Mack

“This is literally the worst time for all of this to be happening.”

Cary just agreed. “I don’t think it’s ever a good thing when you have to retain a lawyer like me.”

Cary was the best defense attorney in the country and I knew that I should get her on retainer when I realized the obvious government tail. Some people would think that I was just being anxious and going too far, too fast, all because of a couple of tails. They could have come from anyone, but I had a bad feeling that it was going to be an agency that I hadn’t battled before, which meant that I hadn’t gotten anyone on my side yet and that was a problem.

Cary left not too long after the paperwork was signed. I didn’t give her any specifics of what I will see coming down the pipe and she didn’t ask. She only wanted to know when it came time to beat a charge. She didn’t need to know everyone’s bad deeds. Cary already knew enough of them I supposed.

My phone rang again and I should have turned it off. I couldn’t answer, not sure what was done to my lines at home and work. I wasn’t using my regular phone except for legitimate calls that wouldn’t give anything away. For every other call I was using a burner phone, but it wasn’t the time to call Danny back. She hadn’t left a message, but I knew her well enough that she had likely cursed me out ten times over with each call I ignored. She was not going to be happy, but it was worth a little anger to keep her out of it.

I had a couple of my guys check things out since I was an hour away. I wanted eyes on her to make sure that she wasn’t dragged into this and they were to report back to me.

She’d gone out the night before with her roommate and I was glad to hear that she wasn’t out with a man. I hadn’t really asked if she was single, basically because I hadn’t really cared. Now I cared and I needed more information.

Making my way across the city, I had a meeting that couldn’t be changed and had to be today. I was going to miss a big opportunity or I would have skipped it with how I felt the heat. I knew that it was going to be a disaster if I didn’t go, so I had Ernest drop me off at a location and circle the block a few times, his eyes peeled for anymore black cars with impossibly tinted windows that wasn’t supposed to be there.

When we arrived, Ernest told me that he hadn’t seen anything and neither had I, so I felt safe going to the meeting place. It was on the man’s boat and I knew that it would be safe to talk there. The boat was always on the move, as was the man. It was the sort of life that I wasn’t sure I was ready for, even though it may have to happen quicker than I liked to admit. I knew that it wouldn’t last forever.

Tony met me at the dock and I followed him onto the boat. It was big enough that it hardly moved when I stepped on and I made a note to ask him where he got it when the business was done.

“I was starting to think that you weren’t going to make it Mack.”

“Just a little late, but I told you that I was coming Tony. I just had to make sure that I was alone for the meeting.”

Tony didn’t like the sound of that. Everyone I worked with was paranoid in one way or another and Tony wasn’t any different. He had his captain take us to sea a little bit, convinced that we could be heard. He didn’t know who was listening, just that someone was. It may have seemed strange to others, but the fact of the matter was that in our line of work, it kept us on the right side of the law.

When we were far enough out that Tony was satisfied, he turned to me and asked what was going on.

“Not sure yet, just feeling a little heat and wanting to be extra careful. I don’t want to worry too much, but you know how these things are.”

Tony nodded his head like he understood, but at the same time he was looking at me as if he wasn’t sure now. No one wanted to deal with someone that had heat on them and Tony was no different. There was a lot going on and the last thing that he wanted was to get dragged into my problems. If it wasn’t for the money, he would have dropped me off and told me to call him when it all blew over. But he was in the market to get some things off of his boat and I was the one that was going to find a buyer for him. I already had one in mind and I was only here to settle a price.

“I think we should be careful.”

“I am careful Tony. That’s why I’ve been in the game for over ten years. Nothing has changed. This wouldn’t be the first time I had some people trying to catch me with my pants down. They never do. I won’t let them.”

I sounded a whole lot more sure about it then I really was. I didn’t like to think about all of the things that could go wrong, but it was impossible not to. I did feel the heat on the back of my neck and I would be the first to say that I didn’t like it.

“After this, are you going to take a break?”

“I might. Get out of here for a little while and let it get to a cooler temperature. This one is already sold as soon as I see it to make sure it’s legit. I heard about the heist. It was in all of the papers.”

Tony agreed with a smile. I could see a bit of pride in his eyes. I never knew who did the jobs, just the authenticity of what they were offering. I was the seller of things and I didn’t particularly care where they came from. Sometimes it was easier just because then I knew it was the real thing.

He brought me down into the cabins below and we went to look at the paintings that were expensive and very hot themselves. They’d been stolen not even a week ago according to the news and since they were so rare, they were considered priceless. I’d found in my line of work, nothing was priceless. I would soon be able to tell them real quickly what something was worth. It was worth what the next person would pay for it. It was that simple.

“So give me a couple of days. I will have my guys come pick the pair up in a little while and we will go from there. Since I already have a buyer in mind, I think a forty-eight hour turnaround is suitable.”

“We meet somewhere else then.”

I agreed, not really liking the marina he was at now.

“Where?”

“I will let you know where I dock.”

“Good enough.”

We shook hands and I made my way topside as we went back to the marina where Ernest was circling with the car. If he wasn’t there, it meant we were being watched and I was going to have to leave a different way.

Ernest was waiting for me and pulled to pick me up rather quickly.

“Anything to report?”

“Tony had a guy on the road, most likely waiting for us.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Please do. I got a bad feeling about Tony.”

I didn’t have a bad feeling and I was used to listening to my gut. “I will be careful with him. He is one of the last people that I think would do something like that. He’s just as dirty as me. They’d have to find someone with clean hands and there is no one around me like that. Not even you Ernest.”

The driver smiled, but it hid the same thing mine did, anxiety. Something was going on and though I wouldn’t touch the art, I was the orchestrator and that was worse.

I shook off the feeling, telling myself that I was just being paranoid.