Page 52 of Cosmo

Liam sighed and said, “There’s only three trustworthy places in Denver to fence a car. They own two of them. They’re decent enough guys, looking out for their own people, like the mob of the old days. I’m not telling you this, if you’re thinking of going after them.”

“Grand theft is a city and county thing unless they’re running them out of state.”

“Nah, they part them out, mostly. Too risky to steal cars in the middle of the country, landlocked, and try to ship them overseas or down south. It happens, but it’s risky as fuck. The parts, though, all together bring in as much as the cars. Brand-new cars devalue as soon as they’re driven off the lot, but the parts are precious. A transmission for a Ferrari is like ten grand or was when I went inside. You get the car, disable the GPS first, the alarm, of course, and then you’re golden. Part that bitch out, and you have enough to buy another regular car free and clear, or you find cars that will fit the parts nicely inside, and you send them overseas, and someone on that end takes the cars apart and puts one back together. It’s pretty great.”

“Great…I didn’t know it was so…complicated.”

“You’re a fed!”

“I don’t specialize in car theft.”

“Oh, so you’re like some pediatrist and can’t deliver a baby if the need arises.”

Taran was laughing and finally admitted, “Okay, maybe I know a little about a lot of things and only a lot about certain things. I can admit that. Can you?”

“I never said differently.”

“You’re frustrating, Liam.”

“I told you. Call me Cosmo.”

Taran reached for the bag and Liam put his hand over it. “You’ll see soon enough.”

“Are you making me do it?”

“Scared? Those fed lawyers heavily on your mind?”

“No, Liam…Cosmo. No, I’m not worried about them.”

Liam looked over at him quickly, and thought he saw sincerity, but in prison, there was a lot of sincerity without the actions to go along with. “Okay. No, we need to do this fast, so I’m not making you do it, but I might just tell someone you blackmailed me into it. I’ll get all over the news and scream about how the fed pushed me to commit a crime to use it against me.”

“You’re doing that to me!”

“Not the way I’ll tell it.”

Pulling into a parking lot on the Northside of the city, a discount store a couple hundred feet away, Taran pointed again to the cameras. “You’re about to get caught.”

“Let me explain the real world to you, Taran. See those cameras? They’re live, no tape. Recording costs money. So, they have a security guard sitting in front of them. He’s making minimum wage and couldn’t give two fucks who steals what in the parking lot. If he’s paying attention at all, and that is a big if, he’s watching the aisles inside the store for loss prevention. Go inside and steal. You will more likely get busted a thousand times more than stealing one car in the lot.”

The way Taran was staring at him, Liam felt terrible that all of it was so shocking to him.

“You thought the world was so fair. Criminals bad. Everyone else is inherently good. I’m sorry to be the one that tells you differently.”

“I know you’re good, and you’re a criminal.”

“Now you’re getting it. Most people are criminals.”

“I get that now.”

The parking lot wasn’t full by any means, and Liam knew he was taking a chance, but he was with a fed. Maybe that emboldened him. Or maybe he was just itching to prove a point.

Either way, he got out of the car, bag in hand, and winked at Taran. “Come on, baby. Let’s steal this car.”

Chapter Fifteen

The car was anewer sedan, painted one of those reds that was so popular in the current era. It was perfect for the job. The V8 engine could move quickly enough to get away, if that was needed. And it would easily blend.

“I thought you guys didn’t like red cars,” Taran whispered in such a way Liam barely heard him.

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