Chapter 11 #2
One block over, he pivoted and hustled them across the street into the parking lot of another strip mall.
She realized he had a plan in mind, and her thoughts were confirmed when he ran to the door of a restaurant named Donovan’s.
Vaguely, she remembered Jenn worked here and Jake’s brother owned it.
Throwing the door open, Brody dragged her inside, slowing but not stopping as he hurried her down the length of the bar and barked at the startled bartender.
“Mike, call Ian. Tell him ‘code red.’ If you can’t get him, call Jake or Devon.
If two guys in suits come in claiming to be feds, call 9-1-1. ”
Mike, whoever he was, apparently knew what Brody was talking about because he threw down the rag he’d been using to wipe down the bar and snatched up the phone behind him.
Brody still didn’t stop moving, leading her down a hallway, past the bar’s restrooms, and into a room marked “Private.” He pulled her into the office, shut the door, and locked it.
Finally, they came to a complete stop. Gasping for air, she was a little pissed he wasn’t even breathing heavily, as if running four or five blocks on a zig-zag course while someone was chasing them was an everyday occurrence.
“What… what if… they come in here?” She got the words out in between gulps of air. Her pounding heart echoed in her brain, her lungs on fire, and she didn’t think she could run another step if they were found by the men chasing them.
Brody took her phone from her hand, opened the back of it, and ripped out the battery and SIM card, putting everything into the pocket of his sweatpants.
He stepped over to two safes bolted to the floor underneath the paper-laden desk.
Placing his middle finger on a scanner on the face of one of them, he waited three seconds, and the door clicked open.
Reaching in, he pulled out a holstered Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, checked to see the magazine was filled to capacity with brass-tipped bullets, and then shut the safe's door.
He clipped the re-holstered weapon to the back of his sweatpants, pulling them further down on his hips with the heavy weight of it.
Angie wasn’t afraid of the weapon. In fact, she was glad he now had one. “You’ve planned for situations like this, huh?”
“When we first started Trident, the team came up with a bunch of emergency plans. Never had to use one from my own place before, but I’m happy to know they work.
” He saw her glance nervously at the office door.
“We lost them a while back, so we’re safe until Ian arrives.
When he does, we’ll go out the back and get in his car. ”
He pointed at another door she assumed led to an alley or lot behind them. “Why did you come over, anyway?” It wasn’t unusual for him to stop by in the morning or evening, but not in the middle of the afternoon. “I’m not complaining, mind you.”
There was a single sharp knock on the door they’d come in through, and Angie jumped, but Brody held up his hand to calm her. The door didn’t open, but a male voice said, “Ian’s six minutes out. He’ll honk twice. Seems to be all clear out front.”
Brody responded with a single knock on the wooden door before turning around to face her again.
“I was working late last night, so I took today off. I was heading out for a run when I saw the strange car in your driveway with government plates. I went around back to check on you, not wanting to interrupt if you didn’t need me.
But when I saw your face, I knew something wasn’t right.
By the way, you were phenomenal. You stayed calm, helped me figure out something was wrong, and acted like a pro.
Have you ever thought about becoming an actress? ”
She didn’t answer him. Something about what he’d said made her think he wasn’t being one hundred percent truthful with her, but at this point, it didn’t matter.
She needed his and Ian’s help to get to the storage unit where her emergency vehicle, money, fake IDs, and two bags of clothes and other necessities were kept.
After that, she could get out of town and follow the orders Jimmy had drilled into her over the years.
On the first of every month, she drove around Tampa on lesser-used roads with no set pattern.
Once she was sure she wasn’t being followed, she’d head to the storage unit rented under a fictitious name and check on everything.
With the outside unit’s door open, she’d start the old Chevy Nova’s souped-up engine and let it run for a few minutes to ensure the batteries stayed charged.
Then she’d turn it off again and lock the unit back up until the first of the next month when she did the whole routine again.
She drove the car every six months and took it for an oil change and a tune-up. She’d always thought the whole process was a little too much James Bond-ish, but now she was grateful she’d followed Jimmy’s instructions to the letter.
“How did you know they weren’t who they said they were, and your friend didn’t send them?”
“They didn’t know the passphrase.” When he said nothing, she explained, “Jimmy set up an escape plan for me years ago in case his cover was ever blown. If he sent them, they would’ve said a certain passphrase that only the two of us and his handler know.
They didn’t say it, so neither Jimmy nor his handler sent them.
Now, I have to get to my emergency stash and get out of town until he contacts me. ”
Brody nodded but still didn’t say anything, and she wondered what he was thinking about all of this.
He had to regret checking on her, but she had no idea how she would’ve gotten away from the men if he hadn't.
Suddenly, she remembered something he said.
“You said the plates on the car were government plates? Does that mean they really were from the DEA?”
He nodded again. “Yeah, the plates were government-issued, but I won’t know which agency and from what city until I run them through my computer. If they are real agents, then your friend has even bigger problems. He’s got traitors inside his department.”
Angie gasped. Her eyes widened as her body trembled. “Oh, shit, I didn’t think of that. What if something happened to him? What if he can’t get in touch with me?” It would kill her if anything happened to Jimmy.
Pulling her into his arms, her neighbor hugged her. “Easy, honey. One thing at a time. First, we’ll get you someplace safe, and then we’ll track him down.”