolivian asked was whether he had bagged the targets.

“No, sir, not yet, but I have them located. The Mexican led me right to them.”

Cursing, screaming, the usual Bolivian bullshit. Daniel rolled his eyes.

“Sir, the situation is under control, but I do need your help with a matter. We have a man on the scene who may be a police officer or a federal agent.”

More blah blah yadda yadda.

“No, sir, it won’t affect the outcome, but I would like to know who he is. I have his license plate here.”

Daniel read off the tag, then hung up before the sonofabitch could go on with more bullshit. Daniel was now officially concerned about the arrow dude, and didn’t like not knowing where he was and what he was doing. The arrow dude was a wild card and wild cards could bite you on the ass. Daniel decided he would kill the fucker if he saw him again, even if he was a cop, so long as it wouldn’t fuck up his shot at grabbing the cook and the waitress. Daniel didn’t want to kill them. He needed to take them alive, and save the killing for later.

Tobey said, “Kill’m.”

Cleo said, “Cut off their heads, heads.”