CAGED (Mackenzie Grey #2) Read Online Free Page B

hours until Roman woke up and I didn’t want to be here when he did.
    After a shower, I dressed and slid into my leather jacket—filling the pockets with some cash, my new driver’s license, and my TAP card which was LA’s version of a metro card. I still refused to drive Roman’s barely functional Jeep. That piece of junk was going to fall apart one day and I wouldn’t be surprised if I was in it when it did—but that was Rome’s baby. He wouldn’t give her up. Using public transportation also reminded me of being back home—although the train stations in LA were cleaner than in New York City. Alas, I took the 733 bus toward Santa Monica, and got off on Main and Grand. A seventeen mile trip to Venice Beach and it took me almost an hour and a half to get there—go figure—but that was traffic in the City of Angels.
    The boardwalk was packed with tourists and locals as usual—the smell of weed as potent as ever. Women rolled around in bikinis on roller blades, and steroid-induced, speedo-wearing muscle heads lifted weights as a drum circle played on the beach, and reggae music could be heard on the mile long boardwalk. It always took me a while to find Jorge in this chaos. He was never in the same location, but usually near the drum circle hippies.
    “Ay Ace!” I heard my name. I swerved through the crowd toward the pier and found Jorge, a four-by-seven foot imp. “Que pasa? What you doing round’ these parts, Chica? I thought it’d be a while before I’d see you again.” His shaggy hair and overgrown beard were dead giveaways that he was homeless, and if not, his dirty, colorless clothes drove the thought home. I always offered to help him out, but he refused any sort of assistance.
    Jorge was of Hispanic background, but he wouldn’t give up exactly from where. The thing was, the imp was my CI—Criminal Informant—a retired soul collector. A really nasty demon who feeds off the essence of humans. Jorge was one of my first busts when I started working with the LAPD.
    “You know why I’m here,” I said as I nodded my head toward Zelda’s Corner—an eatery off the boardwalk that was his personal favorite.
    I started walking toward the little sandwich shop, knowing the imp would be trailing behind me at a distance. I ordered two Professor Ted sandwiches, two bottles of water, and a box of mini donuts to go for Roman. He would kill me if he knew I stopped here and didn’t bring him some.
    I sat on the bench outside the shop with our late lunch as Jorge popped a squat beside me.
    “Twice in one week? Are you trying to get me killed, Ace?” he giggled. Not the reaction I was expecting.
    I handed him his lunch. “Sorry, I know this is risky, but I really need your help,” I said as I unwrapped my sandwich.
    “So you thought a Professor Ted would be a good bribe?” he gave me a lazy smile as he waved the sandwich in the air—a dead giveaway that my buddy was high as a freakin’ kite.
    My claws extended and I gripped his tattered shirt. “Are you smoking?” I exclaimed.
    He laughed and bread crumbs fell out of his beard, making me gag.
    “Of course, Chica . What are you going to do, lock me up?”
    “Don’t tempt me, Jorge. Your little ass won’t get too far, and my wolf always enjoys a good chase,” I said and flashed my silver eyes.
    He slouched in defeat. “Bueno,” he said and took a hearty bite. “What do you need?”
    “That tip to check out Ground Zero panned out. Thanks by the way,” I said and he nodded. “We found some files in the main office with this code. A list of numbers and letters that we haven’t been able to figure out. Lou is working on cracking it now.”
    “ Y que? ” Jorge shrugged. “What you need me for?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Do you seriously need me to spell everything out for you? Do you know anything else that can help us? We’re at a dead end here.”
    “What’s in it for me?” he gave me a side glance.
    “You have got to be kidding me,” I