Page 27 of Fire
I couldn’t chance Axe seeing what I had purchased at my last stop, so instead of using the burner to make the call from my truck, I headed to the men’s bathroom with my purchase. I had a short window before Axe would get suspicious about me being inside the little store longer than needed. Ripping the package open, I stuffed it in the trash container and flipped the phone open. It was nothing fancy, but I didn’t need fancy. I just needed to get in touch with Van.
“Van, it’s Levi. We have a little problem.” I said as I opened the men’s bathroom door a crack.
“I almost didn’t answer, McBride,” Van growled. “What kind of problem?”
“Axe knows that you and Niles have Mac. I tried to tell them as little as possible, but I had to tell them something unless I wanted to die.” I wasn’t lying. I was pretty sure that Davian Cross would have killed me.
“Don’t tell me that you let Axe Riley get the best of you. You’re losing your touch, McBride.”
Shaking my head, I reminded myself that Van could be a real ass. “It wasn’t Axe. He contacted Davian Cross to get information out of me since he couldn’t.”
“Exactly what did you tell them?” I could hear the annoyance in Van’s voice, and if I didn’t come up with something to justify my actions, he would finish the job himself.
“I only told Cross that you had her. Nothing more. There is an upside to this.”
“Yeah. Like what?”
“I know where Cross does his business. It’s a warehouse—a perfect place for a mishap. If you know what I mean.”
I cut the call short, but at least Van got my drift. If Cross wanted to mess in our business, his warehouse was fair game. Shoving my burner in my back pocket, I headed out of the men’s restroom and toward the entrance door. I only talked to Van for a few minutes; not long enough to cause Axe alarm.
Walking to my truck, I did a quick sweep of the parking lot and the surrounding area until my sight fell on Axe’s truck parked across the street. From what I could see, he was still inside. For someone who served in the military, he wasn’t very smart. I had to give him a break; my phone was back at the apartment, and there wasn’t any other way to follow my every move. On the other hand, he should have known that I would pick up a new phone. Leaving my phone behind should have been his first clue.
~20~
Axe
I knew exactly what Levi’s game was. If he thought that I would get fed up with him making numerous stops, he was mistaken. I already had a pretty good idea that one of his many stops involved getting a phone. Not even I was stupid enough to leave my phone behind. There was only one reason he did, and that was because he found the cloning app. He had no use for it. If he made a call to Wilkerson or Harris, I would know.
This shit show had to stop now. Levi wasn’t stupid. He knew I had been following him, and if I quit now, it would only draw suspicion. I had to keep with him no matter how many games he wanted to play. The tracking devices we used were back at the warehouse. What I would give to have one on me. Given the parking spot Levi used, it wouldn’t be hard to attach one to the underside of his truck. Since it would be better for me to stay put, a call to Davian was in order.
As I discussed my plan with Davian, I kept my eyes on the fourth-floor top right window where Levi’s apartment was. When I finished my call with Davian, the only thing left was to wait until it got dark.
I settled back in my leather seat and made myself comfortable. Darkness was slowly approaching, and Patton would be showing up with the tracking device any minute. Hopefully, he was smart enough to bring me something to eat. The thought of the thick burger was making my mouth water. The frosted flakes I had this morning just didn’t cut it, especially for a 220 lb. man.
Patton was super intelligent, and that was why I respected him so much. When he knocked on my window, it was clear that he had parked a few blocks down from the apartment building, out of sight. When I rolled down my window, he handed me a bag from Big Boy’s Burgers. “I thought you could use something to eat.” Patton watched as I held the thick burger to my mouth and took a big bite. “You really must have been hungry? You owe me fifteen bucks, by the way.”
Moaning with complete satisfaction, fifteen bucks for a Big Boy Burger was worth every penny. Reaching inside my back pocket for my wallet, I held it out for Patton. “Take a twenty for your time.”
“Nah, I had one on the way over.” Patton pulled out a five and a ten before handing my wallet back over.
Wiping the ketchup from my mouth, I looked over to where Levi's truck was parked. “The green beat-up truck over there is Levi’s truck. Hide the tracker where he won’t think to look.”
“Don’t I always,” Patton said as he started walking away from me.
At first, I thought he would go directly to Levi’s truck, but instead, he walked around the block and headed toward the front of the apartment building. My eyes were on Patton the entire time. He was avoiding being seen, which was a smart move. Walking between Levi’s truck and another car, Patton managed to get to the back of the truck unseen. From where Levi’s apartment was, he did have a clear view of his truck to see Patton plant the device. In a matter of minutes, Patton was on his way back to me.
“It’s done. I know it is probably useless,” Patton said, “but you should go home. The tracker is in place, and if Mr. McBride goes anywhere, we will know.”
Patton was right, but sitting in the apartment without Kenzi would be too painful. I’m not sure I could ever return to our apartment knowing she wouldn’t be there. If I was going to be any good, I had to sleep. I turned on the engine and pulled away from the curb. Instead of going home, I headed to the warehouse. If Levi made a move, I wanted to be the first one to know.
~
Instead of closing my eyes and falling asleep, I could only think about Kenzi. It was well past midnight when I finally decided to grab a few hours of sleep. I should have been exhausted with the day I had, but sleeping was the last thing on my mind. Looking back, I had done so many bad things in my life, but being ordered to blow up Margot’s bookstore took the cake. There had to be a way to get out of this. Van was holding Kenzi's life over me. Maybe there was something I could hold over him. Everyone had something that they loved more than themselves. In Van’s case, it was money, but I had a feeling there was something more precious to him than money.
When I disconnected my cell from the charger, the cell came to life, showing the time of 3:00 a.m. Sleeping wasn’t going to happen, so I got out of bed and opted for a different kind of exhaustion. The wood floor was cool beneath my feet as I sauntered over to the closet. Pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, I slipped them on.
I opened the bedroom door and was met with silence. Nobody in their right mind would be awake at this hour. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I was on my way out the door. The cool air felt good. I could feel the moisture of the humidity against my face, and it was evident by the puddles of water remaining on the asphalt that it had rained. Pulling my hood over my head, I picked up my stride and jogged down the alleyway to the main street. It was quiet and just how I liked it. The city of Atlanta was sleeping, unlike me. Picking up my pace, I ran across the street and down the sidewalk.
