4. Tempest #2
I ride past without turning my head. I’m just another biker looking for somewhere to grab lunch.
I continue around the block before pulling into a side street.
Once the bike's parked, I take my helmet off and start walking. Coffee first, observation second. I don’t want to tip off the SUV driver that I’m watching.
The SUV is still there by the time I reach the corner. I have a clear enough view without drawing attention, but the driver's side is hidden from where I'm standing.
Perfect.
I lean against the brick wall outside an empty unit and watch. One minute, then two, and then five. Nothing, nobody gets out or in. The florist door opens once as a woman leaves carrying a bouquet wrapped in brown paper.
The SUV doesn't move, clearly it isn't interested in the shopper. My eyes narrow, this isn't someone waiting for a pickup, they're watching.
I slip my phone from my pocket and zoom the camera in, no good, the angle blocks the rear plate, and the front's impossible from here. Whoever parked it knew exactly what they were doing.
I call Rogue. "You busy?"
"I usually am."
"I've got the SUV."
The tapping of keys starts almost immediately. "Same one?"
"Looks like it."
"Location?" He barks out.
"Across from Petals."
There’s a slight hesitation before he fires off more questions. "Anyone inside?"
"Can't tell. Windows are blacked out."
I hear his heavy sigh. "What about the plate?"
"Blocked," I growl, my anger coursing through me. This SUV is definitely up to no good, that’s for fucking sure.
"Accidentally?"
"I don't think so."
I hear him release a string of curse words. "You think they're watching?"
I don’t think anything. "I know they are."
He doesn't argue. "Stay where you are."
I scoff, is he crazy? "I'm not planning on moving."
"I'm pulling traffic cameras now."
I keep my eyes on the SUV while he works.
The florist door opens again, an older woman steps outside with another bucket of flowers.
I know she works there; Rogue got all the employee details yesterday.
Her name’s Cara. She chats to an older woman passing on the footpath and the SUV stays exactly where it is.
Seven minutes later, brake lights flash, and the SUV eases away from the curb. I wait until it's gone before crossing the street, but it’s too late, the traffic swallows it.
"It's moving," I tell Rogue.
"Direction?"
"Left onto Fifth."
"I've got traffic cams on that junction. Give me a minute."
I wait as people keep walking around me.
"I've got it," Rogue tells me.
"What?"
"The same SUV."
I straighten. "Confirmed?"
"Three sightings, same vehicle, same area."
That kills any doubt I'd been trying to talk myself into. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks.
"Someone's watching her."
"Yeah."
I look across at Petals. Lilah's inside somewhere, probably arranging flowers and completely unaware someone's taken the time to learn her routine.
"You telling her?"
The question sits with me, and I picture myself knocking on her apartment door tonight, telling her the SUV she saw outside yesterday has been back, and watching that fear settle into her pretty eyes all over again. "No."
"You sure?" he asks, and I can hear the uncertainty in his voice.
"Not until I've got something she can actually use."
"I'll keep digging," he promises me.
"Thanks." I end the call.
For another minute, I stand where I am, watching the empty parking space the SUV has just vacated.
That afternoon, I head straight for Rogue sitting at the table, his head in the laptop—a common sight these days. He doesn't look up when I walk in.
"You've got something?" I ask as I take a seat opposite him.
"I do now." His fingers keep moving over the keyboard before he turns the screen toward me. "I've narrowed the SUV down to three possible matches. Late-model, black Chevy Suburbans with aftermarket tint."
"Three?"
He nods. "Two are company vehicles, and one's privately owned."
"You know which one?"
"Not yet." He leans back in his chair. "I'm still waiting on clearer traffic camera footage. Give me another day and I'll know exactly which one we're looking for."
I nod. "What else?"
"I dug a little deeper into Lilah."
My brows rise, surprised that he’s found something so quickly. "What'd you find?"
"Her sister died three years ago in Connecticut."
"Cause?"
He shakes his head. "Still working on it. There wasn't much publicly available, and I don't want to start digging too aggressively until I know who's watching her."
Fair enough. "What else?"
Rogue folds his arms across his chest. "Sniper stopped by Petals this morning."
I straighten. "Lilah alright?"
"As far as he could tell,” he says, and I let out a slow breath. "He spoke to Cara while he was grabbing coffee next door."
"And?" I urge, wondering what was said.
"She mentioned Lilah received flowers."
My brows knit. "What flowers?"
"A bouquet of sunflowers arrived yesterday morning."
My stomach sinks. "No card?"
He shakes his head. "Anonymous, a delivery kid dropped them off and left."
"Lilah keep them?" I ask.
"No."
I look at him. "Cara said Lilah went white the second she saw them."
That doesn't surprise me.
"Cara got rid of them, and she said that Lilah was relieved." Rogue looks at me, and I see the worry in his eyes. "I don't believe in coincidences."
I shake my head. "Neither do I."
"You still don't want to tell her?"
I think about it, she already knows something's wrong. I saw it on her face, but walking into her apartment and confirming it before we've got answers isn't going to help her. "Not yet."
Rogue nods. "I figured that's what you'd say."
I knock my fist against the table. "Keep digging."
"I will." He turns back to his keyboard. "I've got a feeling we're about to find something neither of us is going to like."