Page 108 of Things We Left Behind
I accelerated out of the parking lot.
“Is she all right?” Nolan asked.
His hand closed covertly over the door handle as the car fishtailed onto the road.
“She’s fine. A little shaken up. But her car wasn’t so lucky,” Petula reported. “She got a partial license plate.”
“Run it,” I said curtly. “We’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Black Tahoe sittin’ all by her lonesome,” Nolan reported. He handed me his binoculars.
I frowned. “Where did you get those?”
“Never leave home without binoculars, a pocket knife, and snacks,” he said sagely. “Want some beef jerky?”
“What I want is payback,” I muttered, peering through the binoculars and spotting the SUV in the parking lot of the luxury condo building.
The vehicle was registered to one of Hugo’s corporations. According to the mortgage on the three-bedroom Alexandria condo, it was owned by one of Hugo’s enforcers.
“Did you tell security to—”
“Deliver the company Escalade to Holly’s place?” Nolan said. “Yeah. Lina and Petula are going along to make sure the kid isn’t still freaked out. Hell of an upgrade over a twelve-year-old sedan with primer-gray trunk.”
I handed the binoculars back to him and said nothing.
It was the least I could do.
I’d been prepared for Hugo’s escalation, but I’d been anticipating him escalating things with me, not an employee on a salad run. He’d sent a message, made an example. I’d overestimated his sense of fair play, and one of my people paid the price. It wouldn’t happen again.
“Stay here,” I ordered and opened the van door.
I’d borrowed a cargo van from the security team. It was my turn to send a message.
“Sorry, boss. No can do,” Nolan slipped out the passenger door. He pulled a black wool cap out of his coat pocket and yanked it down over his head.
“I’m about to break half a dozen laws,” I warned before rounding the back of the vehicle.
“And here I thought you’d have minions for that,” Nolan said, opening the cargo doors.
I grabbed the sledgehammer. “Sometimes it’s better to get your own hands dirty. And by that I mean my hands, not yours.”
He picked up the six-foot coil of material off the van floor. “Can’t let you have all the fun. Besides, if we get caught, your scary lawyers will have me out before my ass touches a holding cell bench.”
I was oddly touched.
I gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Let’s go play with fire.” I didn’t wait for an answer and headed into the shadows.
“Never got to have fun like this in my last job,” Nolan whispered gleefully behind me.
“You’re late,” Karen announced, opening the door with feigned motherly disappointment.
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. I was late and exhausted, but vengeance had dulled the rage. Now I was almost cheerful. It had been a while since I’d gotten my hands dirty.
“I’m sorry. There was a situation that I needed to deal with,” I explained, slipping off my coat.
“Hmm, you’re late, you smell like gasoline and smoke, and your coat is torn,” she noted as I hung it on the rack inside the door.
“All reasons why I could use a large glass of this mediocre wine you promised.”
