Page 15 of Fire
When Van’s eyes met mine, my head cleared of any thoughts of Mac, and instead, I focused on my meeting with Van. It had been six months since I’d seen him. I thought our relationship was over, yet here I was.
I took a seat on the barstool next to him and waved the bartender over. “I’ll have a Guinness, please.”
Even though Van kept his eyes forward, I could see his reaction through the mirror behind the bar. The mirror also offered me a glance at Axe looking my way. Maybe I was wrong about him knowing who I was. “Let’s get this meeting over with, so I can get out of here,” I said, taking a pull from my stout beer.
“Let’s get a couple of things straight,” Van said. “I’m the one in charge here, and I will decide when this meeting is over.”
Van was a cocky son-of-a-bitch, but I knew better than to get on his wrong side. “Yes, sir.”
“I think we need to take this conversation outside where no one can hear us.” Van downed the rest of whatever he was drinking, leaving me with a half-full glass of beer.
No way I was going to waste a ten-dollar glass of beer. “I’m not done with my beer.”
Van threw a ten on the bar and said, “Let’s go.”
I took another long draw of my beer before grabbing the ten he laid on the bar. Van was two steps in front of me as I followed him to the back of the restaurant. My focus was on his buzz-cut head until he pushed open the metal door that led to the alley. The probability of someone interrupting our conversation was slim, but Van insisted on checking out our surroundings. While he appeased his paranoia by walking toward the only entrance into the alley, I made myself comfortable by propping my back against the brick wall near the metal door.
Van wasn’t usually nervous, but the way he was acting made me uneasy. After looking up and down the adjoining street, Van turned and headed back toward me. It was only when he reached me that I pushed from the wall. “You seem a little paranoid. What’s up?”
“You can’t be too cautious these days. With all the high technology out there, no telling who's watching your every move,” Van said, lifting his index finger to make three complete circles.
If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Van had lost it. Granted, this was the twenty-first century, and the advancement of technology was astounding, but he was still being overly cautious. “You really need to chill out. So why the meeting?”
“I think Axe Riley is going to be a problem. I need you to make sure he carries out our arrangement. I can’t have any mistakes on this one. There is a lot of money at stake.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” I wasn’t sure what Van thought I could do. Axe Riley was ex-military, and I was pretty sure he didn’t do anything unless he had to.
“You need to get close to him. Let him know what will happen to him if he doesn’t carry out the plan. Threaten to tell his girlfriend if you have to. I want you right there when he flips the switch.” Van was serious as he stared me down like he was trying to get in my head.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I had my own set of reasons why this was a bad idea.
“If you are worried about your past, don’t be. I know all about your relationship with Mackenzie Horton. What you have going on with her is your own business. That is, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of this job.”
Van had no idea what I was into, and I wanted to keep it that way. My only option was to do as he said and babysit Axe Riley. “When is this supposed to go down? I need to know how much time I have.”
“Next week. I’m counting on you, Levi. You will be paid handsomely for your time.”
~
On the drive back to my apartment, all I thought about was how the hell I was going to get close to Axe. I hated the man. Not only because I thought he was an asshole but also because he was sleeping with Mac. It was stupid to think that she would wait for me, but that didn’t mean I wanted her with anyone else.
Pulling up to the rundown apartment building I called home, I placed my truck into park and got out. The main reason I picked this place was that I didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention. I could have chosen to live across town in an upscale apartment building with the money I made working for Van, but according to my police record, I just got out of jail, and an ex-con likely wouldn’t have the means to afford much more.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I kicked myself in the ass for wanting to rent on the top floor. I had to admit, though, that the view was amazing. Besides, I was only a flight of stairs from the roof, which offered an even more amazing view. Before I had the key in the door, my cell vibrated with an incoming call. Pulling it from my pocket, I held my cell in front of me while unlocking the door. I recognized the number instantly even though I hadn’t saved it in my contacts.
“Mac, this is a surprise,” I said, totally floored that she would be calling.
“What the hell, Levi? Are you following me?” Her tone screamed pissed off, but it was amusing nonetheless.
“If you are talking about the Pizza Barn, then no. How was I supposed to know you and your asshole boyfriend were there?” Lying was my best defense, especially since I knew what Van wanted me to do. “I have an idea. Since we are on the subject, how about the three of us meet up for dinner?”
“Are you crazy? Why would we want to meet you for dinner?” Mac yelled, indicating that getting together wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“I think it’s a great idea, especially since I know you told him about what happened when we were in high school.” The phone went dead, and I wasn’t sure Mac was still on the call. “You still there, Mac?”
“I’m still here. What makes you think I told Axe anything?”
“Because I know you, Mac. I know how much you hate keeping secrets.” I smiled to myself. I knew her so well. “How about you bring him tomorrow and give me a proper introduction?”
