Chapter Sixty-Five
Nathan
I squeezed Bree’s hand too hard as we entered the alley. She had to pinch me to make me loosen my grip. I let go and balled both hands into fists. The drug dealer just laughed at our apprehension.
“Come on, don’t look like that,” he said. “My employer doesn’t mind the bar, but he prefers to do business somewhere nicer.”
“An alley?” Bree asked.
The drug dealer shot her a withering look. Clearly, in his world, women waited to be spoken to before they said anything. “Are we going or what?”
I moved in front of Bree and clasped her hand again. This time, she didn’t fuss when I clamped on tightly.
Every step I took, I assumed we were going to be jumped. We certainly didn’t look like the type of tourists who were lured into back alleys to get robbed. That was reserved for overtly rich people.
What did he have planned for us?
We continued down the alley without incident. By the time we reached a back road, I was more than on edge, I was ready to lash out at the smallest shadow.
“How about you tell us the details of this so-called job before we take another step,” I told him.
The drug dealer snorted and continued to lead the way. The only choice we had was to return to the dive bar, and I couldn’t give up now. I glanced back, surprised at how well Bree was holding up, and then followed the drug dealer.
He turned us left down the back road. I clocked each turn and twist. If we were helplessly lost in some back-alley maze, then whoever mugged us would be long gone before we managed to drag ourselves back to our motel.
Just as I was about to grab the drug dealer by the scruff of his neck and demand an explanation, he turned one more time and brought us to a large metal door.
“Meeting’s through here,” he said.
I stopped and shook my head. “No way. Whatever’s on the other side of that door can wait. You explain the job now or we walk.”
Bree tugged on my hand. “What about the money?” she whispered. “It’d be nice to drive a car with air conditioning, wouldn’t it?”
The drug dealer smiled. “She might have a point there,” he said. “Details of the job are on the other side of this door. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it. She’s leaving.” I couldn’t help it, protecting Bree was a reflex now.
“You need money; this is a way you can get it. And with both of you, you’ll get the big bucks twice as fast,” the drug dealer said.
Bree clung to my arm. “I don’t want to go back to the bar by myself.”
The drug dealer rolled his eyes. “Complaining aside, the girl makes the deal.”
“I thought you just wanted me,” I said.
He shrugged. “I ran the numbers on the way over here and the deal’s better with her. Couples can work great, as long as one can keep the other in check.”
I stopped Bree before her anger bubbled to the surface. There were only so many chauvinistic comments she could take before she boiled over. I didn’t want to see the look on the drug dealer’s face when she started to tell him off about feminism and the 21st century. If she thought I was a caveman, she found him a complete Neanderthal and he would probably respond with the same amount of restraint as our animalistic ancestors.
“What kind of numbers are we talking?” I asked the drug dealer.
He shrugged again. “I’m not the one with the specifics. You’ll have to head inside to get that kind of information.”
I looked at the imposing door again and shook my head. “I think this was a mistake. Sorry to waste your time.”
The drug dealer laughed and the sounded grated my nerves. “No. I don’t waste time, and I don’t say I’ll deliver new employees and then turn up empty-handed.”
I shielded Bree and showed the man my tight fists. “So, what are you going to do?”
The drug dealer’s only response was to slide open the large, metal door. Two men in dark suits stepped out and ushered us inside. We were all too familiar with the way large handguns flashed inside their suit coats.
There was no way to go except through the dark doorway. I clamped Bree’s arm tight against my body, and we moved together into the dimly lit space.
Once inside, my stomach tightened like a corkscrew. The restaurant was all dark polished wood and bright white linen. Crystal decanters held white flickering candles at each table. Diners wore fashionable cocktail dresses and ties.
It was as far from my fears as possible and that only served to double my anxiety.
What had I gotten Bree into this time?
The men in dark suits ushered us through the fancy tables and foodie couples. In the corner was a larger table with extra candles. We were told to take a seat and wait for our meeting.
A waiter in a crisp white uniform appeared. “Good evening. Can I get you something to drink while you wait? Perhaps a glass of wine?”
Bree started to nod but I cut her off. “No, thanks. We’re fine.”
“I was going to order another vodka tonic,” Bree pouted.
“No. No way. I’m not letting you touch or take anything from these people until we find out what they want in return,” I said.
Bree frowned. “I thought this would have made you feel better?”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her close, my expression fierce. “Why would any of this make me feel better? You should be safe on your way home by now.”
Bree twisted her wrist free. “Relax, Hank. All I’m saying is this place is a much nicer place for a business meeting than the back alley behind a bar.”
“Switch seats with me,” I said.
Bree’s eyes went wide. I always insisted on sitting with my back to the wall in restaurants. I liked being able to see what was in front of me without worrying what might be sneaking up behind. Now I was asking Bree to do the opposite and switch so I could turn my back on the restaurant full of people.
“What is it?” she asked, rising from her seat.
I stood up and, under the pretense of giving her a reassuring hug, I whispered, “I think I recognize some of these people. Or they might recognize me.”
Bree sat down and took in her view of the whole restaurant. “No one’s looking at you. In fact, everyone else seems to be having a very nice time. Think we should order something?”
I snatched the menu out of Bree’s hands. “Concentrate. If so much as one person recognizes me, you need to be ready to run.”
“Yes, I know. The cartel doesn’t care about me. Your connection made that abundantly clear,” Bree said.
A laugh escaped. “Do you hear yourself? Anyone else in their right mind would be overjoyed to know the drug cartel didn’t care about them. It’s when they are interested in you that we have a problem.”
“Then we have a problem,” Bree said.
I looked where she nodded and saw a pair of waiters weaving through the sea of white linen with two heavy trays.
“We didn’t order anything,” I told the first waiter to arrive at our table. “You can take this all back.”
The first waiter shook his head. “Our employer said to start your first course.”
“How many courses will there be?” Bree asked with a hopeful and perpetually hungry tone in her voice.
The waiter laid a salad decorated with brightly colored petals in front of Bree. “This is the first of five courses. Please enjoy.”
It took every scrap of calm I had to keep from knocking the fork out of Bree’s hand. “Don’t eat anything,” I warned her.
“Or what? I’ll wake up in a bathtub with internal organs missing?” Bree asked. Then she blanched as she realized that was a very real possibility.
Finally, I had to relent. Bree looked as if she might faint at any minute. Plus, our mysterious ‘employer’ did not seem to be in a rush to reveal himself.
“They can’t very well poison us in front of all these other people,” I said. “Go ahead and try the first course.”
Bree was able to sample three courses as we waited. I kept having to remind her to observe the restaurant. What kind of people came and went? Were any new wait staff coming onto shift?
“I don’t know, Nathan. It all looks pretty normal to me. And you should try this shrimp. It’s is the best I’ve ever had,” Bree said.
“Not a big fan of shrimp,” I said.
“What about Kobe beef? This course is a heavenly kind of surf and turf.” Bree held out a bite for me.
I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”
“At least you could have a glass of wine,” Bree said. “They uncorked it at the table.”
I shook my head and waited, every nerve singing as I sat with my back to the busy room. I wanted a shot of whiskey to calm my nerves but then I reminded myself it wasn’t all bad. I couldn’t see what was behind me but Bree was there. And she was definitely the best view in the place.