Page 82 of Chubs

“You shot a fucking FBI agent, you fucking psycho!” he shouts into the phone.

“You kidnapped my brother. Then your partner shot him in the head, and you think I’m going to just stand by and be okay with that?” I bark.

Another long silence before he breaks it, this time in a quieter tone.

“He shot your brother in the head? Holy fuck. Is he dead?”

“Would it matter to either of you if he were?” I fire back.

“Yeah, Brock, it would. He never said a word about shooting anyone. I just left his fucking house, and he never said a thing about that. Just said you snuck in, attacked, and shot him, then ran with your brother. Jesus Christ. Is your brother alive?”

“Yes, he is, and it’s the only reason you two are still breathing. Tell me now why you two wanted me so bad,” I demand.

“It’s a long story, but it’s all legit. Let’s meet up somewhere, and we can talk. No tricks, I promise. Vetter’s going to be laid up for a while, so it would only be me. I’m now working with C.P.D. on the Vero investigation that you got rolling. Helping fill in some gaps for them. Where and when can we meet? At this point, I’m not even sure we need your testimony,” Ruzzo states in a tired tone.

“Then why meet?” I ask suspiciously.

“So I can fill in the gaps for you too. You’ve earned it if what I’ve heard so far is true. You turned in a shit ton of evidence against the family.”

“I’ll call you back if I decide to take you up on your offer,” I say as I disconnect the call.

Explaining to Les what Ruzzo had to say, he thinks it over for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“I’d like to have the rest of the puzzle pieces.”

“Me too, but not if it’s another set-up,” I say.

“We have a car to use. Melanie said I can borrow it whenever I want.”

Uneasy about it but wanting to finish this up, I nod.

“I’ll drop you a block away and meet you back here.”

Les in his friend’s car and me on the bike locate and surveil Ruzzo. We located him leaving work and followed him to his home. With us rotating, I don’t think he realized he was being followed, but I’m not positive. That makes me nervous, but Les was sure he didn’t.

Sitting on him for over a day, I find nothing suspicious about his routine. While Les keeps an eye on Ruzzo’s movements, I find Vetter’s home and watch it for hours. A woman comes and goes, but the only sighting of Vetter was through a window. He was reclined in a chair and didn’t leave it. I was too far away to tell how injured he was, but I did watch the woman bring him food and drinks. If he’s home and not in a hospital still, I must not have done too much damage.

Meeting back up with Les, we come to the agreement to meet with Ruzzo. Making the call, he gives me an address and a time to meet him. I immediately race to the location, thinking it would be a restaurant or bar, but it’s not. It’s an abandoned lot in the middle of an old industrial district. The buildings surrounding the area have all gone to hell, and none are in use for anything other than shady business. The homes in the nearby neighborhood appear to be vacant or crack houses. I instantly know that Ruzzo has no intentions of Les or me leaving here alive. Riding back to the hotel, I know what I have to do.

“I’m going, but you’re not,” I inform my angry brother.

“That’s just suicide, Drew! With two of us, we have a chance to finish this thing and lead normal lives! This isn’t just about you. We have Aria and Mom’s futures to think about too,” Les argues.

“Exactly! One of us needs to be breathing for their sake, and that falls on you.”

I hadn’t told my brother about the layout of the meeting place or my suspicions, but he must have read between the lines. As soon as I told him I was going it alone, he lost his shit. Finally, I gave up pretending it was just a meeting and tried the truth instead. Since then, we’ve been battling it out, and I’m not sure I’ll win against his stubbornness.

“I’m not letting you do this alone,” Les states firmly, hands landing on his hips.

“Ruzzo isn’t going to show up alone, Les! He’s going to bring whoever he’s working with or for, and I’m not going to be the cause of your death!” I shout in frustration.

I didn’t realize how loud we’d gotten until someone in the room next to ours bangs on the wall. Taking a deep breath, I fight to rein in my temper. Les glances at the wall and then rubs his hands over his face in an angry motion.

“I got this. You need to head to Denver and take care of the women. They need you, Les, and there’s a good chance I’ll walk away from this. Maybe it is just a meeting, and I’m jumping to the wrong conclusion.”

“Fuck you, and stop patronizing me!” Les barks loudly.

“I’m not! I’m trying to be positive, you twit!” I holler back.

---