Chapter 17
“You fucking went… alone.” Donovan’s voice is low and filled with frustration. He showed up at my apartment after Frankie called him about what happened in the early morning hours.
We’re standing in my living room in what feels like a standoff. Donovan’s body is rigid, his stance wide. He seems ready for a fight. Not a literal fist fight, but he’s angry enough to have it out with me over this.
“Yes, I called you repeatedly, and you didn’t answer. You made it blatantly clear I can’t hesitate. I did what I had to, to push the case forward.” I won’t let him beat me up about this.
He rakes his hands through his hair. “You could’ve gotten yourself fucking killed, Colin. That was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have introduced you to these guys. You’re reckless.”
“I nailed it, D. I’m in. They think I’m a legit car thief.” I chuckle, not understanding why he’s so angry. I made a reckless decision, but I got the best possible outcome.
“Yeah, great job. You’re fucking in. Now Vinny wants you to find a very specific car in a short period of time. YouTube won’t make the car appear. What’s your plan now?” His tone is sarcastic.
“I have some contacts from an old case. If anyone can find the car, it’ll be them,” I explain. I have this under control. I don’t know what’s up with Donovan lately, but he isn’t himself.
“Your contact can find this very specific car, within a few weeks?” He stresses the time crunch that I’m under.
“Yes. I’m sure he can. All I can do is try. What other option do I have?”
“Fucking none now! That’s why I told you not to do any of this on your own. I figured they’d test you, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon. And I thought you’d listen to me. It’s all shot to shit now.”
“Breathe. I’ll handle this.” I may not have a criminal past, but I’ve followed enough of them gathering evidence to have learned a thing or two.
“No. We’ll handle this. Whether you realize it or not, if you fuck up, my head is on the chopping block, too. Let’s find this fucking car.”
I grasp Donovan’s shoulder. “I’m already ahead of you, man. I reached out to my contact with the information Vinny gave me. His best guy is already on the hunt.”
He lets out a long sigh, and I take his relief as an opportunity to ask what’s bothering him. His behavior has been off throughout this ordeal. Something is up, and I want to know what it is.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?”
He gives me a long hard stare before he answers. “No. I mean, yeah… I do, but I can’t. I don’t know. It’s complicated.”
“I’m a pretty smart guy. If you tell me what’s going on, maybe I can help.” We give each other a hard time, but Donovan is family to me. I’ll do anything I can to help him, as he would me.
“It’s not like that. I can handle it, and it’s nothing for you to worry about,” he says.
“You’re my friend, Donovan. I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you. If there’s something else that needs your attention, go handle it. I’ll be fine with the case.”
His eyes cut to mine, and his hard glare does little to intimidate me. I’ve been on the receiving end of that glare too many times to count. It is impressive, though.
“Don’t give me that look, Mr. Dark Eyes. You know what I’m trying to say here. If something else needs your attention more, I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay and babysit me.”
His stare only intensifies, reminding me how he got that nickname to begin with.
About a year ago, the sister of the client I did all the car intel for called him Mr. Dark Eyes at her ex-fiancé’s arraignment. Her ex tried to kill her multiple times. Donovan learned that, since Andrea Shaw didn’t know who he was, she gave him a nickname for the only feature she remembered vividly. It was the first thing she recognized when she saw him in court that day.
We had a mighty big laugh over the nickname she gave him, but we’re all used to Donovan’s nature and heavy glare. Andrea Shaw was not and experienced Donovan Blake’s glare firsthand.
He wasn’t there to harm her, but he’d had caught wind of what Andrea was about to get mixed up in and tried to warn her, or really, scare her off. It worked to an extent, which earned him the now infamous name, Mr. Dark Eyes.
He sighs. “I hate that fucking name. I should have never told you guys about that.”
“You didn’t have to tell us anything. We were all there for it.” I laugh at the memory. The shock on Andrea Shaw’s face rivaled Donovan’s when she called him out that day.
“You guys are never going to let me live that one down, are you?”
“Never. We’re going to put it on your tombstone.”
“Figures.”
I laugh again, thankful to break up the tension that surfaced just moments ago. As a team, we don’t keep things from each other. It’s imperative we don’t keep things from one another because secrets can get us killed. If Donovan’s issue was something that would endanger any of the rest of us, he’d let me in. But it still bugs me he doesn’t trust me with whatever it is.
“Seriously, man. I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”
He drops his head and rubs the back of his neck. “I know, and I appreciate it. This is personal, not business.”
Whatever it is, I hope he deals with it quickly. I know I said I could do this without him, but it would be a hell of a lot easier with his help.
“Yo, boss, what’s up?” I say to Liam as I fix myself a sandwich. I just got home after a long boring day of following Moore around and making a million phones calls trying to find some kind of lead on this damn car. I stopped by Dunn’s warehouse on my way home to switch to another vehicle to drive. It’s easier to stay hidden in plain sight if I’m not always in the same car or truck.
Just because I’m trying to get another way in to get the dirt on Moore doesn’t mean I’ve given up on finding something the tried-and-true way. My years of being a PI have proven that sometimes it’s the simplest things that lead to your answers, and I won’t give up on that possibility yet.
“Donovan tells me you guys might be in over your heads with this one. I need to make sure you’re solid on this. I don’t need any missteps with this case.”
My eyebrows furrow. That fuckhead Donovan said we were in over our heads?
“I’ve got it handled.” My response is prickly because what the fuck, bro? I’m calling him as soon as I get off the phone with Liam.
He’s quiet for a moment. “I need you to tell me the truth, Colin. If this goes sideways, it’s not just you guys who are affected. It’s Dunn Security as a whole. We’re a team.”
“What in the hell did Donovan say?” I’m honestly shocked that Donovan is trying to sabotage the case before we even have a real shot at cracking it.
“Not much, but it was enough to make me worry,” Liam replies with a sigh.
I push my sandwich away, suddenly losing my appetite. “I have this handled. I’ve been working all day with my contacts, and I’m sure one of them will come through for me soon. In the meantime, I’ve continued to tail Moore, hoping he slips up on his own.”
“Maybe that’s how we should be playing this whole thing.”
Liam sounds indecisive, which is very unlike him. What the hell did Donovan actually say?
“We can, but what’s the harm in letting this play out a little longer? I know we’re under an extremely tight time crunch, but we still have time. Give me a chance to prove I can do this.”
“I don’t doubt your capabilities, Colin. I’m worried we’re going down a dangerous path we won’t be able to come back from.”
His cryptic response only pisses me off more. This is my case. My show to run. He’s never overstepped or tried to interfere with a case before, so why now? Why this one?
“What’s going on here, Liam? This isn’t about Moore or Vinny, is it?”
He’s quiet again and clears his throat before he speaks. “I just need you to keep an eye out. Call me if you see or hear anything that seems off with Donovan, and I’ll handle it.”
Woah. Okay, that wasn’t what I expected at all. What the hell is that supposed to mean? That only raises more questions. That being said, I’ve certainly noticed something off.
Donovan’s withdrawn behavior along with his vague ass response when admitting something was going on both come to mind. I wonder if that has anything to do with this. However, I’m sure as hell not about to rat him out. If there’s a problem, he’ll come to me.
I’m not about to jeopardize this case or my friendship. I just hope like hell he doesn’t screw this whole damn thing up.
“I got it, boss,” I say.
“Good. We’ll talk soon.” He hangs up, and I’m left wondering what is going on with Donovan to warrant a call like that.
And how much do I need to be worried about it?