I stood and made my way to his office door, rolling my eyes. I was barely to the door when Maggie started in on him. I slowed my steps in hopes of gaining some more insight into the situation.
“Darren, I don’t need a babysitter. He’s only going to get in my way. I need to be stealthy and he sticks out like a sore thumb. No source will ever come close to me if he’s always on my tail.”
“Maggie, you will accept his protection or I will take you off this case. You are too valuable to go up against the Mayor unprotected.”
The conversation continued as I walked down the hall. I couldn’t walk any slower without it being noticed, so I went to the conference room and dialed Sam, another shareholder in the company and leader of Team 2.
“Yo, Cap. What’s up?”
“Sam, it looks like I’m gonna need to take this case in Pittsburgh myself. Can you take over admin duty for a while?”
“How long is a while?”
“Shit. I don’t know. Maybe two to three weeks. I’m hoping this case will be over faster, but from what I understand, the reporter is just getting started and is already in trouble. Apparently, this has something to do with the Mayor. It could be messy.”
“Are you thinking of getting a team together?”
“Not yet. I need some more information before I take it any further.”
“I can go there and do it myself if you need to get back here.”
“I would gladly take you up on that, but he’s insisting it be me. What I need is for you to step up and take over. Irish is taking over for today, so talk with him and get it all straightened out. My cell will be on if you need me.”
Sam blew out a harsh breath before speaking. “Cap, you know I hate this shit.”
“I know, but for now, this is what we need to do. Work it out with Irish and Ice. You’re all shareholders, so start taking a little more responsibility in the company. You don’t want it on a permanent basis? That’s fine, but for now, this is your job.”
“Yeah, yeah. I gotcha Cap. We’ll take care of it. What are you gonna need while you’re there?”
“I don’t know yet. I need to have a talk with the reporter and find out just how bad the situation is. So far, she hasn’t been very forthcoming. I think I have what I need for now in the back of the SUV. I’ll call if I need more.”
“Sounds good.”
I hung up the phone, not bothering with goodbye’s. Polite? Yes. A waste of time? Most definitely. Why waste time with unnecessary words.
I walked over to Mr. Hughes office and saw that the reporter was no longer there. Darren saw me and pointed across the cubicles outside his office. It wasn’t hard to spot her strawberry blonde hair in the sea of blondes and brunettes. No wonder she was spotted so easily last night. She was a walking target.
“We need to have a talk now.”
She turned to me with a glare. “I don’t have time. I’m in the middle of something and the sooner I get to the bottom of this, the sooner I can get you out of my hair.”
“That sounds good to me, but in the meantime, you won’t get to the bottom of anything if you’re dead, so let’s go to the conference room and you can fill me in on what’s going on.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “How about instead, you drive and I talk. I have a property I want to check out and you can take me there.”
It wasn’t the smartest idea to leave the office with her before I had all the facts, but she was right about one thing. The sooner we got the investigation done, the sooner I would be rid of her.
CHAPTER THREE
Sebastian
I WAS DRIVING Maggie to a property in Wilkinsburg that she wanted to check out. I had wanted to sit down in the conference room with her and get a better idea about what was going on with her story, but she insisted that she would fill me in on the way.
“I investigated the list of properties and from what I can see, none of these properties are government related. They weren’t ever food shelves or homeless shelters. There is nothing that would indicate that these properties would be of government interest.”
We drove through Wilkinsburg and it was devastating. Most of the homes had boarded up windows and the streets were littered. This part of town was obviously in need of some intervention, but it didn’t seem that anyone cared about cleaning it up.
“Most of the locations on my list are in terrible parts of Pittsburgh. They all look similar to this. So you tell me, why would the Mayor be interested in these properties?”
“Maybe he’s starting a program to clean up the city.”
“And that would warrant me being shot at?”
She had a point. Even breaking into a government office, she wouldn’t have been shot at. She would have been arrested and taken in for breaking and entering.
“So, what exactly do you think is going on here?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that my source told me that she saw documents showing funds going into offshore accounts.”
“Okay, are you sure they were government funds?”
“Pretty sure. Here’s the gist of it. There are communities all across Pittsburgh, much like Wilkinsburg, where we’re headed, that are sorely lacking funding. Emergency services has been cut all across Pittsburgh, but these communities are really suffering because they weren’t getting enough help to begin with. Now all the sudden the Mayor has documents on these communities, but nothing has ever been said about rehabbing these communities. In fact, he hired a special oversight committee to look into where funding was going.”
“That sounds like a good thing to me.”
“Well, normally it would be, but they’ve had the committee set up for over a year and so far, nothing has come of it.”
“Still, I don’t understand why you think there’s a story here.”
“Intuition. Something just screams dirty to me. And the fact that I was shot at last night and someone came to my home to scare me.”
“Well, there is that, but you don’t exactly come off as the most amiable person.”
Her head whipped to look at me. “Excuse me, but I am plenty amiable. I can do amiable as good as Bingley.”
My brows knitted in confusion as I glanced over at her. “What?”
“Bingley. You know, Jane Austen?”
“Who the fuck is Jane Austen?”
“What?” She screeched so loud that I swerved and almost hit a car.
“Next time you fucking do that, I’m throwing you out of the SUV and you can walk.”
“How can you not know who Jane Austen is? Were you raised in a barn?”
I nodded my head side to side as if considering. “Pretty much.”
“Men.” She grumbled on about something, but I couldn’t tell what because she was muttering under her breath. I found it highly irritating. If you want to fucking say something, then say it.
We pulled up outside the first address moments later and stared at the dilapidated building in front of us. There were boards over some of the windows, but those without boards had no glass left in them at all. This was probably a prime location for squatters.
“According to records, this building has been sitting empty for fifteen years. The whole building would probably have to be torn down and reconstructed to put anything here.”
She opened the door and hopped out, walking over to the chain link fence. I got out and slammed the door. “Hey, next time you get out, you let me know the plan first. I can’t protect you if you go off and do your own thing without informing me.”
She ignored me and started climbing the fence. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a potty mouth?”
“Get the fuck down. Now.” Still, she ignored me and was over the fence before I could drag her back. Sighing, I climbed the fence and hopped over, clicking the remote lock for the car. Not that it would make much difference in this neighborhood. If someone wanted to steal it, they would get away before police got here.
“Stay here while I check it out,” I said as I pulled my gun from my lower back. I briefly thought of giving her my gun in my ankle holster, but not knowing if she could shoot, I thought better of it.
She rolled her eyes at me, but did as I asked. Weapon in hand, I entered the building and scanned the darkness for any movement. This was a nightmare to clear since the interior of the building had little light and multiple places for squatters to hide, or anyone looking to take you out where no one would likely find you for weeks.
The slamming of the door had me swinging my gun around to where I entered. The nearby broken window allowed in a little bit of light, allowing me to see Maggie standing in the doorway.
Turning around, I cleared the rest of the first floor as best I could, unable to see where the stairs were that led to the upper floors. Most likely, they were in the corner with the unlabeled door, but this building was so old and neglected, there was no clear picture of where the stairwell was. Usually, you could tell by the outside of the building.
A flashlight clicked by the door I entered and I shook my head in annoyance. I made my way back to Maggie, who was still standing by the door.
“I told you to stay outside.”
“Well, I thought I would come help.”
“And how’s that? I was going for the whole not getting shot thing and you drew attention to yourself when you let the door slam. I was on the other side of the building and wouldn’t have been able to protect you.”
“Oh, would you relax? This building is old and decrepit. Nobody’s here but us.”
“How do you know there aren’t squatters here?”
“It’s not like I have a food truck outside they can rob.”
I lowered my voice and got right up in her face, bending down to whisper in her ear. “You think that’s all they would be after? A gorgeous woman like yourself. You don’t think they might want to search you for…other things?” I ran my hand softly down her side, just enough to make her shiver. “There are plenty of things a woman like you could offer to a lonely man.”
Her breathing hitched and I had a feeling I made my point when she stepped back from me. The glow from her flashlight barely illuminated the fear on her face. She swallowed thickly as her eyes flicked around the dark space.
“So, what are you hoping to find here?” I said as I took a step back, my voice returning to normal.
“I…um… I don’t know. I was hoping that something would stand out to me. You know, give me some clue as to why the Mayor would be looking into this property.”
“Well, let’s take a look around quickly and get back to the SUV before someone decides to steal it.”
We walked around for a few minutes, her flashlight flicking over the space. Nothing seemed to stand out until we were closer to the far wall. She knelt down and ran her fingers over the floor.
“What is it?”
“Why would there be no cement here?”
I got down on my haunches and ran my hands over the floor, feeling thick dirt under the pads of my fingers. I started digging, searching for the edge.
“What are you looking for?”
“I’m wondering how big the patch is. Maybe it’s just where the concrete cracked and was filled in with dirt.”
My fingers found the edge of the concrete and I ran my hand along the jagged edge for about seven feet. The edge took a ninety degree turn and continued for another three feet before taking another ninety degree turn.
“Well, it’s roughly seven feet long by three feet wide and it wasn’t done by a professional. The edges are jagged.”
“What would be the reason for having a hole in the floor that size?”
“What was the building used for?”
“It was a manufacturing plant. Plastics, I think, but they went out of business.”
I started digging the dirt out, wondering if I dug long enough what I would find. I had a sneaking suspicion, but wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“What are you digging for?”
“What do you think would fit in a hole this size?”
I stopped digging and looked at her. She looked confused for a second before putting the end of the flashlight in her mouth and helped me start digging. We were probably about three feet down when I heard it. I put my hand on hers to still her movement and strained to listen.
We were in the center of the building and the voices were right outside, but moving towards the side of the building. I grabbed the flashlight from her mouth and quickly turned it off.
“Someone’s here. There’s a truck right outside the gate. You two take the far door and we’ll take this door.”
My head whipped in her direction as her breathing increased and she started panting. I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed slightly.
“Calm down. We have to get out of here.”
She started scooping the dirt back in the hole, but I pulled her to her feet and started dragging her towards the window. I could see two men with guns drawn moving towards the door we had entered on the other end of the building. There was a bang against the door that was off to our right, but it didn’t budge. Our quickest escape was through the windows, which thankfully didn’t have any panes.
“I’m gonna hoist you up through the window. When you’re through, you run like hell to the truck and don’t look back. Here are the keys. If I’m not right behind you, you leave. The SUV is bullet-resistant, so you should have a good chance of getting away.”
“Are you serious? There is no way I’m leaving you,” she whisper-hissed.
“If you don’t, we’re both as good as dead.”
“How do you know they’re here to kill us?”
“The guns they were carrying would suggest that.” I locked my fingers together and made a holder for her to boost herself up with. “Get your ass moving before they walk through that door and shoot us.”
She glared at me and hoisted herself up, glancing out the window in both directions before swinging herself over the window ledge and dropping down to the ground. I had just gotten up on the window ledge when the door to the left swung open and two men appeared in the doorway.
“Hey! Stop!”
Maggie was running across the gravel to the fence and luckily no one was giving chase yet. I leapt to the ground just as a bullet ricocheted off the wall where my head was. Landing in a squat, I jumped up and took off running for the fence. Bullets started raining down on me, so I spun and dropped to one knee, placing a well aimed bullet in the first shooter who obviously didn’t have any real training with guns. Quickly shifting my focus to the second shooter, I popped off a shot and got back up, running for the SUV.
Maggie had already started the SUV and was quickly driving away. I was still a good fifty feet from the fence when more bullets were fired in my direction. I had no choice, but to return fire, as these gunmen obviously had better aim. I took a few shots, but they hid around the corner of the building. I ran backwards, trying to get closer to the fence, but keeping my gaze on the corner of the building.
A large, metal crash sounded behind me and my gaze swiveled to the fence where Maggie had just crashed through the gate. The SUV swerved wildly in front of me, acting as a barrier for the incoming bullets.
“Get in!” Maggie yelled from the drivers side. I pulled the back door open and climbed in, slamming the door moments after Maggie spun the tires, kicking up gravel and dust in our wake. The bullets pinged off the SUV as she drove through the gate and headed towards the highway.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I yelled
at her. “I told you to leave.”
“And you’d be dead right now if I hadn’t come back for you.”
“You could be dead too.” I snarled at her. “You need to learn to listen if I’m going to protect you.”
“Relax. You said the SUV was bulletproof.”
“Bullet-resistant, not bulletproof.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference is that a bullet could still get through the window. Bulletproof is a highly misconstrued term.”
“Then why did you say it?”
“I didn’t say it,” I shouted. “I said bullet-resistant and that’s why you were supposed to leave. Goddamn it!” I punched the seat to release some of my anger before pulling out my phone and dialing the office.
“Yo, Cap.”
“Cazzo, I need you to run plates for me. 2015 Dodge Challenger, Dark blue. Plate number XZ15371. Get me everything you can ASAP.”
A large jolt pushed me forward into the back of the driver’s seat as Maggie struggled to regain control the SUV. She pulled the wheel and stepped on the gas, sending me back into the seat.
“Fuck! Maggie, head out of the city.”
“Are you crazy? We can’t lose them outside the city.” She shouted at me as she swerved around cars.
“Do you know how many casualties we’ll have if we stay on this road? We’re about to hit the highway and we’re closing in on rush hour. Get off this fucking road and head out of the city.”
“Cap! Cap! What the fuck is going on?”
I heard Cazzo yelling at me from where the phone dropped on the floor. I quickly grabbed it and started yelling into the phone at Sam “Cazzo” Galmacci. “Get me the information on that car, now! They’re fucking shooting at us and chasing us through Pittsburgh.”
Another jolt sent me flying, but I was better prepared this time and caught myself before hitting the seat. Staying on the phone was a distraction, so I quickly hung up and climbed into the front seat.
“Move the seat back and then get as close to the wheel as possible. I’m driving.”
“Are you crazy? We’ll crash and then we’ll definitely be dead.”
Sebastian Page 3
