Chapter Five #3
“We’re gonna be undercover.”
He shook his head, frowning at me. “Not unless the boss says we are. We need to talk to Candy before we do this, otherwise it’ll land us both in hot water. You for doing something so stupid and me for letting you be a fucking asshole.”
I laughed. “Course. Come on. We’ll follow our new friend to ‘is apartment to grab whatever ‘e needs, then we talk to the boss, then we’re going luxury car shopping.”
“Wait a sec,” Cam interrupted. “You guys wanna come up to my apartment?”
I smirked at him. “Of course, we bloody do. We wouldn’t wanna lose track of ya if you decided to exit out the back, now would we?”
“Fuck.” Cam threw up his hands. “Fine! Come on.”
“You follow him upstairs,” Mickey said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll fill Candy in on the stupid undercover plan.”
I nodded. “Make sure ya tell ‘im what we talked about.
Get ‘im to okay the use of Cam as an informant.
I ‘ave a feeling this Josiah guy is really bad news.
Make sure ya emphasize that ‘e’s the ‘ead of a big ring of car thieves.
It sounds like ‘e ‘as a big operation since ‘e’s shipping the vehicles overseas from the Port of L.A.” I wasn’t about to mention the thing about the drugs, not in front of Cam, on the off chance he really was involved with that side of the business as well.
“Ya know what to say, right?” I lifted an eyebrow, hoping Mickey could read my mind without me saying it.
Mickey nodded and gave me a look. “I know what to say, Mars.”
“Okay then. Cam and I are going upstairs.”
Mickey simply shrugged.
I clapped him on the back and turned to Cam who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other again.
It had to be a nervous habit, but it really was kind of sweet.
When he turned away and started heading into the building, I thought about that for a minute.
I really liked being around Cam. I hoped to God he wasn’t involved in the drug side of Josiah’s business.
The idea of him rotting away in federal prison for years, made my stomach uneasy.
Cam was easy on the eyes, had a super kind heart, and in my opinion, was street smart.
I just hoped he wasn’t one of the scumbags we put away every day.
I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Now that I’d seen him with his mum, I had high hopes that I was right to trust him.
I was putting a lot of faith in someone I didn’t even know.
Something about him intrigued me, and the more I got to know him, the stronger that feeling grew.
I followed Cam upstairs to the second floor and then down the hall to his flat.
He dug out his keys and opened the door.
I hadn’t known what to expect but seeing that his small apartment was fresh and clean, surprised me for some reason.
I was kind of a neatnik myself. Military trained.
Although before meeting his partner, Wes, Patsy’s apartment had been a nightmare.
I’d been convinced the man never picked up after himself.
But I think with the trauma he’d gone through, a part of him had let go of things a little.
Cam’s place was the polar opposite of all that.
His furnishings weren’t expensive and the couch wasn’t stained with food and beer.
I’m a disgrace to the gay brotherhood, I know.
He even had a large, area rug under the coffee table but no Marilyn artwork, so small mercies there.
His TV wasn’t one of those massive, big screen jobs.
Instead, it was modest, which sort of impressed me.
I hadn’t known what to expect when he’d said he stole cars.
That kind of thing paid pretty well, especially luxury vehicles like the one he’d no doubt been ordered to deliver tonight.
A patio off the living room held a small bistro table with two wrought iron chairs.
A colorful succulent sat on it, probably the only kind of plant which could survive outside in the Vegas heat.
He tossed his leather jacket over a chair in the kitchenette and then pointed to the hallway. “I need to go change into some different clothes.”
“What for?”
“Because I’m going to one of the better restaurants on the Strip and I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.”
My eyebrows drew together. “Why are ya going to a restaurant?”
He looked up at me wearing a smirk. “Because I need to find a brand-new Maybach and this place will have more than one to choose from in the parking lot.”
I whistled. “Nice ride.” A brand-new Mercedes Benz Maybach SL was one of the most expensive cars on the market, starting at around 225 grand sticker price last time I checked.
“Damned nice ride, but like I said, this restaurant parking lot is the best place to start. Everyone who goes there to drop a couple hundred on lunch for two, drives nice vehicles and the lot isn’t patrolled by guards. It’ll just be me and a few valets who don’t know their head from their ass.”
I laughed. This might turn out to be fun after all.