Spider did, indeed, hook her up.

She put $2100 in his little hands and ten minutes later, she walked out his little apartment.

She crept back to the housing complex, still watching for Joel’s men, but no one was there. At first, she thought it a good sign, this relaxation of Joel’s normal paranoia regarding his own personal safety, but as she stepped into the large, empty commons between the buildings, she felt vulnerable. Watched. Trapped.

Joel’s men weren’t outside. They were inside. Holed up. Waiting on her.

Somebody somewhere had gotten word to Joel.

That girl in New Mexico? Had to be. Tara now regretted not being more aggressive with the kid. Tara had scared her, but apparently not enough to keep her silent.

Tara glanced to her right and spotted a large cement trough filled with dead flowers. She ducked behind it and surveyed the possibilities.

She had a 26-inch, 12 gauge shotgun and two Ruger .45s stuck in her belt at the small of her back. She checked the guns, exhaled and stood.