He had just said something very telling to me, and now I wanted to know a little bit more. “Why do you think he’ll kill you?” I asked.
“I—I mean, he’ll fire me,” he backtracked.
“That’s not what you said, Jared. Come on, now, tell me the truth. Let’s not play this game,” I said, giving him the warning that I wasn’t going to put up with any bullshit.
“He’s scary, that’s all. Feels more like you’re talking to a mob boss than a business man when you’re conversing with him. His guards carry guns, I’ve seen them. I… I just don’t want to be involved,” Jared confessed.
“I know, and you won’t be. Can you answer my question now?”
“It’s a passcode and eye scanner in order to open his doors. Only he and those he wants to know have access,” Jared told me.
“Is there anyone left in his home when he’s not there?” I asked.
Jared shrugged. “Not—not that I know of. It’s mainly just him and his bodyguard. He does have three other guards, but they stay in the penthouse across the hall from his,” Jared said, which was very informative.
“Are they there during the day?” I asked.
“Depends if they’re on duty, I guess. We’re not really allowed on his floor, and when Mr. Tate orders room service, his guards are the ones to take it to him. They meet our staff at the elevator and take his mail, food, whatever he requested, and then our staff is instructed to return back to their stations.”
Well, Mr. Tate was a very cautious man, which could make things pretty difficult. On the other hand, I might not need ol’ Jared after all. I’d just have to wear a nice suit, walk in as Richard Tate, and go into my apartment. I’d just need a little help from J to break his passcode. The eye scanner wouldn’t be an issue.
“Do you know if he and his bodyguard are also lovers?” I asked. I needed to know everything I could about Richard Tate.
“It’s what we suspect.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “We?”
“Um, it’s nothing… just workplace gossip.”
“Explain why you all think so.”
“It’s just that… they are never apart. What they do behind closed doors, we don’t really know,” Jared answered.
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from, seeing as I had the same assumptions. “Well, you’ve answered enough of my questions. Now, seeing as you’ve been a team player, I could let you go.”
“Oh, please, please don’t kill me. I swear, I won’t tell anyone about you,” he promised.
Sometimes, I wished one of my abilities was the power to make a motherfucker forget that they ever saw me. That ability would come in handy right now. Instead, I had to use intimidation to get the job done. “I don’t want to kill you, Jared. So, if you can promise not to tell anyone… and I do mean anyone, about my visit, and you go to work like nothing happened, then you’ll never have to see me again. Deal?”
“Oh thank god… yes! I swear, I swear I won’t tell anyone. I promise, I don’t even like Mr. Tate. He’s a rude cheapskate, never tips,” Jared said. He was really trying to convince me that I could trust him.
“Good to know. I don’t like him either.” You could see the relief on his face once he realized I was about to let him live. “Remember, if you tell anyone about me… I’ll know… I have eyes everywhere and I will kill you,” I warned, just for good measure.
His body tensed again after my threat. “Oh shit! I swear I won’t tell anyone. Please believe me,” he pleaded.
I nodded, then stood up and opened the front door. I took a quick look around and didn’t see anyone out and about, so I dashed to my car and drove off. I had taken a huge risk going to Jared’s house this morning, but I did what I had to do. I pulled into an alley and changed into civilian clothing, which I always kept handy in the trunk in a duffle bag. I changed forms into the man I was yesterday. If I was caught on camera, it wasn’t a big deal, since the guy I had transformed into had been dead for six months. He was a drug dealer I had killed when I caught him trying to sell to a twelve-year-old kid.
I hated having to use his face because he was a piece of rat shit, but it was better to be someone who’s dead than risk hurting someone who’s innocent. I didn’t like endangering good people, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. For now, it could be. Jared was just going to go into work… maybe a little bit late, but if he just kept it cool, everything would be fine.
I made a stop at one of the clothing stores where Richard Tate shopped and purchased one hell of an expensive suit. I was going to rob his ass if I got the chance, if only to compensate for the money I had spent on this ten-thousand-dollar suit. Shit, I’d take it back if I didn’t think I’d need it again. I got dressed, then drove to Tate Towers. I walked in and headed straight for the one elevator that would take me to the penthouse.
The doors opened and I stepped in. “Priceless,” I said, giving Jordan the code word. I had my comm on and secured in my ear.
“Okay, camera is down. You’ve got about two minutes before it comes back online,” J informed me.
I quickly transformed into Richard Tate, rushing my change a bit, which really… I mean really fucking hurt. I had to brace myself against the wall for a minute to get myself together. My body was aching and I actually felt like I was going to puke. I’d never had to transform that fast in my life and the rush took a toll. I mean, I always felt a bit out of sorts after a transformation, but the feeling passed quickly. Not this time, though.
“Are you okay?” Jordan asked me. “I can hear you breathing hard.”
“Apart from nearly spewing the sandwich I ate earlier all over these walls… I think I’m recuperating,” I said.
“I’ll keep those cameras off you for the time being, then. Say ‘priceless’ when you’re ready for me to turn off other cameras.” Which meant this camera was going to come back on and he’ll immediately turn it off again.
“Okay,” I said. I could only get that one word out because my stomach still wasn’t settled. As soon as the doors finally opened, I hit the first garbage can I saw. The homemade breakfast sandwich I’d enjoyed earlier didn’t taste nearly as good coming back up.
“Ewww, are you okay?” Jordan asked.
I spit the last of the bile in the garbage can, which thankfully had a plastic bag in it. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to leave my DNA in this place, so I was going to take that with me. I removed the trash bag and tied it securely.
“Boss, are you okay?” someone asked me from behind.
Shit… so, some of his security did stay behind. Good thing I hadn’t waited until I had gotten on the floor before changing into Richard. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just had something bad, which is why I’m home.”
“Where’s Anzai?” he asked.
“Sick too… he’s on his way up,” I lied. “Help me to my home.” I didn’t know the code because I was relying on Jordan to break it for me with the equipment I had in my pocket. But now I had to play it smart and get this guard to open the door for me.
“Sure, boss,” the man said. He wrapped his arm around me and I pretended to be sick still, and allowed him to practically carry me to the room. The nausea had worn off and I was back in shape, but I needed him to think I was helpless. I was sure he was going to have more questions… nosey ass motherfucker. Why did he have to be looking out? Damn! The guy punched in the code 3-7-2-8 and used his retina to open the door.
“Priceless,” I said, because I wanted those cameras down.
“Priceless?” the guard asked, as he opened the door.
“Just referring to my situation,” I lied.
“Ah, yes, sir,” he agreed.
Once inside, I took the opportunity to ask some questions. “Who else is here with you?” I placed the garbage bag on the floor so I could have my hands free.
“Sir, you know it’s just me. Wasn’t Mark with you?” he asked in a confused manner. Now, he was looking at me like he didn’t really recognize me.
I pretended like I was a bit confused myself. “Ah, yes, yes… I remember now,” I said. Then I did the one thing I had to do. I let my legs buckle, and he got back into support mode and began walking me towards the sofa. That was when I saw my opportunity. I killed the sick and weak act and pushed his arms off me. I slipped behind him and caught him in a choke hold.
“The cameras are going to come back on in thirty seconds. There isn’t one in the bathroom,” Jordan said.
The guy struggled in my arms, trying to break free, but it was all in vain. My grip was powerful and he was as good as unconscious. I did drag him off to the bathroom to finish him off. Once he passed out, I was able to ask Jordan a few questions.
“How did you hack into their security system? I thought this would all be guess work on your end.”
“Then you really were taking a dumb ass chance,” J said.
“Sometimes you have to. I do prefer you having eyes inside this place. How did you do it?”
“Because I’m that damn good. Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to if you didn’t have that device on you. Be mindful, there are cameras in the living room and kitchen where the other exit is. No cameras are in the bedrooms, bathrooms, sauna, gym, pool, or den. I guess Richard values his privacy more than we anticipated. This is good,” he said, and I had to agree.
“How do you know what’s in his home?” I asked, Jordan’s skills always left me baffled and amazed.
“I managed to get the blueprints. His bedroom is down the hall, second door to your left,” Jordan informed.
“Thanks.”
I patted down my unconscious friend and found a pair of handcuffs, a Taser, and two Berettas. All of which I confiscated. I continued to search the guy and found his wallet. I checked it out and found his driver’s license. Tanner Jacobs; brown hair, blue eyes, six-two, one-hundred and sixty-nine pounds. All good info to know. I handcuffed the guy to the toilet, around the base. It was a nice toilet at least, very clean. Hell, it was a gorgeous bathroom. All chrome, porcelain, frosted glass doors, and gray marble. Anyone would be happy to take a shit in it. But I was all about business now, and it was time to plant some bugs, steal a suit, and get the hell out of Dodge.
“Priceless,” I said.
“Gotcha,” J replied. “All clear, but make it quick.”
I ran from the bathroom and quickly made my way to his master bedroom following J’s directions. I took out my little tool kit, unscrewed the plate on the wall socket, and then planted my bug. I gave Jordan the code word again, and with the time I had, I planted another bug in the living room and the last one in his office. I returned to the bathroom, where my guy was just coming to.
I sat on the edge of the bathtub and waited for him to realize where he was. “Hi,” I said.
He looked at me and went crazy trying to break free. “What the fuck’s going on?”
“I’ll ask the questions, not you. Now, I’m here alone because like I’ve said… I was sick. That’s because I can’t trust the people I have around me. Anzai tried to poison me, so I killed him. That’s why he’s not here. Now, I need to know… can I trust you?” I asked, coming up with a story on the fly. I had no intention of leaving him alive, simply because he wasn’t going to keep this shit a secret. But if I could get him to willingly give me answers, this would make my job easier. This would only happen if he believed I was really Richard Tate, his boss.
He stopped struggling and was on alert. “Oh my god, sir… I—I had no idea. I swear, I can be trusted. On my life, sir.”
“That’s good to know, Tanner. Tell me what you know about Walter Darring and Cecily Danvers,” I demanded.
“I don’t know much of anything about them, sir. I know they are both dead, their disappearances have been all over the news. You had business with both of them, but I don’t know why anyone would want them dead,” Tanner said.
“Do you know about the Killing Game?”
He frowned in confusion. “What’s that, sir?”
I believed he really didn’t know. I was sure Richard probably kept that part of himself hidden well. Tanner was being as honest as he could be with me and I felt bad that I was going to have to kill him. God, I wished he hadn’t been home. Shit.
“Please, sir… you have to believe me. We’ve been on high alert ever since Walter Darring was found dead. Our contact with the police said that the killer or killers carved the word “Cobra” into Walter’s chest and that he was killed in a very gruesome way. We don’t know what’s going on, but if they got to Anzai, then you’re next, sir. We won’t let them get to you. Please, let me perform an inside investigation. I will find out who else is dirty, boss,” Tanner promised.
So, they had an inside guy within the police department. I wasn’t surprised. All the more reason why the cops couldn’t be trusted. I knew for a fact that the media didn’t release the information about me carving my name into their chests.
I smiled at Tanner. “That is good to know.”
“Yes, sir, thank you for trusting me.”
I needed to know just how dirty this guy really was. Of course, he did know his boss wasn’t purely on the up and up, but he didn’t know about the Killing Game. Probably just thought his boss had shady business dealings. I wondered what his complete involvement was.
“Tanner, if I need you to kill someone, will you?”
“That’s what you pay me for, sir. I have your back,” he replied. I could see he wanted me to know that he was a loyal employee. Good news for me, he proved he wasn’t so innocent after all and killing him just got easier for me.
I uncuffed him and he rose to his feet.
“This is priceless,” I said.
“All clear,” I heard Jordan say into my comm.
“Priceless, sir?”
“Again, just my situation,” I lied. I suppose the word wasn’t one his boss used often or at least, not in this scenario. “Let’s go into the other penthouse.”
Both Tanner and I walked out of the apartment. I was carrying one of Anzai’s suits and the garbage bag I’d puked in. We left and made our way to the other penthouse that only had a simple keycard entry. I guess it was quicker for them to get in and out in a hurry as opposed to having to enter codes and get eyeballs scanned.
“There’s only one camera here in the living room, I’ve shut it down, but you have two minutes,” Jordan said.
I sat down on the sofa once we were inside. “Tanner, disable the camera for now,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir,” he said, and quickly walked over to their security desk that had six computer screens on it with the camera feeds for the lobby, the elevator, the hallway, and Richard’s penthouse. He shut them all down, including the one in this penthouse. “What else do you want me to do, sir?” he asked.
“Tell me your schedule. I want to go over every detail,” I said. I was sure he was probably wondering why I would ask the questions I was asking when I was his boss and should already know. Hopefully, he’d just do as I asked since he believed I was on high alert and my life was in danger. “Just consider me leaving no stone unturned,” I added.
The frown on his face lessoned a little and he nodded. “There’s three of us. Mark, who was supposed to be with you, and Alisha. She’s out right now, but will be in for the graveyard shift. We three each take eight hour shifts monitoring the cameras and another running errands for you, sir.”
Yeah, he was looking at me like I was the crazy one. “I’m sorry to have to ask you these basic questions. Whatever they drugged me with has left me discombobulated.”
“Sir, maybe we need to get you to a hospital,” he suggested.
“No, I’m sure I got it all up. No hospitals… I’m already feeling better,” I said. I knew I really couldn’t ask him any more questions or I’d risk raising his suspicion. It was time to do away with ol’ Tanner. “We need to get to a safer location.”
“Where, sir?” he asked.
“I have a place in mind. Not even Anzai knew about this lo
cation, just in case. Let’s go.”
He didn’t bother to argue with me. I grabbed the garbage bag, which was beginning to be more trouble than I was happy with. I couldn’t wait to get rid of this nasty thing. Together, we walked out of the apartment, took the elevator straight to the parking garage, and I climbed in the back and he climbed in behind the wheel, pushing the ignition button. That was when I reached over, breaking his neck before he could do anything else. It was quick and efficient. He didn’t suffer. Now, I had the fun time of getting rid of the body. First things first… I had to become Tanner.
I dragged his body into the backseat where I was and stripped him naked.
“Did you just kill him?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah. He’s the perfect target for me to observe Mr. Big. One of his security team. I’m going to hang out here until my shift is up. Meanwhile, I need you to get me everything you know on Tanner Jacobs. When I find out the full names of his other associates, I’ll need info on them, too,” I said.
I triggered my transformation, taking my time since I didn’t have to worry about cameras and shit. I guess in the end, it had been good luck for me that Tanner was home. I dressed in his clothes, then climbed in behind the wheel.
“Do not bring his dead ass back here where we sleep,” Jordan warned.
“I wasn’t going to do that,” I lied.
I was totally going to do that, just because I needed to store his body somewhere quick. I didn’t want to spend time disposing of the body and risk not getting back to my post in time. Shit. That plan just went out the window. Thanks for making things difficult, J.
“Good. Keep that shit out in the streets,” he said.
I guess I hadn’t thought that quite all the way through. For me, it was all business, but for Jordan, it would be shitting where he ate. He didn’t want any of the shit I did out here to be brought home. It was our sanctuary as much as it could be, as well as our base of operations.
“So, do you have good audio on those bugs?” I asked Jordan as I pulled out of the garage. I needed to change the subject anyway.
Cobra- The Vigilante Box Set 2 Page 6
