Sandman (Unknown Identities #3) Read Free

sideways. What had been a hostage rescue situation an hour ago was starting to sound like a recovery mission.
    Messenger ’s polite expression remained in place. “If that’s what you prefer.”
    Galloway leaned forward. “I prefer to get back to my business interests,” he said with a cold smile. “I believe you would prefer that as well.” The prisoner sent a smug look toward the glass.
    A deaf and blind man would have picked up on the implications in that loaded statement and cocky body language. Instinct raised the hair on the back of Sandman’s neck. Prisoners said all kinds of things to rattle their captors. Rarely did those insinuations change anything.
    Recognizing the tactic, knowing he ’d done it himself in the past, should have made it easy to ignore. The opposite was true. Something was off in that interrogation room, but Sandman couldn’t dwell on it. His job was to recover the hostage the moment they had a lead on the location.
    B orrowing trouble and working outside of mission parameters were not allowed in Messenger’s system. Hell, he hadn’t even been read in on the victim’s identity yet. Sandman’s stomach clutched. God, but he was fed up with the UI system, he just didn’t have the clout or bargaining power to break free. Yet .
    “ Why hasn’t anyone reported this woman missing?”
    “ Far as I can tell, her schedule is fluid,” Tisdale said. “Not sure how anyone would even know she’s missing until after the holidays.”
    Something Gallowa y had surely taken into account when he’d set this in motion.
    Behind him the tech whistled softly. “Whatever they were to each other, he didn’t bother to hide his real identity with her.”
    Terrific. This guy was a first class player and edging closer to predator, in Sandman’s estimation. If he didn’t care about hiding his identity, he considered the woman disposable.
    That kind of criminal just pissed Sandman off. Galloway looked far too relaxed on the other side of the glass. Take away the cramped room and the handcuffs, give the Irishman a change of clothes, put a couple of beers on the table, and this would look like two buddies catching up.
    “ They were in Jordan together,” Tisdale continued. “Just for a couple of days about six months ago.”
    Sandman hated the desert and he said a prayer this case wouldn’t go that direction. “What the hell does a CIA-reformed Irish street thug need in Jordan?”
    “ Sunscreen?”
    “ You’re not as funny as you look, Tisdale.” He turned back to watch Messenger’s interrogation. If he couldn’t get information, maybe he could learn something useful from Messenger’s techniques. “Give me something,” he muttered.
    Messenger had told him the victim had checked in for her flight from New York, but she wasn ’t on the passenger manifest at the connecting flight to her final destination. He’d explained how Galloway had used pictures of the woman to coerce a cousin here in the city into recovering what definitely was not his personal property. None of the pictures had revealed anything about location. Messenger’s team of technical experts hadn’t been able to pull any GPS data from the pictures either. Galloway would have thought of that, and taken the steps to make any recovery difficult.
    “ She has to be here in the States.” Galloway had connections all over the globe, but what the man didn’t have was patience. He was the sort to snatch a victim and put her to good use immediately rather than drawing things out.
    Suddenly the prisoner laughed. “My God. That’s it. Renata Vaccaro is working for you too, isn’t she?”
    What the hell? A low buzz started in Sandman’s ears. Galloway did not just use that name.
    Messenger ’s stoic expression didn’t waver.
    “ Ah, come on then. Tell me I’m right. I’ve earned that much.” Galloway laughed again when Messenger refused to comment. “Nevermind. You would never have interrupted my deal if you didn’t already