~Eleven~
By the time I left The Fish Shack, we had a plan in place as well as a back-up plan just in case Jonathan was unable to get what we needed. I hated having to place most of the responsibility on him, but since I had only been a resident of LA for a short while and had no affiliation other than Colin, he had a better chance of getting what we needed.
As I pulled into the airport to return my rental, it hit me that Tessa didn’t know of our plans. Jonathan and I never discussed telling her about what we had planned, or even the fact that Colin wanted him dead. She needed to know the truth about everything; well, almost everything.
Just as every other day, the airport rental agency was super busy. All I wanted was to get my car returned and get back to my place unnoticed. Taking my place in line, I was beginning to get that paranoid feeling. It was one of those feelings of being watched. Looking around, it seemed that mostly everyone was carrying on with their own agenda; paying no attention to me or anyone else for that matter.
I knew I should have been concerned when I could feel the warmth of someone’s breath trickle down my neck. Before I could turn around to see who was, a familiar voice sounded. “London, what the hell are you doing here?” Kyle questioned. “You aren’t planning a trip, are you?”
Being in a state of shock, I was at a loss for words. I could only think to ask him the same thing. “Lincoln, funny seeing you here. Are you planning a trip?”
“Me? Hell no. I’m just here to check out a vehicle while my truck is being repaired,” he admitted. “But you still haven’t told me what you are doing here.”
“I’m on my way back from the coast. Thought it would be better to rent a car than to put wear and tear on my own.” It was a dumbass excuse, but the only one that I could come up with.
“I think you’re up and I need to head out,” Lincoln responded as he began heading to where the rentals were located to pick up his car. Turning to face me, he said, without warning. “Watch your back, London. You don’t want to get on Mr. Gates’ bad side.”
His last remark made me wonder if he knew more than what he let on. It didn’t make sense to me that he would come to the airport to pick up a rental when there were closer car rental places in LA. Kyle Lincoln was going to be someone that I needed to keep my eye on as well. I began to rethink our friendship
~*~*~*~
Having spent an hour and a half at the airport and another forty-five minutes driving home, I was glad to finally step foot in my apartment. I needed to get to work on what tomorrow would bring and make sure our back-up plan was arranged. No sooner than I placed my keys on the counter, there was a knock at the door. I hadn’t been expecting anyone and the last thing I needed was to be interrupted when I had such little time as it was.
Opening the door, it didn’t surprise me that Ginger was standing on the other side, and given the way she looked, I was pretty sure she was planning on staying for a while. Holding a bottle of champagne and a bottle of orange juice was also a dead giveaway. Stopping her before she offered her services. I bluntly said in the nicest way, “Baby, this is really a bad time. Nice dress though.”
“Aww… come on, handsome. Just one?” she pleaded in her sexiest voice, which was more of a whine than anything.
“No can do. I really need to get some work done. You understand. Right, baby?” I coaxed.
“Okay, maybe later than. We could have some real fun.”
Giving her a soft peck on the cheek, I smiled, leaving her with at least a hint of hope, even though what she had planned was never going to happen. God, I swear sometimes I can be such a douche. I should have told her right then that things between us were fun while it lasted, but like with everything, “all good things must come to an end.”
Closing the door, there were more important things on my mind than Ginger. Faking someone’s death was not new to me, and having faked my own, I was an expert on the subject. I just needed to come up with a way that would make Colin believe that Jonathan was dead. As I sat at my desk, staring into space, a light came on and I began making my idea come to life. I began writing down all the things that I needed to do to make it look real. Looking back, the self-driving car was a bit of a stretch, but this plan would be more realistic, especially since I was going to make sure that Colin was there to witness it.
Reaching in my pocket, I pulled out my cell, ready to contact Jonathan, but remembered that I needed to be careful. I really needed to think about getting a new phone. Whether or not my calls were being traced was something I wasn’t about to risk.
Grabbing my keys from the counter, I hurried out the door before Ginger came back. The more I thought about it, keeping my current one could be used in my favor, especially if there was something that I wanted Colin to hear. I still wanted to know if my phone was being tapped and I was certain that a cell phone dealer would be able to find whatever spyware was being used quicker than I could.
While I was out, I decided that stopping by an electronics store to purchase an RF frequency detector wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Having a detector would at least let me know if there were any bugs in my apartment and where they were hidden. Once again, I would leave them in place, knowing that I could use them in my favor, making sure that Colin heard what I wanted him to hear.
Pulling up to the electronics store, I was in luck since they were also a cell phone dealer. Explaining my situation to the clerk, it came as no surprise that it wasn’t uncommon to have a phone checked for spyware. It turned out that my phone was clear of any suspicious spyware apps. At least that was a plus. His expertise in RF signal detectors was another story. About the only thing he knew was where to find them on the shelf. Finding a fellow employee, he directed me over to where the radio frequency detectors were while calling for assistance.
I never realized how many models of RF signal detectors there were. Picking up the most expensive model since they were usually the best, I began reading about all the features this particular one had. Getting my fill of knowledge, I heard a deep voice sound behind me. “That there is one of our best models. It will do everything from locating microphones to cameras. It is really easy to use. If your home is being bugged, whoever is doing it will have to be no more than 500 feet away in order to receive the signal. Being closer rather than farther would be ideal if they wanted better reception. Just a little information for you.” the clerk explained.
“That’s good enough for me. I’ll take it,” I replied. I knew if my condo was being bugged, this little gadget would certainly find it.
As I was driving down the highway, it occurred to me what the clerk at the electronics store said. If my apartment was bugged and if what the clerk said was true about the strength of the signal requiring the person bugging the place to be no more than 500 feet away, then that meant either someone in my building was behind bugging my penthouse or there was someone sitting outside the building keeping track of my every move. This was very unnerving, especially since I had always been extremely careful with the jobs I did for Colin. That shouldn’t have warranted any doubt on his part, at least, that was, until Jeffries.
~*~*~*~
As I got off the elevator, I scanned the hallway to make sure it was clear of a certain sex-crazed woman. With the coast clear, I headed to my apartment without being seen. Even though I knew she wasn’t the stalking type, I wouldn’t put it past her to be lurking in the hallway waiting to see who was getting off or on the elevator
When I reached my own place without being seen, I went to the fridge, pulled out a brew, and headed over to the couch to read the instructions on the RF signal detector. Just before I pulled the box out of the bag, it occurred to me that if there were cameras hidden in the living area, whoever was on the receiving end would be able to see what I was up to. Taking my brew and the bag with me, I headed to my room and entered my walk-in closet, knowing that was going to be the safest place at the moment. “Who in their right mind would bug a closet, after all?” I thought to myself.
Closing the door, I grabbed the flashlight on the top shelf and tore into the box. As I was reading the instruction, I began thinking how silly this was. A grown man hiding in a closet to read instructions in order not to be seen. I chuckled to myself as I shook my head at the irony of it. All I could think was, “This had better be worth it.”