Page 10 of Wild Side
He pushes off the wall, turns toward the clubhouse, and slips inside without a wave, a smile, or even another glance. I’m pretty sure he’s pissed at me, definitely disappointed in me, if nothing else.
Backing out of the parking lot, I spin my bike around and head straight for the exit gate. I need to get away. I need to think.
Guiding my bike away from the clubhouse, I head straight for Virginia. The five-hour ride should clear my head, at least I hope it will. My mind slowly clears. I stop for fuel once, grabbing an energy drink, taking a smoke, and eating a bag of peanut butter M&M’s before I head back on the road.
When the port authority office comes into view, I know I should probably steer clear of it. What I should do is head straight for the actual docks and grease some palms, maybe try to get the security footage to randomly malfunction. I could do half a dozen different things to get what I want.
But I’m sick of this shit.
Completely fucking sick of it. We’ve had nothing but issues with the shipments from Hong Kong getting constantly held back because they want to extort more money from us. At this point, we’re going to lose money on these shipments. This is pointless. I’m about done with it all.
I don’t think this is worth it. I don’t care what other contracts we have. This is becoming too difficult to navigate. We need to figure out another avenue for income if this is all we’ve got going on. I’m ready to end the surveillance industry altogether. When we started, companies couldn’t buy what they wanted online overseas. It’s been in decline for years, and while we supplement with other avenues of sales, even that is lackluster at best. We make money, but I think we need to move along.
This was supposed to be easier, cutting out the middleman altogether. Here I am, ready to get involved with the goddamn port authority because someone is trying to extort us, and I’m going to assume it’s them since our shit was supposed to be released from the shipping containers two months ago.
As I walk into the building, I know exactly who I want to talk to. Bullet and Ivy have poured over all the contracts. They’ve been in contact with everyone and anyone down here at this office. I know exactly who to speak to.
Kyle Alexander is the man in charge of imports.
There is a woman sitting behind the front desk. But I already know that Alexander’s office is on the second floor. I wonder how high up in the authority he can be if his office is on the second floor. I would think the top floor would be the big dogs. But what the fuck do I know?
With a smirk, I move past the woman behind the desk, even when she calls out for me to stop. I don’t really give much of a fuck about what she wants me to do. Instead, I punch the elevator button and step inside the waiting car.
When the doors of the elevator open, I take one step out into the hallway. Turning my head, I check the different doors that line the hall and find his office quickly. His name is stuck to the door with large letters. This fucker is full of himself and loves not only his name but his title as well.
How fucking ridiculous.
I walk straight into his office, don’t even bother knocking. Closing the door behind me, I move farther into the space as I tilt my head to the side as I stand in front of Alexander. He lifts his head slowly, and when his gaze finds mine, he holds it.
“You know, I could have you arrested for trespassing?”
He could, I’m sure. I also don’t give a fuck. Arrest my ass.
“What is it going to take for this deal to go through?” I ask, ignoring his chatter about arresting me.
“Deal?” he asks, attempting to feign innocence or ignorance. Either way, it’s annoying.
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I clear my throat. I’m not going to throw myself under any fucking bus, but at the same time, I don’t want him playing fucking stupid, either. I want this done so I can get back on my bike and think about my predicament for another five hours.
CHAPTER FOUR
ZADIE
The airplane touchesdown on the tarmac, and my knee starts bouncing immediately. I’m here. All the way across the country. What the hell was I thinking coming here? My stomach rolls, and as much as I want to blame it on morning sickness, I know that’s not what it is. It’s nerves.
Big fat nerves.
Pressing my lips together tightly, I wait for people to get their things and disembark from the plane. I don’t have another flight to catch. This is the end of the road for me, and I don’t want to move.
But I also can’t stay here. Once the last person is off, I realize that I need to get moving. Standing, I try to keep myself from freaking out by inhaling and exhaling slowly. I take cleansing, calming breaths as I move through the airport and toward baggage claim.
Once I have my suitcase in hand, I roll it behind me as I move toward the rental car kiosk. Thankfully, they have a car for me, and I am able to pay an extra young renter fee since I’m undertwenty-five. I would like to not have to pay any fees at all, but it’s cheaper than finding a rideshare to the mountains. Plus, I won’t be stranded anywhere.
Thanking the person behind the counter, I take the keys, wrapping my fingers around them before I head for the parking lot where the car is located. When I find my designated spot, I unlock the car with the fob in my hands and smile.
A four-door Jeep Wrangler. It’s not something I would ever imagine owning. I couldn’t afford one, so I would never dream of it, but damn if it doesn’t look cool as hell.
Opening the back, I lift my suitcase inside, then climb up into the driver’s seat. It takes me a good ten minutes to not only get the feel of the car, but also to get all my hands-free stuff connected and situated.
