It was everything.
Finishing up a lot of shit I had neglected the past couple of days, I had been at The Tenor with Xavier and Atticus, going over everything that needed my attention. With Xavier and Atticus being as good as they were at their jobs, there hadn’t been much that needed my attention, but I liked being aware of everything that went on with my business, on and off the books.
However, nearly done, Xavier had gotten a call from Denny, a member of our kitchen staff at The Opera, that he’d found Kimberly Alba knocked out by her car when he’d gone out to dump the trash. According to Denny, he had noticed Kim’s car still in the parking lot when he’d extended his trash trip to a smoke break and had got to strolling the parking lot. Wondering why her car was still there when he knew she was already off shift, he went to check on her car, thinking it broke down, when he saw a purse near one of the back tires. And when he made his way around the car, that’s when he saw Kim’s unconscious body lying on the ground.
Denny had checked her pulse, and with a strong beat against his fingertips, he called 911. When he had noticed Kim’s purse entangled around her arm, he had quickly gone back around the car to check on the other purse. Finding Devi’s driver’s license in it, but no Devi, that’s when he had run back into the restaurant, called for help, and ran back outside to wait with Kim.
The call to Xavier had come moments later.
And now, I was tearing Alvin Fischer’s store apart, two of his guys knocked out, while Xavier was scouring the South Side, Atticus was scouring the West Side, and Keith was scouring the North Side of Rockford. I’d taken the East Side since it was his stomping grounds.
There was no doubt in my mind that Alvin took her. Who else would? Sure, there’d be a chance that Keith was tangled up with other bad people, but when I had called him to tell him his sister was missing, he’d lost his shit, swearing on his life that Alvin was his only hookup. And like me, his mind had immediately gone to Fischer for this.
A loud gasp had me turning with my gun raised. The clerk from Saturday was standing in the doorway, gaping at the mess I’d made and the two unconscious bodies on the floor. When her wide eyes met mine, I did the one thing I’ve never done in my life.
I threatened a female.
“Tell me where Alvin would take her,” I demanded. “If you think I won’t kill you, you’re wrong.”
She started trembling. “I…I…”
“Where would Alvin take someone for privacy?”
Tears started streaming down her face, her body still shaking. “He’s…he’s…”
“He’s what?!”
“He’s got a…a pl…place out on…on Steele Canyon Road,” she sputtered. “It’s…it’s an old, abandoned farmhouse.”
She barely managed to get out of the way as I raced past her. I hated taking the time to do it, but once in my car, I sent a text to Atticus, Xavier, and Keith, telling them I was on my way to Steele Canyon Road.
I took off, speeding and breaking all kinds of traffic laws, but I didn’t care. My only hope was that I’d catch a cop’s attention and I could lead them to Fischer. If not, I had no problem handling him on my own. In fact, I’d prefer it. However, letting the cops take him off my hands was better for everyone involved. Murder was not how I had planned to start my relationship with Devi.
Getting on the freeway, I hadn’t caught any law enforcement attention, and the irony wasn’t lost on me. I spent my days and nights making sure not to end up on their radar because of all the underground shit I had my fingers in, and the one time I wouldn’t mind having their attention or help, not a motherfucker in sight, no matter how fast I was driving.
There was also the possibility that I might not be the first person to get to Steele Canyon Road. Even if Atticus and Xavier didn’t feel obligated to me, I knew Keith was making fast time.
He might be a loser, but he loved his sister.
Weaving my way through traffic, what ifs tried to invade my mind, but I did my best to push them back. I couldn’t afford to let the cruel possibilities suck me under. Devi needed me clear headed for whatever she was going through.
Taking the twenty-fifth avenue offramp, I was able to clear the overpass without any traffic. Speeding my way past some open farmland, it was another seven miles before I’d hit Steele Canyon Road. And even though seven miles wasn’t shit when you were driving a hundred miles per hour, it felt like a million miles away, considering the circumstances.
There was also the fact that I had stupidly raced out of the store without asking for better directions. Once I hit Steele Canyon Road, I had no idea if I was supposed to go left or fucking right. And any wasted time in the wrong direction was something I couldn’t afford.
Something Devi couldn’t afford.
Just then, my phone rang, and hands-free laws could suck my dick. I grabbed it from the console and saw that it was Atty. “Yeah?”
“Where are you?”
“Going east on Railbank road,” I told him.
“I’m a few minutes out, but that’s because I stopped and pulled up the landscape on Steele Canyon,” he replied. “There are three abandoned warehouses, but they’re all north of the crossroad. So, turn right when you hit Steele Canyon.”
The audible breath I released filled my Ferrari and could be heard through the phone. “I owe you, Atty.”
“Fuck off,” came his immediate reply, and I couldn’t help my smirk.
