A Name in the Dark by G S Fortis

Author:G S Fortis [Fortis, G S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734490916
Publisher: Bardsdale Press
Published: 2020-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

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TED DRIVES US THROUGH the late-night streets of LA. The fog has rolled in, so the city lights are diffused in a soft glow as we drive along Los Feliz Boulevard.

“Why are we going to see Carmen?” Paige asks, confused. “And why in the middle of the night?”

Struggling against the pain of my shoulder, I pull out my phone then dial and place a call.

“You remember what David said,” Paige says. “She’s dangerous. The last thing we need to do is go back there.”

The phone rings then ultimately goes to voicemail. “She’s not answering,” I say, hanging up. “Shit.”

“Darcy! What’s going on?”

“I know who kidnapped Elizabeth.”

Ted finally looks in his rearview mirror.

“What? Who?” Paige asks.

“The same person who tried to kill us tonight. Leona.”

Ted casts another glance our way.

“That was Leona?” Paige exclaims.

“At first, I thought it was Hugo,” I continue. “He always wears cowboy boots. And the person chasing us was definitely not wearing cowboy boots.”

Paige squints at me like I’m insane. “Most people don’t wear cowboy boots!”

“Yes, but when they were chasing us, didn’t you hear the sound of their hard-sole shoes on the floor?”

Ted finally pipes up. “Okay, is this some immersive theater thing? Are you two actresses? Because I’m not paying for the show.”

Paige ignores him. “No. I was too busy running for my life to notice their shoes.”

“Leona wears hard-sole shoes. High heels or saddle shoes. I noticed that when I met her. And I heard that same sound when we were being chased.”

“Okay, someone with hard-soled shoes was chasing us.”

“Not just someone—a woman. The person chasing us had a woman’s figure—a woman’s stance. And I looked up when she was shooting at us from the fire escape.”

Ted interjects, “This isn’t very convincing. You guys need to work on your bit.”

“And you saw Leona?” Paige asks.

“Well, no.” I recall what I saw moments before the muzzle flash forced me to look away. “I couldn’t make out the face, but… I saw long black hair hanging down from under the hat. It had to be Leona.”

Paige shakes her head, and I have to admit it’s pretty thin evidence. “But why, then?” she asks.

“She’s the one executing the power move. Leona wants the most valuable thing Carmen has—her empire. It wasn’t the Russians. It wasn’t some rival cartel. It was the person right next to her. Leona. She’s the one who kidnapped Elizabeth.”

Paige considers. “That’s a gutsy move.”

“Leona knows Carmen can’t go to the police.”

Ted cranes his neck to address us. “Why can’t Carmen go to the police?”

I indulge him. “Carmen is the head of a major drug cartel here in Los Angeles. Calling the police would jeopardize her entire operation. She’d be arrested before anyone bothered to look for Elizabeth.” I turn back to Paige. “And Leona knows that.”

“Damn,” Ted says.

“And we’re just going to walk right into Carmen’s house, knowing that Leona tried to kill us and could very well be there right now?”

“I have to warn her.”

Paige squirms in her seat. “Maybe we should call the police.

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