Chapter 5
“ H oly Moses! They’re firing at us. Get us out of here!
” shouted Regan. “I can’t shoot at them in a moving car.
That is only for the movies. It’s too easy to have collateral damage and innocent victims.” She pulled her pistol from her purse, unbuckled her safety belt, and turned in the seat to look behind them.
“I’m going.” Cole punched the gas pedal. The Corvette took off like a shot. They wound through the streets until they reached Colorado Boulevard, turned south, and sped down the street. The truck firing the shots tried to follow, but Cole lost them.
“Did they hit us?”
“Not that I can tell.” “I don’t see them. This car is hard to catch, thank God.”
He nodded, but kept his gaze on the street. “Okay, we should head back to the apartment.”
“They might be waiting for us there. Let’s head to my apartment. They won’t think of going to my place.
“Okay.” He turned on the next street and drove, working his way to her apartment, heading west to Lakewood and her home.
Once they reached it, Cole parked on the street as she didn’t have a garage available.
As she got out, she kept her gun in her hand and watched for the pursuing green GMC Sierra pickup, but saw no sign of it.
Cole had made his way to her side.
She put her weapon in her purse and pulled out her keys.
Once inside the building, they rode the elevator to the seventh floor, where she let them into her apartment.
“We need to call Mason.” She threw her keys in a bowl by the side table next to the door, then set her purse there as well.
“Already on it.” Cole had his phone to his ear.
“Mason. We were just shot at while leaving the Cherry Creek shopping center. See what information you can get from the police. Go to the apartment and get the go bag from the hall closet. And Regan’s from the guest bedroom. Bring them to Regan’s place.”
Cole listened for a moment. “Yes, we’re okay. I haven’t looked at the car yet. When you bring the bag, you can do that. I think we would be best served by staying inside, for now.”
He listened again.
“No, we’ll be here for tonight, then go back to the apartment tomorrow.”
Mason spoke on the other end.
“Okay, we’ll head to the ranch, instead. Bring the team. I want this taken care of before I leave for the Gulf next week. See you there.” He pressed end call and put his phone in his pocket.
Regan didn’t have much furniture. Would Cole think less of her because her apartment was so spartan?
Her apartment might have been small, but it had a superb view of the mountains.
From the sofa, she could talk to someone in her grandmother’s chair and see the mountains through the large picture window.
“I hope you don’t mind sharing your home with me for the night.” Cole sat on the sofa.
She took the chair. “I don’t mind. What do you want to do now? We can have Mason pick up an order from Freddy’s. Unfortunately, they don’t deliver. I am hungry, though. Life and death situations tend to do that to me.”
Cole chuckled. “Yeah, that would probably be the best idea.”
“That’s a good idea. What do you want to do in the meantime?”
She shrugged. “Can I get you something to drink? I have water, Coke, scotch, beer and wine.”
“I’ll take a beer, please.”
“Coming right up.” She went into the kitchen. All the appliances in the kitchen were white. The floor was black-and-white linoleum squares.
Cole stood, walked to the bar, and took a seat on one of the four bar stools.
The stools were black, with soft, cream-colored padded seats.
She grabbed a bottle of beer and one of Mexican Coke in a glass bottle from the fridge, twisted off the tops, and handed him the beer.
He took a deep swallow. “Thanks, I needed that.”
“So, is this your first drive-by?” She lifted the Coke to her lips.
“Yes. It’s definitely not something I’m used to or that I want to do again.” He grinned. “Though I have to admit, it got my heart pumping. Cardio for today.” He laughed.
She chuckled and took another sip of her soda. “I think it might have something to do with the environmental group that Jerry and Wanda were with. If that is true, it looks like they’ve escalated. I’m even more certain now that Jerry meant to kill you last night.”
Cole’s shoulders slumped. He dropped his chin and shook his head. “That’s incredibly sad. He’s young, too young to be involved with a murder plot.”
“He’s not much younger than you. You’re what?
Thirty? He was probably only five, maybe six years younger than you.
And I doubt there’s much of a plot. The only thing they want is to kill you.
They want to make you pay for the oil spill with your life.
They want to make an example out of you.
” She looked him straight in his eyes. I really don’t want to be right about Jerry, but I saw it in his eyes.
I’ll never forget that sight. “I won’t let that happen.
And that was some great driving today, by the way. ”
He chuckled. “Thanks.” Cole ran a hand through his hair.
“I learned while trying to outdo my brothers on the ranch. A lot of open space there for kids who were underage but champing at the bit to learn to drive. I was one of those kids who was down at the Department of Motor Vehicles, as soon as they opened, on my sixteenth birthday.”
Regan laughed. “My mom taught me on mountain roads. Mostly dirt. Driving on the pavement was a revelation to me because I didn’t have to grip the steering wheel so hard to stay in my lane.”
After taking another drink, he set his beer on the island. “I guess we kind of grew up the same…at least, when it comes to driving.”
“We did. I guess I better order the burgers. What do you want on it?”
“Cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles lettuce, ketchup and mayo.”
“In other words, the California burger.”
He grinned. “Yup, order away.” He waved his left arm out as though giving her permission.
She walked over to her purse and grabbed her phone. The number was on her contact list. She stayed in the living room to make the call. After she placed the order, she returned to the kitchen. “Mason can pick it up in about fifteen minutes. He’ll have to pay for it.”
Cole sat on the stool, nursing his beer. “I’ll call him.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket and pressed a button. “Mason, we put an order in at Freddy’s.” He turned toward Regan. “He asks which one.”
“West Colfax and Wadsworth Boulevard.”
Cole relayed the information and listened for a moment before hanging up. “He’ll do it and be here in about half an hour.”
“Sounds good. We’ll have to eat in the living room on the coffee table. I’ve never had the need for a table before. You’re my first guest.”
Cole shrugged. “The coffee table it is. It’s fine. I haven’t always been rich, you know. I’ve eaten at the coffee table many times.”
“I didn’t know, I just assumed you’d always been wealthy. Born into it.”
Cole chuckled and shook his head. “No, I was born into a family of six kids—five boys and one girl. We lived on a ranch, and every one of us had to work. Before and after school, we each had chores to do.” He sipped his beer.
Regan rolled the Coke bottle between her palms. “I have two sisters besides my brother, Randy. They are both older than I am by a lot. Gena, my next oldest sister is eight years older than I am and Charlene, my oldest sister is thirteen years older than me. I was a surprise to say the least. And then they had Randy so I’d have someone to play with.
Charlene and Gena don’t live around here anymore. ”
Cole nodded. “My sister is the youngest, and I don’t think she was planned. As a matter of fact, I don’t think any of us were planned, but we were all loved equally.” He picked up his beer. “Let’s move to the living room. I want to relax, and these stools don’t allow for that.”
“True they don’t.” She picked up her bottle and followed him to the sofa.
He sat on the end farthest from the kitchen, facing the front door.
She sat on the opposite end.
The doorbell sounded.
Regan set her soda on the coffee table. “Hopefully, that’s Mason.” She walked to the door and looked through the peephole before she opened the door. Seeing Mason, she opened the door and immediately took the paper bag he held.
Holding it with one hand, she closed the door with the other and locked it. Then she took the bag into the kitchen. She got two plates and put a burger on each plate, followed by the best French fries ever. They were like shoestring potatoes.
“Come and get it.” She tore off a couple of paper towels and took her meal back to the coffee table with one of the paper towels.
Mason dropped their go bags by the front door.
“I need to get going but I also wanted to tell you, I couldn’t find any damage to the ‘Vette. You’re lucky they were such lousy shots.
Now, I need to get home. Wendy is making pot roast tonight and you know how she is if I’m late.
Pot roast is my favorite…it’s always nice and big and juicy.
Just perfect for a growing boy like me.” He chuckled.
“Besides smelling those burgers all the way over here has made me ravenous. You’re lucky I didn’t eat them to assuage my appetite. ”
Cole guffawed.
Regan laughed. “Well, thank you for controlling yourself. And you’re right, I wouldn’t want to be on Wendy’s list either.”
“Call me if you need anything,” said Mason, as he walked to the door.
“Will do,” said Regan.
“I’m sure Regan has everything under control,” Cole walked into the kitchen. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the office.”
Mason nodded. “See you tomorrow.” He took his leave.
Regan locked the door behind him.
Cole got his plate and walked to the sofa. He placed his plate on the coffee table. He took a bite. “Mmm. This is really good. I wish they delivered to my apartment.”