Dead Presidents (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 3) by Thomas Ransom (that summer book txt) 📕

the building. He had never seen Sergeant Jake this uneasy. The fear and sadness in his eyes were something he would not forget.

He and Diaz hid behind the bushes to make sure the coast was clear so they could safely reach their car, which was fortunately parked at a distance from the building so no one would suspect anything. While they hid in the bushes, they could hear loud voices inside. “Don’t you think we should at least take a look?” Diaz asked. “This might be our only chance.”

“We were lucky enough to get out of there alive. Jake told us to get out of there as quickly as possible. He wants to save our lives so we can catch them later. We can wait for Jake’s text once he is out and get more information from him. We can’t be too hasty at this point. If they found out we know something, they will disappear, and we will be back to square one.”

Diaz sighed, “I honestly think…”

“No!” Sanjay glared at her. “You have already broken one promise. Things could get worse. You of all people should realize how dangerous this is.”

“Just look! No one is around. They are all inside. We can just try and sneak a peek…”

“From where? Have you seen how high those windows are? Even if we climbed up a tree, we wouldn’t be able to glance inside. And no! We can’t try looking through the door. Come on. The coast is clear, we can make our way to the car. Quick, follow me before any of them come outside.”

“Fine!” Fortunately, Diaz didn’t argue more and started following Sanjay. They took a longer route by walking in the shadows of the buildings to prevent anyone from seeing them. Halfway to their car, they heard a loud gunshot sound that made them jump. “What the hell!!” Diaz exclaimed. “Shush! I think it came from the building!” said Sanjay in an urgent whisper. Diaz looked at Sanjay, her eyes wide, “Do you think… It’s Jake…?” Their hearts pounding loudly in their chest, they stayed rooted on their spot for a few seconds. The sound of a door creaking made them realize they could be exposed. Sanjay grabbed Diaz’s hand and they raced into a dark alley where they could view the main gate of the building. There were two cars parked outside. Sanjay tried to look at the license plate numbers, but the plates seemed to be fake. Of course, they wouldn’t want anyone to trace them. Just when Diaz was about to speak, the doors opened and three men walked out, two of them carrying a body. It was Jake! There was a loud ringing in Sanjay’s ears. He gulped, trying to stifle his scream. No! It can’t be. Even though Jake’s eyes had told him what he was about to do, Sanjay was hoping Jake would talk his way out of it. He was so sure that his boss and partner would be able to get out of this alive. He could feel Diaz stiffening behind him. Sanjay could feel the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Jake had become a good friend. Sanjay suddenly realized he would never be able to talk to him ever again.

The man leading the other two opened the trunk of a car and took out a large body bag. The other two dropped Jake’s body in the bag and zipped it shut. Sanjay’s heart tugged helplessly as he watched those thugs disrespecting Jake’s body like that. He felt Diaz’s hand tightly grasping his arm. She feared Sanjay might go to Jake’s aid. Even though it was too late, Sanjay wanted to do something, anything, to bring Jake back.

They threw the body bag inside the trunk and one of them sat in the driver’s seat. Just then, two more men appeared from the building. “What!” Sanjay heard Diaz gasp behind him again. “That can’t be right. What?” Sanjay glanced at Diaz. Her face had gone white, her eyes wide like she had just seen a ghost. He could see the hurt in her eyes. Confused, he looked back at the two men who had just come out of the building. One of them seemed to be in charge, but Sanjay couldn’t clearly see his face. The man was in a well-made designer black suit and was giving instructions to the other men.

“No!” gasped Diaz, once again but this time loudly. Sanjay grabbed her hand and dragged her back just when the man in the suit looked in their direction. Sanjay caught a glimpse of his face and immediately recognized him. “What the hell! Is that…? Nicole? Are you okay?”

“I will kill him! No, no, no! It can’t be him. It can’t be.”

Sanjay looked at her with his mouth open. He didn’t understand her reaction. “What happened? Please Nicole, keep it quiet. They will know that someone is here.”

“I trusted him! I trusted that bastard!! I can’t believe he would do this to me!!”

Sanjay moved closer to the street to peek at what those men were currently doing. One of the cars was gone and the three men were still standing there. However, they were now looking suspiciously in their direction. Shit! Time for them to leave. Sanjay raced toward Diaz, “Our time is up. We have to leave NOW!”

Diaz seemed to be in a trance. Sanjay grabbed her hand and forced her to stand up and follow him. Fortunately, they were able to make it to their car undetected. Sanjay waited for a few seconds to make sure they were not followed. He started the car and backed into the street, all the while keeping his eyes open for anyone who might be following them. Once in the street, he revved up the engine and sped in the other direction. Throughout the ride, Diaz was quiet, even after Sanjay asked a couple of