Chapter 18 Arrow #2
I turn toward the sound of Neveah’s voice just as she clasps Annie in a hug. “Chick, you scared the ever-loving life out of me.”
Annie says something into Neveah’s ear, and they rock each other in a hug. Now that the cops have Engler, I turn to Morris.
“Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it,” I say.
He claps me on the shoulder and nods at Dog and Eagle, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I only wish I’d had a chance to get my hands on him before they took him away.”
I thank the bikers for their role in this, and then, of course, the cops interview every single one of us about who we are and how we’re involved. While the lobby of the hotel becomes a de facto crime scene, I confront the one person who I suspect has all the answers.
“You.” I point a finger at Neveah. I stride through the bodies, stopping to hug Alice and thank her for her bravery. When I get over to Neveah, she smacks me on the shoulder.
“You almost outed me, you son of a gun.” She’s shaking her head. “I thought for sure you recognized me back in the dorms.”
“I did,” I say. “But I didn’t want to give anything away until I knew exactly what side you were on.”
I circle Annie’s waist and pull her close. “You okay?”
She nods. “Never better.”
Once I know my girl is okay, I turn to Neveah. “All right, spill it,” I tell her. “There’s no way this kind of police presence was for some jackass who wanted a password.” I lift my brows. “Those cops had a warrant, which means they’ve been onto this asshat for some time.”
“Yeah. Thank God the tracker was still in Annie’s purse. And double thanks that she answered my call when I finally got her text.” A huge grin takes over her face. “But before I explain, there’s someone who wants to talk to Annie.”
She steps aside, and a man who is about Engler’s age comes running through the lobby. He practically skids on his dress shoes when he sees Annie.
“Dad.” Annie takes off running, parting her way through the crowd of officers and the few remaining guests. “Dad.” She practically jumps into his arms.
“How long have you been working for Mr. Hancock?” I ask.
Neveah grins. “About a year ago, Hancock discovered that Engler was working with a local rental firm. The rental agency was taking deposits from prospective renters on houses and apartments that weren’t even available.
Engler would contact the family and say he had a way to get them back some of their deposit and would charge them a flat fee for his ‘legal services.’ He’d contact his buddy at the rental agency, collect half the stolen deposit to give back to the family, and then he’d keep the amount that they’d pay in legal fees.
Most of the time, the poor victims ended up losing the entire amount to that asshole.
” She shakes her head, a look of genuine disgust on her face.
“Imagine being out thousands for a security deposit and first month’s rent, giving notice on your place, and then finding out you’d been scammed?
Engler would get them half their money back but then keep it in legal fees.
Some of these people were left on the street, man. Shady piece of low-life shit.”
“And Hancock found out?” I ask. Annie is hugging Alice, who was talking now with her father.
Neveah nods. “Rental fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. There was a mingling of funds between legit law firm business and this scam. Hancock had nothing to do with it, so he contacted law enforcement and has been working with them for over a year to gather enough evidence to bring down both Engler and his associates at the rental agency.”
“So, you’re law enforcement now?” I ask, curious how the pink buns and art school weigh into all that.
“Nah.” Neveah laughs. “And I’m no artist either, man.
And I’m still independent. Mr. Hancock hired me to look out for Annie.
The cops working with him to bring Engler down didn’t see a threat to Annie, so they wouldn’t put her under any kind of protection.
Hancock wasn’t taking any chances. He figured when the shit went down, his daughter needed to be far away from all of it.
The man put up a lot of money to make sure Annie got into art school and that I was assigned to be her RA to keep tabs on her.
” She clapped her hands. “That was the most fun I’ve had on a job ever, man.
I’m the shittiest artist on the planet. Drove that June Crossard lady fucking nuts. ”
I nod, the pieces starting to fall into place. “So, you’re the one who put all the trackers on Annie?”
She nods. “Had to know where my client was at all times. You sure as fuck didn’t make things easy on me.”
I have more questions, but she gives me a playful smack on the arm.
“What about you?” she asks. “This whole boyfriend-girlfriend act over now? Because I think Annie’s about to introduce you to Daddy.”
I roll my shoulders and pull out my earpiece. “It’s no act,” I tell her. “It didn’t start out that way, but now it’s real.”
She nods and gives me a grin. “Well, good luck. Now, forget my face, would ya? Maybe I’ll run into you someplace sometime. And if I do, you don’t know me.”
“Annie’s going to miss you, I think,” I tell her. “She considered you a real friend.”
Neveah gives me a small smile. “Hazard of the job. Good thing you don’t have to break her heart too.”
She wanders through the crowd, stopping to shake Mr. Hancock’s hand, and then she’s gone.
I have no intention of leaving Annie. Not now. Not ever.
In the chaos of the red and blue lights, the conversations of the officers, and the loud voices of the bikers, I turn and prepare to meet Annie’s dad.