Page 25 of Hemmed

“Oh, that’s not a problem. Their phones are now routed through my phone. I see everything first with a sixty-second delay to them. I can delete it or allow it to go through. I’ll be acting as the two of them for the next few days.”

When the food arrived, the men were suddenly hungrier than they were when they arrived. Eating everything that was brought, they ordered another three dozen raw oysters, a half dozen crabs, and two more baskets of fries. When they were finished, Tailor and Alec ordered dessert.

The waiter gently, cautiously set the bill on the table as if afraid the men might eat his hand. Nine stared at it, nodding his head left and right.

“It’s not bad. I thought it’d be five or six grand. It’s a good night, boys.”

The waiter could not have been more relieved. When they got back to the house, Alec walked the dog while the others cleaned up. By midnight, they were sound asleep. All except Ace, who was fielding angry text messages left and right.

You’re going to fucking die. Both of you.

You cost me billions!

Make this right within 48 hrs.

Ace grinned to himself. Time for some fun.

We’re not going to die, but you might. Everyone knows this was you. I want my investment money back or I tell the cops where to find you. All of the places to find you.

He waited, imagining Krauss throwing objects, shooting at people unnecessarily, and certain that these two had sold him out.

Meet me in Miami. Two days. You know where.

“Ace? What are you doing, son?” asked Ghost, standing in the doorway with Nine. “Don’t get yourself into something you can’t get out of.”

“I’m good,” he smiled. “I’m just charging up our friend. A few well-placed comments, a little prompting tomorrow at Golden Gate, and we’ll find Krauss and stop all of this.”

We’ll be there.

“There. Done. You’ll be with me tomorrow to get the information we need, and then we’ll head to Miami.” Ghost nodded.

“I hope you know what you’re doing. Krauss isn’t someone to fuck around with,” said Nine. Ace stared at him, pulling back the covers on the bed.

“Of course, I know what I’m doing. What a silly question.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Did you know that Krauss was tracking our phones?” asked Craig.

“No. It doesn’t surprise me, but I didn’t know. I should have been more careful. He knows where we are, so shut the phones down. Maybe he can’t track us that way.” They both shut down their phones, tossing them onto the dressers of their hotel.

The man who approached them at the pier looked like someone that Krauss would hire to follow them. He seemed to know everything, and that terrified the shit out of them. Meeting at Golden Gate Park would be public and, hopefully, ensure that they weren’t killed instantly.

With a good night’s rest, they rose early and had a leisurely breakfast, hoping that it wouldn’t be their last meal. Unwilling to help their own stupidity, they smirked and pointed out all the women who would do well on their site. Or at least on their new site.

“How do you think they found all the stores? Did someone snitch?” asked Craig.

“No clue,” frowned Thurston. “It could have been a shop that was caught by someone, and they squealed to the cops.”

“Still doesn’t explain how they figured out all of them,” said Craig.

“Well, I don’t know,” said Thurston between his teeth. “I’m not the nerds. I don’t know how those things work. Maybe it was all connected somehow. It doesn’t matter. We’ll find a new way for him to get what he wants, and we’ll be his golden boys again.”

“No offense, Thurst, but I don’t think we were ever Krauss’s golden boys. He’s hardcore, and even I know that we’re just small fish in his big sea.”

“No, man, I can promise you that we’re important to him.” Thurston just gave an arrogant shrug as if to say he had nothing to worry about. It wasn’t the first time that Craig worried he was going to sell him out.

By now, someone probably had discovered Cara’s body and was looking for him. A little voyeurism was vastly different than murder.

---