Page 113 of Hidden Ties

“Yeah, I get it.” Mica handed him the black gym bag.

Unzipping the bag, Kent looked inside. He picked out a gleaming necklace, then unzipped his leather jacket to tug on his thin chain until a small jeweler’s loupe slid out from underneath his black T-shirt.

Putting the magnifying glass to his eye, he studied the diamonds in the necklace before putting it back in the bag and taking another piece from inside. He studied the yellow diamond flower bracelet under the microscope and estimated the value to be over eighty grand. Together with the necklace, the two pieces alone were at least two hundred grand.

Dropping the bracelet back into the bag, he was about to zip it back up when one piece caught his eye.

He pulled out a delicate, pink diamond and pearl flower pendant necklace and raised it to the scope, then lowered the necklace and admired the fragile beauty of the design. Keeping the necklace in his hand, he zipped the bag closed before he gave it back to Mica.

“What the hell? Give it back!” Springing toward him, Mica tried to take the necklace from his hand.

Kent shoved him away. “The necklace is my fee.” Putting the car in gear, he pulled out of the parking spot.

“Ice said he would take care of your end of our deal.”

“Relax. I’ll handle it with Ice.” Shooting him a quick glance, he saw Mica was positioning himself to grab for the necklace again. “I’ll make sure Wraith knows I took it. It’s all good.”

“How’s it good? I’m not going to bite the loss of that necklace. It’s twenty thousand dollars!”

“Retail,” Kent corrected him. “We both know you didn’t buy it legally, did you, Mica?” Giving him a sardonic look, he slid the necklace into his jacket pocket.

Mica’s mouth snapped shut.

“Don’t worry; you won’t lose a dime. Wraith will give you the same amount he offered for the merchandise without the one I took.”

“All I heard from both Ice and you was not to try to pull one over on him. Now, all of a sudden, you want me to stiff him twenty grand?”

“I plan to tell Wraith I took it.” Kent pressed a button, raising the volume of the music. “Buckle your seat belt; I don’t want to keep listening to that fucking binging for the next five miles.”

Kent could feel the rage rolling in his direction as he drove to the meeting place he had arranged with Ice.

He pulled into the deserted factory parking lot just as the sun went down. The metal gate blocking the parking area had been opened, allowing them through. The lot was the size of a football field and didn’t have any place where anyone could hide other than the dilapidated brick factory. Jackal had been staking the factory out for the last two days after checking that it was empty.

Two men on motorcycles were waiting in the middle of the lot. Kent stopped in front of them and put the car inPark.

“Don’t open your mouth. And keep the bag until I tell you to give it to Wraith,” he instructed Mica before getting out of the car.

“How will I know which one is Wraith?”

“Believe me; you’ll know,” he answered, getting out of the car and motioning for Mica to get out, too.

Walking forward, Kent drew to a stop before he reached the motorcycles. Neither of the two men sitting on the bikes got off.

Feeling Mica come to his side, he could practically smell the fear coming off the nervous man.

“Wraith,” Kent greeted the president of the Phantoms.

“Creed. Been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

Indolently, Wraith rose from his bike. Kent noticed Wraith hadn’t changed physically since he had last seen him four years ago. At six foot three, they were the same height, yet Wraith had a more muscular build, and his features hinted at the cruelty he was capable of.

Kent looked toward the other man as he stood, coming to stand next to Wraith.

“How you been doing, Sandman?”

“Terrific.”

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