Promises Part 1 (Bounty Hunters #1)(15)
Dana had pepper sprayed the last guy he picked up and the one before that, he’d tased. Duke was going to have to talk with Dana about his use of excessive force. Bounty hunters had very strict guidelines to follow, and unnecessary use of force was a sure way to get your license revoked or worse, get Duke fined.
A fax came in from a fellow bondsman that hired Duke’s hunters to pick up his bail skips. Duke and Quick had gone over the contract last week and believed it was something they could handle. The guy was a violent offender and had been let out on a one hundred thousand dollar bond. Duke had a few of his guys doing surveillance on last known whereabouts but they hadn’t gotten lucky yet. The bond agent was getting agitated and wanted Duke to pick up the pace, but he would not go out until he knew he could safely get the guy.
The fax confirmed that their bounty had been spotted at a house in The Bluffs off English Avenue. Crime central. Huge, abandoned homes and ransacked stores littered the area, addicts and dealers were in and out of buildings, whether occupied or vacant. It was a bad part of town and Duke knew it. He’d have to take a couple of the guys with him. Hopefully he could get the guy before dark, making it slightly less dangerous, and then of course, he’d be home in time to get ready for his date.
Duke picked up his phone and called Dana first. Although the guy still had a hoarse cough and nasal congestion that were bad enough to be heard through the phone line, he’d insisted that he wasn’t letting Duke and Quick go to that neighborhood without him. Quick confirmed he’d be there in an hour. Duke went to his secured room and retrieved his two 9mm and his bulletproof vest. The gold bounty hunter’s star suspended around his neck meant nothing to these guys. They’d fight like hell to keep their freedom. He tucked his TASER in the front of his pants; he’d most likely need it, too. Their primary goal was to bring the bounty back for imprisonment, not the morgue. While he waited next to his truck, he shot off a quick text to Vaughan, his heart already fluttering whenever he thought of him.
Got some work to do that came up suddenly, I might be a little late tonight
Duke waited for the response, which was almost instant.
As long as you’re not cancelling.
I’ll see you tonight. Got something special just for you.
Duke left it at that. Oh my goodness. What did that mean? Duke was hot, thinking about what that something special was. Whatever it was, he hoped it involved that long almost pale cock. Damn the man did serious things to his body, and they’d had very little actual physical contact. The way he looked at Duke, the way he talked to him, the light touches all set him ablaze. He’d have a little conversation with Quick after they turned over their skip.
No sooner had he thought of him, than Quick pulled up in the truck they used to transport their bounties. “Hey, bud.”
“Hey, man.” Duke gave Quick a fist bump. “How’d you fare this morning, hmm? Looked like you’d put back quite a few last night.”
Quick laughed that deep, gruff sound he made when he was genuinely amused. “I did, dude. That was a real nice event. Charlie looked real happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the old man dance, but he wasn’t half bad out there, twirling his daughter like that.”
“Yeah. It was nice.”
Quick glanced at him before dropping his bright green eyes to the asphalt. “Vaughan had a great time too. He was practically bouncing off the walls when we got home.”
“Was he?” Duke tried to hide his shy smile and his blush.
“Mmm hmm. He was,” Quick said teasingly.
Duke turned to face his best friend. “Look, Quick, I need to ask you—”
Before Duke could finish, Dana pulled up in his extremely loud tricked-out Chevy Nova. “Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”
“You guys ready to get grimy?” Dana chuckled, the act turning into a harsh cough. His usually handsome face was slightly pale and splotchy. His nose was swollen and red, like he’d been blowing it way too much. Duke checked his eyes, which appeared to be a little bloodshot, but that was most likely from lack of rest. He was in a bulletproof vest as well and looked prepared to do battle. They’d picked up enough skippers in The Bluffs that they knew it didn’t always go smoothly.
“All right, guys. There may be very little activity going on down there now, so the daylight is our friend, the freaks come out at night.” Duke smirked. “I’ve gotten a solid visual confirmation that our skip is at the address. It’s a well-known meth dealing hot spot, so let’s try to draw him out instead of us going in.”
Quick and Dana both shook their heads in agreement. They didn’t speak much on the thirty-minute drive there. All of them knowing they were venturing into dangerous drug and gang territory. Once they turned onto Murphy Ave. they saw a group of shady men posted outside a D&M Liquor store, smoking weed and drinking from brown paper bags. The way they followed their vehicle with their calculating gaze was more than a little unsettling. Most dealers could recognize law enforcement right away, no matter what vehicle they were in.
“We need to make this fast, boss,” Dana said, his Sig Sauer resting in his lap. “Word will travel through here in no time.”
“I know,” Duke assured him. Quick slowed down and turned onto Bluff Street, parking a few houses down from where their skip was supposed to be.
“I say we go knock hard, count to three and bust in. If we sit here too long, we’ll become a target,” Quick advised, checking his own weapon, removing the safety.