Recovery

Chapter 25

Journal of John Nolan

I heard from Henry. Ben's offered him a job in L.A. coordinating youth activities. It won't take him around the world the way the other position would have, but to me, that's a plus. And Henry will also be able to pick up classes to finish his degree. That will make two of us going back to school. We might even graduate at the same time. That could be one hell of a party, especially if Ben throws it.

But one thing at a time, Henry has to make it back to L.A. and get settled. I offered him and Abigail my guest room, but I think they see me as too much of a chaperone. So Ben's letting them use his guest house until they can find a place. He'll be subsidizing their rent, or they'd never be able to afford an apartment near the foundation – barring recent crime scenes like the apartment Lucy found. Apparently, there are some tax advantages to the arrangement Ben proposed. I don't understand them, but I'll trust Ben's accounting staff.

The important thing is Henry will have what makes him happy without giving up access to any medical care he might need. That's a load off my mind, and probably Sarah's and Abigail's too.

As far as work is going, Harper and I haven't seen much activity from La Fiera, but there are plenty of properties around the center where she could conceal it. Both James and Silas are keeping their eyes open, but I suspect that Silas will spot anything new that pops up. The kid is incredible.

The fires have continued to retreat, giving Bailey and her fellow firefighters a little more chance to breathe. I mean that literally. Most of the smoke is gone from the sky, and cars aren't constantly covered in ash anymore. But Bailey's warned me it's only a respite. If La Fiera doesn't start more fires, some idiot with a campfire or setting off fireworks at a reveal party will. Most of California is still tinder-dry. I've learned we have to take our victories while we can. Otherwise, we'd all go nuts.

Bailey and I have a tentative date tomorrow night. We can't do much planning ahead because she can get called up at any time if another wildfire breaks out, and I could get an all-hands-on-deck as well. That means not going anywhere we'd have to turn off our phones. If we want to catch a movie, it can't be in a theater. But I wouldn't mind curling up together on the couch. There are worse combinations than wine and popcorn. And whatever else we decide to do would be more comfortable.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but Harper also accepted another date with James. Given that we need as much goodwill as possible around the center, turning him down might have been worse. But if they have an unpleasant parting of the ways, it could make gathering information that much more difficult. Hopefully, they'll keep it light. I know that's what Harper wants. I'm not so sure about James.

I also have sources I developed on my own. The men who helped me fix the playground are all keeping their eyes open. And between them, they know anyone who can do any substantial construction. If someone tries to put in a lab, they should catch wind of it. Of course, if it's just a distribution facility, La Fiera's people can probably handle it on their own.

That's where Silas will come in. I've discovered that faces are his weak spot. From what I understand, he interprets them with the wrong part of his brain. So he sees them as objects, needing some unusual feature like tufts of hair or scars for identification. But he'll immediately recognize any vehicles new to the area and get the make, model, color, and year at a glance. And he memorizes the license plates until he logs them.

So if La Fiera starts setting up her organization around the center, the only way her people will avoid Silas' notice is if they walk or use public transportation. Somehow, I don't see that happening.

I didn't have much chance to speak to Lucy or West this morning. After my talk with Grey, I had to move my ass to get geared up and make it to roll call on time. But Lucy texted me that she'd heard from Rachel. Tim is with her in New York. Lucy didn't go into detail, so I have a feeling nothing is settled. But Tim can't stay in New York too long. One way or another, he and Rachel will have to come to some kind of decision. Whatever it is won't be easy.


Bailey studies John as he opens the door. "You look tired."

After a quick kiss, he waves her inside. "More like frustrated. Harper and I patrolled the area Grey assigned us for almost our entire shift. But we didn't see any signs of activity we could attribute to La Fiera. The neighborhood eyes and ears didn't pick up on anything either.

"We busted a guy who was trying to hold up a convenience store, but as far as we could tell, that had no connection to La Fiera. He wanted money for drugs, but he didn't care where he got them. And he couldn't give the detectives anything they could use. Wesley's defending him, trying to get him in a drug diversion program."

"Isn't not seeing anything from La Fiera good news?" Bailey wonders.

"Unless it means she's concealing her activities until she invades in force. But right now, that's the last thing I want to think about. I'd rather lose myself in a movie – and whatever else we can think of."

Bailey hooks her hand into John's elbow. "Sounds good to me. So no flicks about cops or firefighters. How about La-la Land? We don't usually get to see much spontaneous singing and dancing in the street."

"Good point," John agrees. "The wine is open, and I'll make the popcorn."


In the luxury hotel suite she registered for as Sandra Hernandez, La Fiera's gaze sweeps up and down Sean Del Monte. "Tell me what the D.A.'s office has on me."

Sean smiles. "Pretty much nothing. They have no idea who helped you make your escape. They still want to blame it on that cop, Smitty."

Her stare sends a sudden chill through the prosecutor. "Now, that's not quite what I heard. Smitty got a visit from two cops, Harper and Nolan. Harper was a cop working undercover against the Sinaloa Cartel. I left her alone, even appreciated her success because her interests aligned with mine. But it appears that is no longer the case. And I believe you've had your differences with Officer Nolan."

"Officer Nolan is nothing," Del Monte argues. "He has a reprimand in his file and had his training time extended. No one will take him seriously. And bad luck rubs off. He got Harper a reprimand too. She's no longer the golden girl. If they come up against me, they don't stand a chance."

La Fiera's eyes narrow. "You underestimate people, Del Monte. You underestimated me, thinking I wouldn't know what happens behind the doors of the L.A.P.D. As the Derians would tell you – if they could – their organization is no more because of Nolan. I don't intend for mine to meet the same fate. Protect my people and bring me intelligence I can use. It would not be difficult to terminate your services – permanently. I take it you understand me."

Del Monte silently nods his head.