White Hot: A Patrick & Steeves Suspense by Kate Fargo Read Free Book Online

anything?”
    “There was nothing to find,” she said. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine what they were looking for. They’d been through every detail of this already with Bob, their new handler. Although Bob seemed to have the personality of a sapling, it was better than having to report to her dad.
    A shadow flickered across Dal’s face and she could almost guess what he was thinking - she was thinking it, too. They weren’t necessarily looking for any one thing. They’d been looking for her. In her gut, she was sure Jack was behind all of it.
    Pulling up alongside the card reader, Dal held out the Nexus pass and pulled away when the machine beeped. The day was heating up, but there was still a fresh breeze coming in from the ocean as they sped down the highway through Tijuana.
    Her phone rang, she checked the screen before answering. “Hi Bob,” she said. Dal raised a brow.
    “Where are you Patrick?” Bob asked.
    “Just cleared the border,” she said.
    “Really? Even with a pass?” She rolled her eyes at Dal. Apparently Bob intended to micromanage them and ignore the fact that he knew precisely where they were because of their microchips. She refrained from making a comment.
    “Yeah, backed up today. We’re five minutes south now.”
    “Good,” he said. “We found the truck. I’ll text the coordinates and you can drive by and investigate. And Patrick?”
    “Yes?”
    “Be careful. All we need is an idea of what’s there in case we need to go back later. Under no condition should they see you. Understand?”
    “Absolutely,” she said. “I’ll let you know what we find.” She ended the call. “He wants us to go see the truck.”
    “Where is it?”
    “He’s sending the coordinates now,” she said, as her phone chirped. She opened the text and fed the numbers into the GPS. Peering at the screen, she said, “Ten miles ahead.”
    They rode in silence for several minutes watching the city unfold around them. Tijuana was a huge, sprawling, dirty town from their vantage point. Not unlike most cities seen from the expressway.
    Peeling an orange, she passed half to Dal. He winked in appreciation. She’d thought sleeping beside him last night would be impossible. Being wrapped around him made her blood boil and her toes curl, but she’d been so exhausted she’d slipped into sleep, despite the smoldering good night kisses, her head nestled in his shoulder. There was no denying how well they fit, physically at least.
    He’d been mad as hell last night when she’d refused to repeat the conversation she’d had with her father but after finding the thugs in her apartment, his concern for her safety won out over his frustration.
    The highway mirrored a service road that ran parallel to the east, lined with weathered cement warehouses, many crumbling into the dust. “It should be this next turn to the east,” she said. He slowed the truck and took the turn into the ancient industrial park.
    “Straight on, down this road for a bit,” she said. She marked off the distance on the GPS, measuring how far out they were. “Bob said we shouldn’t be seen.” She chuckled.
    “Nice to know we have his full confidence,” responded Dal. “There doesn’t seem to be much out here.” Passing the last of the warehouses, the road continued into barren fields. Garbage lined the side of the road, where people had dumped off bags, broken chairs, and even a couple of mattresses. After several minutes, the asphalt ended and they bumped along over an uneven dirt road. “How much farther?”
    “According to this, we’re already here,” she said, peering at the screen. She looked around - nothing but field. “I guess we don’t need to worry about being seen.”
    Dal took his foot off the gas and they rolled to a stop. “Sure you got those coordinates right?”
    She flipped back to the text message and nodded. “Yep. Should be right here.” She looked out the window. Empty fields stretched as far as