Afterburn: A Kenzie Gilmore Thriller

by BIBA PEARCE

“Hey.” She joined Snake’s friends. “Got one for me?”

  Paul, a good looking and self-proclaimed bachelor, grinned. “Sure thing, Kenz.” He poured her a shot. “Cheers.”

  They knocked it back. The spirits stung her throat but brought a welcome warmth. They chatted a bit and then she asked about the night Natalia went missing. “You guys helped look for her, didn’t you?”

  Paul nodded soberly, though his eyes were beginning to glaze. “Yeah. We turned that hotel upside down. She was nowhere, man.”

  “I know this is a stupid question, but did you actually go into their suite? Was there any sign of a struggle?”

  “I don’t think so. I mean, it didn’t look any different than usual,” he said. “Nothing on the floor or broken or anything. Is that what you mean?”

  “Are you working now?” joked a guy called Nathaniel. He’d come on to her once or twice, but she preferred to keep it friendly. He’d known Snake for years, since before he was famous.

  “I am doing a follow-up piece on Natalia,” she admitted. It wasn’t a lie. “I’m trying to figure out if she left on her own accord or if she was taken. What do you guys think?”

  May as well put it out there. It never hurt to get some general feedback.

  “Her things were gone,” said Nathaniel. “Not that we noticed at the time. But that’s what Snake said the next morning.”

  “You didn’t notice her things missing when you checked the room that night?” Kenzie clarified.

  “No. We were looking for her. We checked the room, then the rest of the hotel.”

  “She definitely left on her own, although nobody could figure out why,” said Paul. “Least of all, Snake. He was devastated.”

  “I’m sure. They looked so happy to me,” said Kenzie.

  “They were,” agreed Paul. “I sure as hell didn’t see it coming.”

  “Me neither. And then when they found her body.” Paul shook his head. “That was just awful.”

  “You going to have another shot or what?” Nathaniel said, unwilling to let the party mood drop.

  She laughed and held out her glass. “Damn straight. Fill me up.”

  The tequila had kicked in by the time she found Reid. He was still in conversation with Dave, who, it turned out, had been a firefighter for 12 years before he’d become a property developer. “Hey, there you are.”

  He turned and smiled, his eyes crinkling. He appeared much more relaxed now. In fact, he almost looked like he was enjoying himself. “Kenzie, you know Dave, right?”

  “Yep. Hi, Dave.” She flashed him a smile.

  “Dave was just telling me how he met Bella,” Reid said.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, he rescued me from a burning building,” sang a feminine voice. They all turned as Bella sauntered up.

  “Seriously?” gasped Kenzie.

  “Yeah.” Dave chuckled, embarrassed. “Although Bella tends to exaggerate.”

  She slipped an arm around his waist. “He’s being modest. My apartment block caught on fire and we couldn’t get out, so I went out onto my balcony. Dave climbed up a ladder to rescue me.”

  “That is so romantic,” said Kenzie, a tad wistfully.

  She didn’t miss the look Reid gave her. Ignoring it, she said, “Is that when you started dating?”

  “Not exactly,” Bella said. “I was still getting over Snake, so it took a while, but eventually, I caved.” She glanced up at Dave. “He was, or rather he has been, very patient with me.”

  He shrugged. “Some things are worth waiting for.”

  Kenzie envied his certainty. She snuck a furtive glance at Reid. He had a strange, faraway look in his eyes.

  “It certainly doesn’t seem like she’s pining for Snake,” she said to him later when they’d moved on.

  “No, I didn’t see any indication that she and Snake were an item, even undercover,” he added.

  Kenzie bit her lip. “I must have been mistaken on the beach. I thought I saw something that wasn’t there.”

  Reid nudged her. “I never took you for a romantic.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Could have fooled me. I saw your expression when Bella described how Dave had rescued her. You went all gooey.”

  “I did not.” She swatted him on the arm, but she couldn’t help flushing. There was a side to her that wanted the happily ever after, but there was another, more realistic side that knew there was no such thing. “That was the tequila.”

  He laughed. “Okay, if you say so.”

  “Did you ask Dave about the launch party?” Kenzie changed the subject.

  “Yes, I did. He insists he took her straight home. She was more than a little drunk. He said she always got like that when Natalia was around. She was really hurt when her best friend ran off with her boyfriend.”

  “I suppose it was a double blow,” Kenzie mused.

  “Yeah, but she seemed okay tonight. Cheerful, but sober.”

  “I agree. She was in a good mood, but not drunk. Perhaps now that Natalia is gone, she’ll be able to move on with her life.”

  “It must have been hard seeing them together all the time, particularly when they had the same group of friends.” His gaze rested on Bella’s dancing figure. Her strawberry blond hair whipped around her face, turning bronze in the laser beams that were now flashing over the crowd.

  Kenzie felt the music vibrate through her. Snake was getting to the end of his set, and the music was getting more frenzied. Reid scrunched up his forehead like she did when she felt the beginning of a headache coming on.

  “Should we go?” he asked.

  Kenzie glanced up at Snake, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. He had a look of euphoria on his face, even though he was drenched in sweat. “I think I’d better stay for a while and talk to Snake. It would be rude to leave now.”

  Reid nodded. “You don’t mind if I—”

  “No, not at all.” This wasn’t his scene. It wasn’t hers either to be honest, but Snake had invited her personally and she ought to stay long enough to say hi. He wouldn’t be long now, she could tell by the climactic beats that the song was in its final throes. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks.” He hesitated, and she thought he was about to say something when Nathaniel came prancing over.

  “You owe me a dance, young lady.” He drew her into the crowd. She waved at Reid and saw him frown before he turned and stalked off into the night.

  They danced for another five minutes, their bodies gyrating under the lasers. Snake kept the crowd going, piling on the tension until they were screaming with anticipation. Then the beat dropped and everybody went mad, jumping up and down, raising their hands like worshippers.

  She played along, swishing her hair and shouting with all the others. To anyone watching, she was having the time of her life.

  Finally, the song ended and the music faded out. There was laughing and clapping, and the sweaty dancers made their way to the bar or the pool for a dip.

  Kenzie went up to Snake. “Wow, that was incredible.”

  “Thanks.” He was grinning from ear to ear. “You have a good time?”

  “Great time,” she smiled back. “But I’ve got to work tomorrow, so I just came to say goodbye.”

  “You’re leaving already? Fleur is getting on the decks next. You should stay for a set.”

  “I’d love to, but I can’t. I’ve got an early start.”

  Other people came up to congratulate him. Kenzie was getting shouldered out.

  “I’ll call you in a couple of days,” she promised, then backed away.

  She walked through the hotel and out the front, looking for a cab. When none appeared, she decided to call an Uber. There was no parking in front of the hotel, so she walked down the road, eyes on her phone to pull up the app.

  She ordered the Uber and ran a hand through her hair, lifting it off her hot and sticky neck. She hadn’t danced like that in years. Her ears were still ringing from the music. It had been v
ery loud. Snake must have paid the hotel a large amount of money to use their private beach and create such a racket.

  She glanced at the app. Two minutes away.

  A rush of hot air made her turn around, but not before she felt a thud and stars exploded in her head. The sidewalk rushed up to meet her. She tried to see who’d attacked her, but all she could make out was a shadowy shape before her world went black.

  28

  Kenzie woke up to see Reid’s face staring down at her. “Kenzie, thank God.”

  “Reid?”

  Where was she? She scrunched her eyes against the bright light. Her head throbbed. She felt the back of it and found a large lump. “What happened?”

  “You were attacked.” Reid released her hand, and Kenzie realized he’d been holding it. He looked pale, like he hadn’t slept.

  “Attacked?”

  “A passerby found you on the sidewalk with your phone in your hand. Do you remember anything?”

  She screwed up her forehead, trying to think, but everything was murky. “I felt a rush, like someone running up behind me—then pain. They must have hit me on the head. I don’t remember anything after that.”

  “Was it a man or a woman?” He leaned forward.

  “I don't know. I can’t—” She closed her eyes as the throbbing became too much. “I don’t think I saw them.”

  “Don’t tire her out.” A nurse smiled at her. “Welcome back. I’m just going to check your vitals.”

  Kenzie noticed an IV in her arm. She was connected to a machine that beeped lazily beside her. The nurse checked the various numbers, then nodded. “All looks good, but you need to rest. You’ve got a nasty bump on your head.”

  No kidding. She felt like a herd of elephants were stomping through her brain.

  “How did you know I was here?” she asked Reid once the nurse had gone.

  “The person who found you called me,” he said, his voice even. “I was the last dialed number on your phone.”

  “Ah.” That’s right. She’d called him to invite him to the party. That was the last phone call she’d made.

  “How long have you been here?”

  “A while. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  Her eyes flitted to the window. Slices of sunlight filtered through the open blinds. “What time is it?”

  “Mid-morning, you’ve been out a while. They did a CT scan, but luckily there was no internal bleeding. You’ve got a concussion, though. You’ll have to take it easy for a while.”

  “I was waiting for an Uber,” she said.

  He grimaced. “I should never have left you there by yourself.” Guilt and anger flickered across his face.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “You didn't know this would happen.”

  “Still, I should have driven you home.”

  “I’m fine, Reid. Really, you don't have to worry, and please don’t feel guilty about it. At least we know we’re on the right track.”

  “We do?” He scowled.

  “Yeah, we’ve ruffled someone’s feathers, haven’t we? So much so that they felt compelled to issue a warning.” She pointed to her head and gave him a bleak smile.

  “I don’t see how you can think this is a good thing. You could have been killed.”

  “But I wasn’t. Either he didn’t want to kill me, or he didn’t have time. I was on a busy street, after all. He couldn’t just pick me up and carry me over his shoulder. Someone would have noticed.”

  “I’ll appeal for witnesses,” he said.

  “I think it was a warning,” she continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Maybe even for you.”

  “Message received,” he said grimly. “From now on, you’re going to be extra careful. Until this guy is caught, you’re not to go anywhere alone. Do you hear me? Particularly at night. In fact, I’ll come and stay at your place for a night or two after you get out of the hospital. Just to be safe.”

  “Honestly, Reid. I’m fine. You don’t have to babysit me.” She was touched by his concern, even if it did border paranoia.

  “If it’s the same person who killed those four women, he’s dangerous. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “We’re back to that theory, are we?” she asked.

  He raked a hand through his hair. It stood up in all directions, giving him an impish look. He hadn’t shaved. Two-day stubble covered his jaw. The dark shadows beneath his brown eyes made them appear almost yellow in the fluorescent ward light.

  “Right now, I’ve no idea. I’ve got to go to work, so I’ll see what the task force has discovered, if anything. The lab results should be back from Mimi Silverton, which may give us a few more leads.” He shook his head. “I still can’t get my head around the fact that Natalia, Bella, and Mimi were at school together. That must be relevant.”

  “Don’t forget to ask the task force for a list of teachers at that school. Then cross check them with the other two victims’ schools.”

  His face softened. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She grinned. “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll follow up on that.”

  She gave a little nod and leaned back against the pillow. The pounding was so loud it was drowning out his voice. “I think I’d better rest now.”

  Reid stood up. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “I’ll call you later. I meant it about not being alone. If you don’t want me coming over, ask someone else to stay. A girlfriend or something.”

  “I’d rather have you,” she said without thinking.

  At his surprised look, she gave an embarrassed chuckle. “I mean, I’d rather have a law enforcement officer guarding me than a beautician.”

  At his confused look, she explained. “Mandy’s the only other person I’d ask to stay with me, and she’s a married mother of three from Fort Lauderdale. She’s also a beautician.”

  “Ah. In that case, I’ll see you later.”

  “Navarro’s about to make a deal,” whispered Ryan, as Reid walked into the precinct. Pérez stood in front of the viewing screen with Captain Reynolds. It wasn’t often he graced them with his presence. On it, Reid could see Ortega sitting opposite their arrestee from the raid and his lawyer.

  He walked over. Both men nodded to him, then went back to watching the screen.

  “It’s a turf war,” Navarro was saying, his voice tinny through the speakers. “There’s fresh product on the streets and both gangs want a piece of the action.”

  “Where are they getting it from?” asked Ortega.

  Navarro hesitated.

  Ortega leaned forward. “You want this deal or not?”

  “The Morales cartel.”

  “What?” spluttered Pérez.

  The captain looked furious. “I knew those bastards would be back.”

  Reid said nothing, but inside he was seething. Now they knew Torres was back, too.

  Ortega was asking who was in charge. “Is it ‘The Wolf’?”

  Lopez’s street name.

  Navarro nodded. “Yeah, he’s their main man, although Alberto Torres is running the show. He’s the one distributing the product.”

  “Do you know where we can find him?”

  Reid held his breath.

  “Nah,” said Navarro. “We communicate via burner phones. They give us the time and place, and we do as instructed. You don’t mess with the cartel, not if you want their business.”

  And everybody wanted their business. Their drugs were pure, cheap, and plentiful. If you didn’t, someone else would. Hence the turf war between the Kings and the Warriors.

  “I want that number,” Ortega said.

  Navarro nodded.

  “I knew this would happen,” said Reynolds. “Cartel’s destroying this city. I’m not going down this road again. This time we’re handing it over to the DEA. They wanted it, they can have it.” He stalked off back to his office.

  The DEA had given them a hard time last
year, but since it had been Miami PD’s operative undercover, they’d backed off. Then when it had all gone to shit, they’d said, “Should’ve let us handle it.” Maybe they’d been right. At least that way Bianca would still be alive.

  Pérez looked at him. “You okay, Garrett?”

  “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Navarro bringing all this up again.”

  He shrugged. “Not my case. I agree with the captain. Let the DEA handle it.” That would put Ortega’s nose out of joint. A small consolation.

  Pérez grunted. “Yeah, I’ll give them a call now. Fill them in.”

  “Let’s talk about Matt Garcia,” Ortega was saying.

  An hour later, four officers from the Drug Enforcement Agency arrived. They escorted Navarro out, much to Ortega’s dismay.

  “They’re taking him to a safe house until the trial,” Pérez told them. “It’s not our problem anymore.”

  Ortega was fuming. “It was our case. We could have handled it.”

  “Concentrate on the turf war,” the lieutenant told him. “He gave you names and addresses. Pick up those bastards and let’s put an end to this chaos. Leave the Morales cartel to the DEA.”

  Ortega glanced at Reid.

  “If you hadn’t screwed up, we’d have gotten them the first time.”

  Reid debated smacking him in the face, then decided against it and went back to his desk.

  At lunchtime, Reid slipped away unnoticed.

  He drove back to the warehouse. This time, the roller doors were up and two flat-bed trucks with cargo handling equipment were parked outside. A foreman was managing the offload. The morning rush was over and they were storing the equipment back in the warehouse. It looked like any other legitimate business.

  He scanned the yard for Torres’s Audi. There it was, parked at the end behind the trucks. He was here. It was business as usual. The arrest of David Navarro hadn’t spooked them.

  Good.

  Reid delved into his backpack and pulled out a home security camera. He’d bought it online a few years back but hadn’t used it since he’d moved to the Glades. It connected to his phone, so he could log in and monitor the activity whenever he wished.