by Wilder, L.
“Right on time.” As Ronin started towards the boat, he said, “I’ll touch base with Gus as soon as we get everything delivered.”
“I’ll let him know.”
We watched as Ronin and his guys boarded the boat, and once they were gone, Clutch and Stitch came over to say their goodbyes. “You boys have a safe trip back.”
“You aren’t following us back?” Blaze asked with surprise.
“I don’t think so.” He glanced down at his phone as he said, “We were looking, and we think it’ll be faster for us to head back through Arkansas.”
It was at least a forty-hour drive back to Washington, and I couldn’t blame them for wanting to find the shortest route. “Yeah. You’re probably right about that.”
Before they both turned to leave, Stitch looked over to me and said, “Good work on tracking down Josue. You let Gus know, if he needs us, we’re just a phone call away.”
“Appreciate that, brother.”
After a few more bro-hugs, we got in our SUVs and drove in our separate directions. While I was glad everything went as planned, I couldn’t have been happier that we were headed home. I tried to settle back in my seat, but adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, making it difficult to relax. Thankfully, after an hour or so, the tension started to fade, giving way to my exhaustion. Hoping that the guys would give me a break, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. By the time we made it to the interstate, I was out, and I didn’t come to until we made it back to Memphis. The sun was just starting to come up when pulled through the gates of the clubhouse. Even though it was early, I wasn’t surprised to see that Gus and Moose were there waiting for us when we walked in. It was clear from their expressions that they were eager to hear how things had gone. While Murphy and Blaze filled them in, I went over to have a word with Gauge. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes when I said, “Hey, brother. I need to ask you about something.”
“Sure thing. Whatcha got on your mind?” he asked with a big yawn.
“I wanted to ask you about a girl who came by the clubhouse a few months back—a blonde driving a red Volkswagen. Murphy seems to think you were working the gate when she pulled up.” His eyebrows furrowed as I asked, “You got any idea who I’m talking about?”
“Yeah, I think so. If I’m not mistaken, I think she’d come looking for you.”
“Any idea what she wanted?”
“No. She wouldn’t tell me much. Just that she wanted to see you about something.”
“If it was so important, why she didn’t come on inside?”
“She was about to when you came out of the clubhouse.”
“Okay. Then, why didn’t you send her over my way?”
“I was gonna, but then she saw that you weren’t alone, and she hightailed it out of here.”
“I wasn’t alone? Who the fuck was I with?”
“Kenadee. I guess she thought you two were together or something.”
“Why would she think that?”
“Cause you had the puppy Blaze was giving Kevin, and she was going on and on about it.” He shrugged. “I tried to tell her that Kenadee wasn’t your girl, but she left before I could explain.”
I ran my hand over my face as I groaned, “Well, damn.”
“I told you all this before, and you didn’t seem all that worried about it.”
“When was that?”
“Right after Kevin’s birthday party.” When he saw the confused look on my face, he continued, “We’d all gone to the bar to have a few more drinks. I guess you’d had a few more than I realized.”
“Yeah, I was pretty wasted that night.” I could’ve given him hell, but knowing it wouldn’t change anything, I decided to let it go. “It’s all good. Don’t worry about it.”
With that, I turned and started down the hallway. When I got back to my room, I hoped that checking on Navarro’s location would help take my mind off of Reece, but as soon as I’d confirmed that he was still in Little Rock, I found myself thinking about her once again. Feeling frustrated, I closed my laptop and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. I turned on the water and removed my clothes, and once the water had gotten warm enough, I stepped inside. The heat of the water immediately started to ease the tightness in my neck and shoulders, but it did nothing for the thoughts that were racing through my head. I found myself thinking back to what Blaze had said, and I was starting to think he was right. The time had come for me to find out if this thing with Reece was real or if it was all in my head.
CHAPTER 6
Reece
Fear can be a very powerful thing. It can gnaw at you, feed on your doubts and insecurities, and it can make you do crazy things, detrimental things. If you aren’t careful, it can destroy everything you’ve worked for. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I couldn’t. I had my family to think of, my mother and my son, and I couldn’t let my fear of failure stop me from trying. It wasn’t easy. When Myles told me about my uncle’s death, I was ready to give up. I thought my article was done, that there was no longer a story to be written or revenge to be had, but thankfully, he was there to give me the push I needed to see it through. As promised, I’d gone by and grabbed us both a cup of coffee before heading over to his office. When he noticed me walking towards him, he asked, “Black with two sugars?”
“Yep!” As I handed him his cup, I noticed that my files were scattered across his desk. “Did you get through it all?”
“I was just finishing up.” He took a sip of his coffee before he continued, “You’ve really done your homework.”
“I may have gone a little overboard.”
“No, not at all,” he assured me. “I know you were disappointed about Rodrigo being dead, but you still have what you need to write an amazing piece. It’s just a matter of adding a little meat to the bones.”
“And how do I do that?”
“First, we’re going over to that apartment. We’ll ask around and see if we can find anyone willing to talk.”
“Okay. And if we don’t find anything there?”
“Then, we head on over to Little Rock. I’ve already spoken with Graves, and he’s given us the go ahead.”
There was something about him contacting Graves that gave me an uneasy feeling so, I said, “Myles, I really appreciate everything you’re doing here, I really do, and I owe you a great deal for helping me out and all, but …”
“You don’t have to worry, Reece. I know this is your story, and I have no intentions of overstepping in any way,” he assured me.
“I’m really happy to hear you say that.” I smiled. “Thank you, Myles.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” With his coffee in hand, he stood up, and as he started for the door, he tossed me his car keys. “You have a lot of work ahead of you … driving included.”
“I’m good with that.”
I followed him out of the office and down to his car. As soon as I was buckled in, he asked, “You still have the address to that apartment complex?”
“Absolutely.” I knew the damn thing by heart. I’d already driven by it twice, and I couldn’t wait to go inside and see what we’d find. “It’s the Bailey Apartments, apartment 302. They’re just a few blocks from here.”
“Well, let’s get to it.”
With a quick nod, I started his car and drove over to the apartment complex. A rush of an apprehension surged through me as we pulled up to the building. Myles seemed completely unbothered by the fact that neither of us had any idea what we would find in that apartment. For all we knew, we were putting our lives in danger by going into that building, but he didn’t give it a second thought as he got out of the car and started walking towards the front door. I sat there for a minute, trying to steady my nerves, and after several seconds, I remembered that Rodrigo was dead. That alone was enough for me to conquer my doubts and get out of the car—that, and the hope we might actually find out something interesting. Once we’d made it upstairs, I looked over to Myles and smiled. To my
surprise, I was actually glad that he was there with me. Just having him close kept me grounded as I stepped up to door labeled 302 and knocked. I’m not sure what I was expecting to find on the other side of the door, but I certainly didn’t expect to find an attractive, white male standing there in his bathrobe. He was a little younger than me with shaggy brown hair and an athletic build.
“Can I help you?”
“I hope so.” I extended my hand as I said, “I’m Reece Winters, and this is my colleague Myles Dixon. We’re reporters for the Memphis Metro, and I was hoping you might answer a few questions for me.”
He glanced over at Myles as he replied, “Yeah, I guess I could try.”
“Okay. Why don’t we start with your name?”
“I’m Jason Brazzle.”
“Okay. Great, Jason.” I smiled as I pulled a picture of Rodrigo out of my back pocket. “Have you seen this man before?”
He glanced over at the photograph, and his eyes widened when he saw that it was Rodrigo. It was clear from his expression that he recognized him, but he replied, “I’m sorry. I’ve never seen this man before. I wish I could be of more help to you, but—”
“Are you sure?” I held the picture closer to him as I pushed, “I’ve heard from a reliable source that he was seen here at your apartment.”
His tone became bitter as he snapped, “Your source must be mistaken because that man has never been here before.”
“Are you sure you haven’t seen him in the hall or maybe in the elevator?”
“I wish I could be of more help, but I already told you, I’ve never seen the guy before.”
There was no doubt in my mind that he was lying, and when I glanced back at Myles, I could tell he was thinking the same. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything either of us could do about it. Having no other choice, I returned the photograph to my back pocket and said, “Okay. Well, I won’t waste any more of your time. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. If you happen to remember something … anything, whatsoever, just give me a call.”
After he took my business card, he gave me an anxious smile. “I sure will, and good luck on finding this guy.”
“Oh, we’re not trying to find him. He was murdered a few days ago, and there are some questions surrounding his death.” His face grew pale as I continued, “We’re just hoping to find out who actually killed him.”
“Oh,” he muttered.
He nodded and then quickly shut the door. Without saying a word, Myles and I turned and headed downstairs. Once we got in his car, he looked over to me and said, “You did good up there.”
“He was lying. He knows something. I could feel it.”
“Yeah. I thought the same thing, but you handled him like a champ. Did you see his face when you mentioned Rodrigo’s murder?”
“Yeah. He looked pretty freaked out, but you saw him, he doesn’t exactly look like the type of guy who’d be mixed up with the cartel.”
“No, he doesn’t. Maybe he’s just spooked. Let’s give him some time, and maybe we can try talking to him again later.”
“Okay. That’s a good plan.”
As he started the car, he asked, “It’s still early. How about a quick trip to Arkansas? If we leave now, we can be there before ten.”
“Sure, Sounds good to me.”
“I was hoping you would say that.”
When he pulled out onto the main road, I reached in my purse for my phone. I sent my mother a text, letting her know that there was a chance I would be working late, and she might have to pick up Tate from daycare. I hoped that we would be back before they closed, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Just like I had expected, my mother immediately responded to my message, saying that she would be happy to help. Feeling relieved, I turned my attention back to Myles. We spent the next two hours going over different strategies, and by the time we made it to Little Rock, I felt like we had a solid plan. Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen obstacles that made things more difficult than we expected. Our first hiccup struck at the police station. As soon as we arrived, we were sent to a small desk in the center of the station where we were introduced to Alan McKnight, the lead detective on Rodrigo’s case. He was an older gentleman with thick, white hair that was slicked back away from his face like one of those sleazy gangster guys you see in the movies. His wrinkled gray suit hung on his shoulders, making me wonder if he’d slept in it the night before, and the intense scowl he gave me as I approached his desk didn’t exactly make me feel welcome.
“Daniels said you had some questions for me?” he grumbled.
“Yes.” Trying my best to ignore his foul mood, I smiled and said, “I’m Reece Winters, and this is Myles Dixon. We’re from the Memphis Metro, and I was hoping we could discuss the Navarro case with you.”
“I don’t have much time on my hands, lady. The case is still under investigation, and we’ve already released what we can. You can read about it in the City Gazette just like everyone else.”
“Yes, I’m very aware of that, detective.” Like most states, Arkansas released information about arrests and criminal convictions, but if a case was still being investigated, the police wouldn’t share important details with the public. “I was hoping you could tell me if there was anything new with the investigation … something that hasn’t been released to the public.”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you, Ms. Winters.”
“I’m not asking you to cross any lines here but isn’t there anything you might be able to give us. A new lead or possible suspects? Anything you could give us would be greatly appreciated.”
“I’ve got nothing, Miss.” He shrugged with ambivalence as he turned his attention back to his computer. “Sorry to say, but you wasted a trip coming here today.”
“Please, detective,” I pleaded. “I really need this.”
He glanced up at me with a curious look and asked, “And why is that?”
I hated to break out the big guns, but he wasn’t leaving me any choice. I let several tears trickle from the corner of my eyes as I explained, “Rodrigo Navarro killed my aunt. It nearly destroyed my family. I know he’s dead and he got what was coming to him, but it’s just not enough. The men in these cartels are getting away with murder, drug trafficking, and God knows what else. Somebody has to do something to stop them.”
I could hear the skepticism in his voice as he asked, “And you think you’ve got what it takes to stop them?”
“Maybe. Maybe not, but I owe it to my family to try.”
He studied me for a moment, then his whole demeanor changed as he replied, “Honestly, kid, I don’t have much. We’re looking into a few leads, but nothing really substantial. We did find a surveillance video from a warehouse across the street.”
“Were you able to see what happened?”
“Not really.” He turned to his computer, and as he typed, he explained, “The warehouse we obtained it from has been unoccupied for years, but the old guy who owns it kept the security cameras going. Apparently, he was worried about someone holding him liable if something happened on the property.”
Once he’d pulled up the footage, he turned the screen in our direction, revealing an old road lined with several vacant, dilapidated warehouses. With a quick press of a point, day turned into night, and the road disappeared until a pair of headlights appeared. Two dark SUVs and a royal blue BMW flashed across the screen, but they all had tinted windows, making it impossible to see who was inside the vehicles. They each whipped behind one of the smaller warehouses and turned out their lights, leaving the entire area engulfed in darkness. “Who is that?”
“The BMW belonged to Rodrigo, but I got no idea who was in the SUVs. They’d removed the license plates, so it was impossible to trace them back to the owners.”
“Dang.” I leaned forward, squinting as I studied the screen, but it was simply too dark to see anything. “Where are they?”
“Keep watching.”
Seconds l
ater, there was a flash of light coming from the back of the building, and for the first time, I could see a silhouette of a man standing in the parking lot. He was wearing all back, and his face was covered with a dark ski mask, making it impossible to identify him. I sat there watching for several seconds when he did something with his hand. “Can you rewind that a few seconds?”
“Sure.”
After a few quick keystrokes, he brought the video back a few seconds, and I watched intently as the figure toyed with his cigarette lighter. Something about the motion of his hand seemed oddly familiar to me, but before I could put my finger on it, another figure appeared. I barely had time to blink before they both disappeared into the darkness. I thought that was it, until a few moments later when I noticed the fire billowing from inside the building. There was an orange glow illuminating from the windows, casting a dim light over the parking lot, but it wasn’t enough for me to actually see what was going on behind that warehouse.
Myles knelt down beside me as he said, “The paper said that Navarro had been shot, but I didn’t see any sign of gunfire.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He pointed to the screen as he said, “Rewind the feed and watch the window. If there was a big shootout between these guys, we would see small explosions of light coming from their weapons.”
McKnight rewound the footage, and once he started it again, we all studied the window, searching for any signs of light. When there wasn’t any, Myles asked, “Is it possible that they shot him somewhere else?”
“It’s a possibility, but I don’t see why they’d go to all that trouble.”
Remembering a documentary I’d watched with my father, I turned to them and said, “Maybe they used a silencer.”
A surprised look crossed McKnight’s face as he replied, “She’s right about that. It would’ve reduced the muzzle flash.”