LITMIR.BIZ

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“What about your desktop computer?”

      “It’s password protected and the data is backed up on a secure cloud server,” she said. “If they try to hack my hard drive, it’ll go into security lockdown mode and wipe itself clean.”

      The back door led from the kitchen out into a minuscule patio, which in turn led to a paved path that wound past the apartment complex. Elisabeth checked outside to make sure the two men hadn’t sent someone to watch the back, but there was no one there.

      “Where does this path lead?” Liam asked while holstering his gun and settling his laptop in its case.

      “To the south exit of the complex, or the front of this row of apartments.”

      “They’ll see us if we try to run for our cars.”

      “If we wait a bit, they’ll be inside my apartment, and we can go for it.”

      “Let’s take your car,” Liam said quickly. His beat-up pickup was not going to cut it if the two men gave chase. Elisabeth’s Chevy sedan was in much better shape.

      But they waited a second too long. When they darted for the parking lot, they heard Elisabeth’s back door open and a man’s shout. Elisabeth already had her car key in her fingers by the time they reached the car. Liam waited next to the passenger door, his leg twitching as he watched the man run closer to them.

      “My next car is going to have remote unlock,” she muttered as she yanked her door open. She dived into the car and reached over to unlock the passenger door, and Liam climbed in.

      The two men bore down on the car that sputtered as the engine tried to turn over. “Come on!” Elisabeth cranked the key in the ignition.

      At that moment, a car pulled into the parking lot, a souped-up SUV gleaming with chrome, with elaborate scrollwork detail all along the side. The two men barely glanced at the SUV, even when the driver of the car, a man, shouted to them.

      But then the driver’s voice rose in anger and spat out a sentence in a language Liam didn’t understand.

      Elisabeth froze, checking over her shoulder at the newcomers.

      A passenger stuck his head out the window to yell at the two men, also. He sounded even angrier than the driver.

      “Oh, no,” Elisabeth breathed. She grabbed at Liam’s shirt. “Get down!”

      He folded in half, his eyes only inches from Elisabeth’s face.

      Men’s voices rose even louder. It sounded like there were at least three men in the SUV, and the two Bagsic gang members who had been chasing them were yelling, too. Then the SUV’s engine roared, and the squealing of tires shrieked in Liam’s ears. There were two shouts of surprise.

      Elisabeth and Liam raised their heads up to peek out. The two Bagsics were cutting across the lawn between two apartment buildings and running toward the street. The SUV tried to chase them but couldn’t fit in the grassy alleyway, and so it raced out of the small parking lot.

      Elisabeth didn’t wait. She started the engine and cleared the parking lot, headed in the opposite direction from the other men and the SUV.

      “What happened?” Liam asked.

      Elisabeth didn’t answer right away. She seemed to be thinking hard. When she stopped at a stoplight, she finally said, “This might be bad.”

      “What do you mean? What did the men in the SUV say? They were Filipino, right?”

      She nodded. “They said, ‘What are you doing here, Bagsic scum?’”

      “The men knew they were Bagsic gang members?” Liam ran through the list of who would be familiar with the gang colors. Law enforcement. People who lived in the area the Bagsics ruled. Drug addicts who bought the Bagsics’ crystal meth. And... He grew cold. “Who were those men?”

      Elisabeth chewed roughly on her lower lip, something Liam noticed she did when she was stressed.

      “I couldn’t say for sure, but—the Bagsics yelled back something like, ‘You’ve got some nerve, Toomies.’ I think that’s what they said. And then they started insulting their parentage.”

      “Toomies? Who are they?”

      “I don’t know, but did you notice anything about the hands on the men in the SUV?”

      “They both had wide tattoos around their wrists. The tattoos looked similar.”

      “I think they were. I only got a glimpse of the design, but I think the tattoos were Baybayin.”

      “What?”

      “It’s a form of ancient Filipino script. It’s gotten popular for tattoos.”

      “And both those men had the same design.” Liam blew out a deep breath. Rather than colors—or perhaps in addition to colors—they had tattoos. “Those men in the SUV were gang members. Some rivals to the Bagsics.”

      The light turned green and Elisabeth drove on. She gave Liam a wary look. “But why are they in Sonoma?”

       FOUR

      “All my efforts to keep my home address private, and the gang found my apartment within a few hours.” Elisabeth told herself to breathe deeply, but the frustration and anger made her breaths short and harsh.

      Liam kept looking behind them to make sure they weren’t followed. “They probably followed Kalea from the shelter.”

      She knew that, but hearing him say it made a chill pass over her. Would Kalea be all right?

      Liam continued, “If she hadn’t come here on her way home, they might have followed her home and then attacked her to make her tell them where you live.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m just grateful to God that she stopped by your apartment.”

      What did God have to do with it? Elisabeth almost asked out loud, but stopped herself. She was being overly emotional after what had happened. “We need to call Detective Carter. Maybe he can send a patrol car to watch over Kalea’s house.”

      “We need to call him about the attack anyway.” He took out his cell phone.

      While Liam explained to Detective Carter what had happened, Elisabeth concentrated on calming down so she could think clearly. Long-term planning didn’t come automatically to her, but she’d worked hard to learn to stop and think ahead. She took in one breath through her nose, then another.

      The gang was clearly prepared to target Elisabeth in order to find Joslyn. In order to get the Bagsics off her back, she still needed to find out more about Joslyn, her ex-boyfriend and the murder she’d witnessed. She and Liam needed an internet connection and a safe place to do their work. But where? She didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

      Liam got off the phone. “Detective Carter said he’ll send someone to Kalea’s house. He’s also sending someone to your apartment right away. I told him we’d meet the officer there.”

      Elisabeth nodded and turned the car around.

      The apartment doors were still unlocked, but otherwise it looked the same as when they’d left. Officer Joseph Fong arrived quickly. He was the same policeman who had arrived first at the women’s shelter this morning, and who had given chase to the escaping gang members.

      “Hey, Liam, twice in one day,” the young policeman joked. “I’m going to think you’re my fans.”

      “Or you’re ours,” Liam said with a smile.

      Officer Fong cleared Elisabeth’s apartment for them, but it was empty, as they had expected. He took their statements.

      “At least they didn’t do any damage to the place,” the officer said. “From what you said, it sounds like they left to chase after

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