He checked through his pockets to see if anything else had been taken, but his wallet and other belongings were still with him. A quick glance around showed nothing else that would reveal he’d been in the house, so he walked out of the lounge and made his way to the front door to leave. The black sedan was parked a couple of streets away and he sucked in the fresh, evening air as he walked to it.
He covered his eyes when he was sitting in the driver seat and considered his options. Getting in touch with Eddie straight away would only get him dog’s abuse and he decided to pass on that. Going home for a short while seemed a better idea. The pills in his apartment were a lot stronger than drugstore medicine and getting rid of the thumping hurt in his head would make it easier to think.
With the decision made, he started the engine of the sedan to get going and walked through the door of his home around twenty minutes later. Taking the strong painkillers on top of six Tylenol wasn’t the smartest move, but he went ahead and popped a few Vicodins anyway. He lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes to wait for the pain to subside. When it was almost gone, he got his phone out and dialed a number.
“Did anything else happen at the apartment?”
“No,” Billy replied. “I waited around for a while after I saw Collins and his girlfriend leave, but didn’t really expect them to come back. The bags they were carrying made it look as they were heading off somewhere.”
“You need to find out where,” Lincoln said.
“How am I supposed to…”
“Just start putting the word out,” Lincoln cut in severely. “It was you that located him and his girlfriend before, so get to work doing it again.”
“Yes, Mr. Holt,” Billy replied.
“And put the word out that we’re looking for Matt Harris as well,” Lincoln went on. “I want him found and I want it done quickly.”
“I’ll get started right now.”
“Get in touch with me the minute you hear anything.”
He hung up before the man on the other end of the line said anything else. Relying on Billy was a bad place to be, but it was probably the best chance of discovering something quickly. He needed Matt Harris and Brett Collins in front of him to find out what happened at their meeting. One thing was for sure, it certainly didn’t go as intended and his boss wasn’t going to like it.
“Shit,” Lincoln cursed and he almost flung his phone at the wall when he sat up.
He stopped himself from doing it and looked at the screen. The idea of phoning Matt came in his head, but he knew it would be a complete waste of time. The call wouldn’t be answered and the sound of the ringing in his ear would only anger him to the point that he probably would destroy his phone.
Another idea came to him and he brought up the text message screen. A smile crossed his face as he typed and he sent what he’d written to Matt’s number when he finished.
“See how you like that, you dick,” he muttered.
He kept staring at the screen in expectation of a message coming back, but none did and he put his phone in his pocket after a few minutes. Getting to his feet, he walked through to the bedroom and sat down at the dressing table mirror. He leaned in close and parted his hair to get a look at the lump on his skull. The skin wasn’t broken, but the angry red color looked nasty and he winced when he touched a finger to it.
“I owe you one, Harris,” he said as he got to his feet and stripped off his clothes to have a shower.
The heat of the massaging water jets made him feel better and he remained under them for a while before getting out to dry himself. It was now late in the evening, but he was still in no mood for the discussion with Eddie when he got dressed. He knew the call would come if he didn’t show up, but wasn’t about to rush to a mouthful of verbal abuse from his boss.
Drinking alcohol on top of all the drugs he’d taken probably wasn’t the most sensible of ideas, but it didn’t stop him from doing it. He started sipping on the large whisky he poured himself before he even sat down. His mind ticked over, but there was no obvious way out of the predicament he’d put himself in unless Billy came up with something quickly. That didn’t mean he needed to tell Eddie the whole truth of what happened that evening and he spent a few minutes concocting a story that didn’t put him in such a bad light.
He would land as much of the blame as he could on Matt and leave out the part of him losing a knife fight by being knocked unconscious with an ashtray. He continued to drink as he considered the events of the evening, but his head began to swim and he stopped before the glass was empty.
“Time to get moving,” he told himself and got to his feet.
He suspected it was going to be a long night, so grabbed some more Vicodin to put in his pocket before leaving his apartment. They would at least keep the ache in his head at bay. When he got to the black sedan, he got in and set off towards Eddie’s place. The large gate was opened to let him in when he arrived and he brought the vehicle to a halt in a parking space. He got his phone out to see if there were any messages, but nothing showed on the screen and his lips tightened together as he dialed Billy’s number.
“Anything?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Billy replied. “I’ve started passing out the word that any news of Collins and Harris should be passed to me on your behalf, but no one has heard anything.”
“Keep trying,” Lincoln said and ended the connection.
He stepped out of the car and closed the door, then made his way towards the entrance to the property. It was time to front up to Eddie and tell him things didn’t go quite as planned that evening.
“This should be fun,” he muttered sarcastically under his breath as the door opened to let him walk inside.
Chapter 17
“Son of a…,” Matt let out without thinking, but stopped the curse before it came out fully.
He’d unwittingly said it loud enough to break the silence in the vehicle and was aware of the heads turning towards him as he stared at the screen of his phone.
“What is it?” Brigitte asked and leaned closer.
He said nothing at first, but swiveled the screen to make sure she didn’t see it as he switched the phone off. It was only after he put it in his pocket that he spoke. He knew what he was saying was lame, even before the words came out.
“It’s nothing.”
“Come on, Matt,” Delores complained. “We’re in this together now and if you know something, you need to tell us.”
“She’s right,” Brigitte chimed in. “What was on the phone?”
Matt let out a long breath as he considered what to do. He didn’t really want to tell them what he just read and silently berated himself for cursing, but it was too late to change that now.
“It seems our friend at your home has woken up from his knockout blow,” he started.
“Who is he?” Brigitte asked.
“His name is Lincoln Holt,” Matt replied. “He’s Eddie Millar’s top enforcer and right hand man. As you found out tonight, he’s not the nicest person around.”
“What did he send you?” Delores asked.
“A friendly greeting,” Matt told her.
“Let me see,” Brigitte said.
“Are you sure you want to?”
“It can’t make matters any worse, can it,” she countered.
Matt knew that was true, but was still reluctant to get his phone out. Delores and Brigitte nagged him into doing it and he eventually gave in. Bringing out his phone, he switched it on and brought the message up on the screen to read it again.
‘DEAD MAN WALKING HARRIS. I’LL HUNT YOU DOWN UNTIL YOU AND YOUR FUCKING FRIENDS ARE DEAD’
He passed the phone across to Brigitte and she put her hand to her mouth when she read what was on the screen. That there was nothing friendly about the greeting and it didn’t surprise her, but seeing the threat of death in black and white came as a shock. She passed the phone across to Delores, who read the message and handed it over to her boyfriend.
“You should have done more than knock out this joker,” Brett said in an irate tone after he saw what was written.
“I’ve never killed anyone,” Matt replied. “I don’t plan to start now and end up facing a murder rap.”
“Well, this guy has a real hard-on to see you buried six feet under,” Brett went on. “You should have taken him out while you had the chance.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Matt replied. “Lincoln Holt isn’t the one you need to worry about. If he’s not around, Eddie Millar will put someone else on hunting us down.”
“Do you think he knows we’re together?” Delores asked.
Matt looked to see her staring at him.
“It’s possible,” he said. “There was definitely someone watching your apartment. When I was at Brigitte’s house, Lincoln got a call and he definitely knew you left your place carrying bags. That’s what started the fight. On the other hand, I don’t think we’re being followed. Maybe the guy at your apartment simply watched you get in your car and leave.”
“Should have fucking sorted him out properly,” Brett muttered then raised his voice. “Now he’ll come after us and it seems you’re his number one target.”
“Yeah, then maybe we should split up,” Matt spat out. “And give me my phone back.”
Brett stared at the screen for a few more seconds then held the device over his shoulder and Matt snatched it.
“Nobody said anything about splitting up,” Delores said to try and defuse the simmering atmosphere in the car. “Let’s find somewhere we can stop. We can have a chat and make a decision about what we’re going to do.”
“There’s a motel around four or five miles ahead,” Brett said. “We passed a sign not long ago."
“I think we should keep going,” Matt replied.
“And who the hell put you in charge,” Brett complained in a louder voice.
Matt was gaining even more of a dislike for the man driving and was about to argue, but another voice stopped him.
“You said you didn’t think we we’re being followed,” Delores said. “Maybe getting some rest and a chance to think is the best idea. We can decide what to do then get up early tomorrow and take off.”
“I don’t think…,” Matt started.
“Maybe she’s right,” Brigitte interrupted. “We can’t just keep driving, without an idea of where we’re going.”
Matt turned to look at her and saw the unease in her expression.
“Three to one,” Brett almost crowed. “It looks like we’re stopping.”
Matt held in his annoyance to ask a question.
“Have you seen anything suspicious behind us?”
“If they really were following, I’m pretty sure they would have made a move long before now,” Brett pointed out. “And that message you got didn’t give the impression that anyone was close on our tail.”
It was the same thing Matt was thinking. He still considered the best option was to put as much distance between them and Eddie Millar as possible, but the idea of some rest was tempting. His wounds were hurting more and stopping would give him a chance to find some medication to take away the pain. He gave up protesting and turned his attention to the barren countryside they were passing through. Brigitte’s hand slipped into his and he squeezed it.
“One mile,” Brett said.
Matt ducked his head down to get a glimpse of the sign as they drove past. It boasted that the Yellow Wind Motel had forty luxury rooms, which were fitted out with all mod-cons. Whether the advertising matched up to reality was another thing altogether though. They turned off the highway around a minute later to approach the place. The sight of peeling paint and a broken screen door on the front of the reception building indicated that the wording on the sign might be optimistic.
Brett stopped the car in front of the main entrance and Matt was the one to get out. He walked up to the damaged door and the bottom of it scraped on the floor when he dragged it open. The screech of metal on concrete made him cringe and the door stuck open when he let it go.
“So much for the luxury,” he let out quietly as he looked around.
The reception desk was to the left, so he stepped across from it and saw there was no one there. He could hear the sound of a television coming from a back room and assumed the person manning the desk was in there.
“Hello,” he shouted. “Can I get a little help out here?”
The woman that stepped out of the room a few minutes later looked to be a fading beauty that was in her early fifties. The makeup on her face was obviously an attempt to hang on to past glories although it was laid on a bit too thick and didn’t really work on wrinkled skin. Matt guessed she’d been lying down to watch the television by the slightly bedraggled appearance of her hair.
“Well, hello,” she said and a wide smile spread across her face. “What can I do for you?”
“Two rooms for the night,” he replied.
“Are you here with friends?” she asked personably when she turned to get a couple of keys from the board on the wall behind.
“Yeah, we’re on a road trip,” Matt replied.
He didn’t particularly want to chat, but there was no getting away from it and he kept his answers short and sweet.
“Heading anywhere nice?”
“Wherever the road takes us,” he told her.
She nodded her head and patted his hand when she gave him the keys.
“It’s a thirty dollar rental for each of them,” she said.
Matt got his wallet from his pocket and counted out the notes before handing them over.
“You’re in Rooms 25 and 26,” she told him. “They’re at the rear of the building, so just follow the access road all the way around and you’ll find them.”
“Do you have a bar?” he asked.
“Yes we do,” the woman went on. “You’ll pass it on the way to your rooms. It’s not very busy, but you can get yourself a drink and some food.”
“Thanks,” Matt said.
“Checkout time is eleven,” she said as he started to turn and he glanced back.
“We should be gone long before that,” he said and walked away.
The screech of the door closing grated on his nerves to make a shudder ripple though him. He shrugged off the sensation as he stepped over to the car and got in.
“We’re in 25 and 26,” he said and passed one of the keys to Delores. “They’re at the rear of the place, so it will get the car out of sight of the highway. Follow the road around.”
Brett nodded and got them moving. They saw the neon sign of the bar flashing when they passed it, but kept going to get around to the rear of the place and park the car.
“We can talk in the bar,” Matt said before he got out. “We’ll get settled in and see you there in fifteen minutes or so.”
Brigitte followed him to the door of Room 25 and he used the key to let them inside. She walked across to put her bag on a chair and looked around. The place was clean and tidy although she wasn’t sure what the mod-cons were that the sign on the highway boasted about. A television mounted on the wall seemed to be it as far as she could see. She moved across to the door in the corner of the room and looked in the bathroom.
“Can I have a quick shower?” she asked.
“Wait until after we talk,” Matt replied.
She turned to see him taking off his jacket and stared at the red stains on his shirt.
“How do you feel?”
“I’ve been better,” he replied with a rueful smile.
He took off his shirt and moved across to where she was standing at the bathroom door. She moved aside to let him walk in and watched as he attempted to wash the blood out of the material. The sink rapidly became red and she turned away from the sight. Moving across to the bed, she sat down and brought out her phone. There were no missed calls, but staring at the screen made her remember that her father was going to call before the end of the week. Her panic welled up at the thought of him comi
ng home and she jumped to her feet.
“My father might be home tomorrow night,” she said when she got to the bathroom door. “Will he be in any danger?”
Matt stopped what he was doing to look at her.
“Is he definitely coming home?”
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