161
" Daniel reloaded, tucked away his gun, then took out the satellite phone. The cell stations were out all over the city, but the sat phone worked great. He checked the time, hit the speed dial, then waited for a link. It always took a few seconds. In that time, he stood taller, straightened himself, and resumed his normal manner. When the connection was made, Daniel reported. “Tolliver James is dead. He didn’t provide anything useful.” Daniel listened for a moment before responding. “No, sir, they’re gone. That much is confirmed. James was a good bet, but I don’t believe she told him anything.” He listened again, this time for quite a while. “No, sir, that is not altogether true. There are three or four people here I’d still like to talk to, but the storm has turned this place to shit. They’ve almost certainly evacuated. I just don’t know. It will take me a while to locate them.” More chatter from the other side, but then they were finished. “Yes, sir, I understand. You get yours, I get mine. I won’t let you down.” A last word from the master. “Yes, sir. Thank you. I’ll keep you informed.” Daniel shut the phone and put it away. “Asshole.” He "
― Robert Crais , The Sentry (Elvis Cole, #14; Joe Pike, #3)
166
" Pike said, “Yanni’s building is being watched by the police. You shouldn’t go back.” Yanni mumbled something in Serbian, and Rina chattered something back. She said, “The police don’t care about Yanni. Why would they watch?” “They followed me earlier today. They know I’m trying to find Darko, so now they believe someone in Yanni’s complex has information about him. They will look for that person.” Rina and Yanni launched into more Serbian, and Yanni didn’t look happy. Cole turned away as if he had heard enough foreign-language conversations to last a lifetime. “You want something to eat?” “Not yet. Did you find anything running the check on Darko’s condominiums?” “Yeah. They’re not his condos—not in his name or any name I’ve been able to connect to him. This guy is hidden, man—he does not exist, so he’s almost certainly here illegally.” Cole ticked off the points. “No one named Michael Darko appears in the DMV, the Social Security rolls, or the California state tax rolls. No one by that name has an account with any of the major credit card companies, the public utilities here in Los Angeles County, the telephone company, or any of the major cell service providers. Michael Darko has no criminal record that I’ve been able to find.” Rina said, “In Serbia. In Serbia, he was arrested. This I know.” Pike "
― Robert Crais , The First Rule (Elvis Cole, #13; Joe Pike, #2)
170
" They climbed out of their car as Pike pulled in, and were waiting with their badges when he stepped from the Jeep. The man was in his fifties, with a fleshy face, thinning red hair, and a blue summer-weight sport coat. The woman was fifteen years younger, with raven hair, black eyes, and a navy pants suit that hung as if she had recently lost weight. Her gun dimpled the coat at her waist, and she stood with her hand floating close as if she might have to draw. Nervous. Pike wondered what she had heard about him that left her so afraid. The "
― Robert Crais , The Sentry (Elvis Cole, #14; Joe Pike, #3)
173
" WALSH AND FOUR AGENTS from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms arrived at Cole’s house an hour later. Two stayed with their cars, but two male agents came in with Walsh—a tough-looking Latin guy named Paul Rodriguez and a tall lanky guy named Steve Hurwitz. Hurwitz was wearing an olive green Special Response Team jumpsuit. SRT was the ATF’s version of SWAT. They spread through Cole’s living room with an air of watchful suspicion, as if someone might jump out of a closet. Jon Stone had brought in a large box of his surveillance gear, and Cole was helping him set up. Cole was shirtless, but had strapped on a bullet-resistant vest. Pike couldn’t blame them for being wary, especially with the cash. "
― Robert Crais , The First Rule (Elvis Cole, #13; Joe Pike, #2)