Chapter 30
"Is this your boat?" I asked.
"I had to indulge myself a little. Nothing flashy.” Shane fumbled for his keys as he stood in front of a dock box. He hesitated for a moment and shared a look with us. “Just so we’re on the same page… We get Riley back. Nothing interferes with that.”
"No,” he said, feigning innocence. “I stole nothing. I hid nothing. But if someone were to have, this is the last place anybody would look,” Shane said with confidence as he unlocked the box and lifted the lid.
The life drained out of his face when he looked inside.
"Are you sure about that?" JD muttered.
The box was empty.
Rage swelled on Shane's face, and his veins bulged. He punched at the air, and obscenities flew. "That son-of-a-bitch!”
"Let me guess. Your co-conspirator has absconded with the loot," I said.
Shane looked bewildered. "I don't understand. I'm the only one with the key.”
Jack laughed. "You guys broke into a highly secure vault, and you didn't think your partner would be able to get past a padlock?”
Shane glared at him.
"Sorry, brother, but that's just stupid."
Shane grit his teeth. "We need to find Garrett.” Shane looked at me. "You've got ways.”
"Give me a cell phone. I can find him, unless he's ditched it.”
Shane pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
"Who are you calling?”
"Who do you think I'm calling?"
"I wouldn't do that.”
It went to voicemail.
"Hey buddy, where are you? More importantly, where is the fucking money! I swear to God, Garrett, I'm going to kill you!” Shane ended the call and grumbled a few more obscenities.
He stomped around on the dock, punching the air again. Shane had an anger management problem. His lack of impulse control was evident.
"That's just great," I said, annoyed. "Let Garrett know you're onto him. Now he'll be looking over his shoulder, taking precautions."
"When you’re in this position, you take precautions by default,” Shane said.
"You didn't," Jack muttered.
Shane glared at him again. “I have less than 6 hours to get the money and the jewel to Vladimir, or they are going to kill Riley. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Oh, I get it,” Jack said. “But they’re going to kill you, her, and Garrett at the first opportunity.”
“He won’t do anything until he gets his money back.”
“Give me Garrett’s number,” I said. “I'll find him.”
He did, and I texted the information to Isabella.
She called me back a few minutes later. "That cell phone is at the Bayshore Suites in Pineapple Bay. Looks like Garrett’s in a bungalow. Unit six."
"Let me know if he moves.”
"You got it.”
I relayed the information to the others, and we hustled back to our vehicles and set out for Pineapple Bay. It usually took about 45 minutes, but we had a get out of jail free card.
Jack mashed the pedal to the floor, and the engine howled. We blazed out of town, tearing up the highway with Shane following in the Thundercat.