Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
ZANE
E veryone makes fun of my car because of how small it is, and that’s fine. We’ll see who’s laughing when we’re in a chase and either need to get away, or catch up to a motherfucker, and we are able to do it because my “clown car” can weave in and out of traffic.
Fuck them.
Rio and I make ourselves comfortable in my car with a bag of cheese puffs and a couple of energy drinks. With our seats slightly reclined and my laptop set up between us, we sit back, waiting for the show to start.
Vibration pulses on my center console. “Is that Spencer’s mom calling her phone again?”
Opening the top latch, I snag the phone and read the name “Mom” across the screen, saying, “Yep,” then decline the call.
Rio frowns. “How many calls is that? Seven in the last few days?”
“Nine, I think.”
“Should we tell Spencer?”
“Not yet. There’s something off about her. I’ll look into it soon.”
“ I fucking hate you for this. ” Dustin’s voice crackles through the built-in speaker.
“Right back at ya,” I reply, even though Dustin can’t hear us. “Do you think we should have given him nicer clothes to wear? Ya know, to blend in.”
“Nah. He’s fine. We both know the likelihood of him coming out of this alive is slim. A fancy suit wouldn’t have changed that.”
“Can’t argue with that logic.”
Dustin’s hyperventilating is giving me a headache. I know it’s hard for people to accept their death, but this process would be so much easier if he’d just move on.
You’re going to die, man. Get over it.
There are a few gruff greetings from what I assume are bouncers and security. Then booming music with a heavy downbeat blasts through my laptop. When the music fades, a deep baritone voice says, “ The boss says he’ll speak with you now .”
“ O-okay .”
“Pffft. He’s going to have to pull it together if he wants to survive more than ten seconds,” Rio comments as he munches away on our food.
“Shhhh. We need to listen,” I snap back.
A voice, I’m assuming belongs to Cain, says, “ Ah, Dustin, my friend. Good to see you .”
“ You know who I am ?”
A new voice joins the fray. “ Of course. We never forget a face. Especially one who has been so essential on our road to success .”
“ Oh. Um. Are you Cain ?”
“ No, no. Cain couldn’t be here today. Pardon my lack of manners. I’m Anthony Cole, and this is my associate Pierce Murphy . Come and have a drink with us .”
“ Sure. Okay. That’s a cool tattoo you have there. The sk ? — ”
“ An impulse decision. Ignore it .”
My fingers tap my thigh in a frantic rhythm. “Fuck, I don’t know what’s worse. No Cain, or Anthony being there.”
Rio nods. “At least we know for sure that Spencer’s ex is in New York.”
There’s a clank of glass from the speaker and more conversation.
“ Oh shit. What happened to your hands, Dustin? That looks awful.” Pierce questions with a chuckle.
“ Uh. A work accident .”
“ That’s some nasty accident. How did it happen ?”
“ I was . . . Umm . . . Chasing a shoplifter, and he came at me with a knife .”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I comment, “I didn’t realize he was so dumb. A shoplifter? He’s fucked.”
“You got that right.” Rio shakes his head.
“ A simple shoplifter did all that? You hear that, Anthony?”
“I did. Shoplifters must be tougher in New York .” There’s a rustle of fabric, and Anthony’s voice comes through louder. “ So, update me, Dustin. How’s the little issue Cain tasked you with taking care of? ”
“ It’s done. No problem at all .”
“ Good man, Dustin. Cain will be happy to hear it. Now, tell me, where’s your partner? Troy, I believe, is his name .”
Dustin stutters through his answer yet again. “ He’s . . . Uh . . . at home. With his wife. Yeah, it’s her birthday .”
“We’re not going to get anything. Dustin is useless. There’s a reason he’s never made detective.” A heavy sigh releases from my chest.
“I wonder what the reason was,” Rio deadpans.
“ Well, thank you for coming in. Cain will be in touch soon with your next assignment .”
“ Oh. Okay. Th—thank you .”
My lips press flat. “Something isn’t right.”
“ Dustin, before you go, do you know why you were tasked with getting rid of those files ?”
“ No .”
“ I lost a very prized possession. She slipped through my fingers, and I’ve been doing everything in my power to get her to make the right choice and come home. She’s proven to be more stubborn than I originally believed her to be, but the things keeping her here won’t be a problem much longer .”
“ I—I don’t see how ? — ”
“ I’ve had my eye on this prize for the last seven years. For four of those, she was mine. So, when my flower ran away to New York, I tore apart this whole damn country looking for her. She took something of mine when she left, and when I finally found her, I kept a close eye, with help, of course; I’m a busy man .”
“ Uh. Are you talking about art or a ?—”
“ Don’t interrupt me, you insipid, spineless man. After all my hard work trying to find my missing piece, I wasn’t going to let something like a few trivial police reports ruin everything. I have a spotless record, and it needs to remain that way .”
“ Okay? Well, you’re in the clear .”
“ Yes, I know that. But do you honestly believe that I bought your pathetic story? A shoplifter? ”
“ You need to get better at lying ,” Pierce chimes in. “ But it’s too late for you to develop that skill .”
Another crackle comes through the speaker.
“ Let me go! I didn’t tell them anything !”
“ We know you didn’t—you don’t know enough to say anything. But now that you’ve seen us, we can’t let you leave .”
BANG! BANG!
Two shots snap in the air.
“Shit,” I mutter.
Rio states the obvious. “Well, he’s dead.”
“ Can you believe he actually thought we were going to let him leave? ” Pierce laughs. The sound grates against my nerves. “ Spencer’s boy toys obviously got to him .”
“ Don’t call them that. They’re nothing to her .”
“ If you say so .”
“ What’s that bump under his shirt ?” Anthony asks.
A rip of cloth echoes in my car.
“ Shit! He’s wearing a wire .”
“That’s our cue.” I throw the car into drive and peel out of the parking lot.
Asher isn’t going to like this.