Chapter 54
The airport’s parking lot is thankfully secluded.
It’s lined with cars, sure, but there’s not a single person in sight.
Well, no one other than Miranda and her driver, who are currently still inside her silver Lexus.
And from the looks of it, they seem agitated, but I can’t be sure what exactly it is that they’re doing.
“You see anyone?” Solo asks from next to me.
I shake my head, then look around. The airport is illuminated, given the hour, and there’s distinct chatter of people, and sounds of various vehicles near the gates.
“There’re CCTVs in the lot,” I tell Solo. “But fortunately for us, there’s none facing the direction Miranda is in right now.”
He does a quick sweep as well. “Well, we’re in luck.”
I open the passenger side door of his SUV. “Let’s be quick about it. It’s a vulnerable spot as it is; we could have company at any moment.”
“Agreed.”
We get out of his car, and have merely taken a few steps towards the Lexus, when Maverick slips out of the shadows and joins us.
He greets us with a curt nod. “She just got here,” he informs us. “She’s got a 10a.m. flight, so I don’t know why she’s here more than 8 hours before boarding time.”
“I’m sure she thought it’d be harder to find her here,” Solo provides. “She can easily gather an audience, or worse, get the attention of the airport security. She knows Dorran will come for her, so she’s chosen to stay here and bide her time.”
“And even if she went to her brother for aid, she knows I’ll find her and kill her anyway, so she’s decided to keep him out of this. She knows she’s messed up, and now she’s looking to run away.” I glance sideways at Maverick. “How do you know her flight timing anyway?”
He lifts a shoulder. “I’m the head of security. If my team hears tiny details about the Adlers, they let me know the same.”
“As long as it works in our favor, I’m okay with it,” Solo adds, and when I look at him, he hands me a pistol.
I take it from him, and make sure the suppressor is in place, then stretch the fingers of my free hand to rid some of the tension there.
I’m not one for guns, and using them always leaves me dissatisfied. But tonight’s situation calls for less blood and more action, and a pistol is perfect for that, I suppose.
I stop in front of the passenger side of Miranda’s Lexus.
Her back is to me, and she’s typing something on her phone, so she doesn’t see me.
Her driver, however, notices me almost instantly.
His eyes widen, and he says something to Miranda, whose shoulders stiffen.
She turns abruptly, and our eyes meet. I send a mock wave her way, and her lips press into a thin line.
She pushes the button to drop down her window’s glass, then swallows. “I’ll have you know that I’m untoucha–”
“Just get out of the goddamn car, you spineless cunt,” Maverick says, shocking her.
She gasps, then glowers at him. “How dare you talk to me–”
“You’re wasting our time, Miranda,” I cut in, then scratch my left temple with the suppressor’s tip. “You knew this’d happen; you know there’s no escape for you this time.”
She notices the pistol, and all color drains from her face, making her appear even more ghastly.
“You think I’m scared of you?” she braves saying, then glances between me, Solo, and Maverick. “You think I’ll beg you to let me go?” She scoffs. “Fucking foolish.”
I click my tongue. “I don’t know what gave you the idea that I even remotely wanna hear your baseless nonsense, but either way, I couldn’t care less. Just get out of the car and stop getting on my nerve.”
She glares at me. “What’s to stop me or my driver here from calling my brother and having you disposed for your blatant audacity?”
I tilt my head and look at the driver in question, and before Miranda can so much as blink, I point my gun forward and shoot the sorry fuck right in the center of his head.
So much for “less blood”.
He falls backward at the impact, and his brain, along with his blood, splatters against the glass window behind him.
Miranda muffles her scream behind a hand, and her entire body shakes as she realizes that she’s truly alone right now.
“This,” I sneer at her, then grin and place a forearm on her car’s hood before leaning in. “Now, unless you wanna test me further, I suggest you do as I’ve asked.”
“Why not just shoot me as you did him?” she asks.
“And deny Cignette the golden opportunity of watching you grovel for your life? Not a chance.”
She seethes in silence as she watches me. “You are nothing but an ungrateful dog,” she hisses. “And I can’t wait to have my brother drag you and your friends through the streets of Rive–” She stops when I sigh out loud.
“That sounds marvelous, really.” I smirk. “But I want you to get out of the car now, Miranda. Because if you don’t, then I’ll have to pull you out of it. And make no mistake, I will do it, consequences be damned.”
She opens her mouth to spew some random shit at me once again, but I press the gun to her lips, shutting her up.
“Out, now,” I say. “Do it, because I won’t fucking ask again.”
She must see something on my face because she relents and does as I’ve asked. With her eyes blazing in anger – at me, obviously – she unlocks the door and gets out of her car.
“Was that so hard?” Solo says with a roll of his eyes.
She doesn’t answer him, and when I push her forward, she stumbles, but rights herself and follows Solo to his SUV.
I turn to Maverick. “You joining us?”
He points a thumb at the Lexus. “Don’t you think we should take care of this mess first?”
“I have a team that’ll deal with it, no problem.”
He nods. “Perfect. I’ll follow you and Chris, then.”
I nod back at him, then pull my phone out and send Eddie a picture of Miranda’s car’s number plate, along with instructions on what to do, and where to find the car.
Once I’ve done that, I join Solo, and slide into the driver’s side of his SUV.
Shifting to look behind me, I find Miranda glaring murderously at me once again.
This time, however, her hands are tied, and there’s a piece of black duct tape covering her too-big mouth.
I glance at Solo. “How long have you been waiting to do this?”
He’s sitting next to Miranda, and scowls when I smirk at him. “Go fuck yourself, Dor.”
I chuckle and hand his pistol back to him. “Keep this close, in case she decides to go wild on you.” I then look at Miranda. “Cliché formalities and all. They make for a good time, don’t you think?”
Her nostrils flare, but because she can’t speak, she decides to shoot daggers at me.
Not that I care.
I face forward, and before I drive us out of the parking lot, I send Varsha a quick text, asking her to bring Cignette and the rest of the crew to the underground gym.