“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath, blowing smoke through his nose.
He had a decision to make. Would he stay put and wait for them to return or would he follow to find out what they were up to? Curiosity won out. With the phone to his ear, he got out of his car and flicked his cigarette to the curb. He locked his vehicle and followed the women. Using binoculars that he carried on a strap around his neck, he could watch them from a distance.
Luis crept to the intersection and peered around the corner, spying them at the secured gate to a storage complex. If they were accessing a unit, why would they park far away? And what was so important this time of night?
Something didn’t add up. Under his shirt, he felt for the Glock 19 that he kept in a holster on his belt. But when his friend came back on the line, he stopped short of pulling his weapon.
“Looks like your car is a rental,” Frankie said. “But the ID of the driver came up a dead end. The only time I’ve ever seen this is with the feds. CIA, NSA, whatever. What are you into, Luis?”
“I have no idea, but when I do, I’ll call you,” he replied, lowering his voice.
“Watch your ass,
“Later, bro.”
Luis ended the call and tucked the cell phone in his pocket. He held up the binoculars and followed the movements of the women, knowing he’d have to get closer. He headed down the block to cross the street without being noticed and after he got to the other side, he pulled his weapon.
Curiosity definitely had him by the throat. And he couldn’t fault his client for that.
On foot, Jess crossed the street and followed Alexa, sticking close to the shadows. They didn’t want to drive onto the property using her van or the rental car and take the chance a bystander might remember the vehicle. As they got closer to the storage complex, her companion pulled gear from her knapsack and got to work, employing the devices she’d brought with her.
“I’ve taken out the video cams.” Alexa stashed her countersurveillance gear and retrieved the keycard equipment, a simple-looking black-box device with electronic leads. “Once we get inside, we’ll need to move. We won’t have much time.”
Alexa attached the gear to the numbered keycard pad located on a brick pillar at the main drive-through entrance. When the black box flashed a green light, she opened the secured gate in one slick move, operating with practiced efficiency. The metal electronic gate slid to one side, rattling a pulley chain as it moved. It would stay open for a while, but sensors would allow it to close behind them.
“Look for unit number 168,” the blonde said.
The rows were well numbered, and it didn’t take long to find Jason Burke’s unit. It was large enough to have a door as well as a small loading bay. The larger door looked like a residential garage with either remote-control access or a manual locking lever. They’d have no way of knowing until they got inside. To maintain their privacy, Alexa went to work on the smaller door’s keycard lock.
In seconds, they were inside. Nothing but pitch black.
With the door to Jason Burke’s storage unit closed behind them, it might have been tempting to flip on the overhead light for better visibility. But Jess reached into her pocket and retrieved her flashlight, pleased to see Alexa had instinctively done the same. By using flashlights, they wouldn’t risk having the brighter overhead lighting shine under the bottom of the storage doors, a dead giveaway they were inside.
Jess raised her hand and cast her beam into the darkness. She heard Alexa move and saw her flashlight cut through inky black. With her body silhouetted in pale light, Jess could track her movements in the dark. Their flashlight beams landed on boxes and reflected off glass and chrome. It didn’t take long to assess what they’d found. Large cardboard boxes were stacked amidst furniture pieces and electronic equipment.
“This could be his personal property,” Jess began, speaking in a hushed tone. “But since when does he need this many big-screen TVs?”
She didn’t expect an answer. According to what Alexa had learned about Jason Burke, he was a construction worker by trade, at least on paper. If he operated another legitimate business on the side, as sole owner or a partner, he wasn’t reporting it to the IRS.
“I’d bet money Burke’s got a stash of stolen goods here, but we’re going to need proof.” Alexa wedged herself behind a TV monitor and directed her light to the back of the console for a better look. She took out a pen and paper and jotted something down. “I’m taking serial numbers. I’ll cross-reference them to police reports…see what turns up.”
“If Burke is a middleman for stolen property, you think he’d kill to protect his little enterprise?” Jess asked. “I mean, I’ve seen people kill for less, but he’s not exactly rolling in high-end merchandise or dealing in volume?”
“We still don’t have all the pieces to this puzzle, but maybe knowing more about his inventory will help.” Alexa took down more serial numbers. After a few minutes, she hoisted the knapsack over her back, and said, “You seen enough?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a pretty good theory about what’s going on here,” she whispered. “Let’s clear out.”
Standing near the exit, they both turned off their flashlights before opening the door. Once again they were in total darkness. Alexa cracked open the door to peer out. When she did, a sliver of light filtered into the unit. Without a word, she nodded, and they both stepped into the night air. They wouldn’t be in the clear until they got off the premises. She kept her eyes alert for any sign of movement.
But when Alexa held up her hand and stopped, Jess did too. She had faith in the woman’s instincts.
“Saw something. I think we’re being watched,” the blonde whispered, slinging her knapsack over her shoulder and pulling her weapon. “The gate’s sensors should let you out without a keycard. And I’ll reset the video cams when I can. Meet you back at the van. Be careful.”
Jess gripped her Colt Python, keeping it at her side. When she turned to see where Alexa had gone, the woman was nowhere in sight, and she was alone. Normally, she would have stayed in the shadows, covering her own backside, but there was another way to play this.
Divide and conquer. If someone lurked in the dark, she would either divert attention while her new ally circled behind, or she’d make herself a sitting duck. Trust had never come easy. How much faith did she have in Alexa?
Jess winced. “Time to find out,” she whispered.
Luis had seen enough to know the two women had broken into the storage complex using high-tech gear. But while he’d been on the move to get closer, they must have ducked into one of the units. And he couldn’t be sure which one.
He’d lost them.
Why they had chosen to break in while on foot had baffled him. If they intended to make a haul, why not load up the van? With a firm grip on his gun, he moved through the shadows and peered down each storage row, looking for the women. All he could do now was hang outside the fence and wait.
But on his second pass along the perimeter, he got caught.
Instinct had cautioned him to stop—too little, too late. He ducked behind a pillar and crouched low. The women had appeared out of nowhere. They emerged from the shadows as he crossed a section of fence, his body silhouetted by a streetlamp.
He wasn’t sure what they might have seen, but he couldn’t take any chances. He stayed low and moved back the way he had come, hoping to make it to his car. But when he gaped over his shoulder, he spotted only one of the women—the one who drove the van. They had split up.
His gut reflex told him that meant trouble.
“Shit,” he muttered. Turning a corner, he jogged down an alley, taking the long way back to his car. His bad luck might have cost him the advantage of being the anonymous watcher. And if he didn’t move quickly, trailing the woman in the van wouldn’t be an option either.
Alexa had seen movement from the corner of her eye and reacted. After leaving Jessie, she’d scaled the wrought-iron fence and dropped to the sidewalk on the other side. Listening to the sounds of the night, she crouched in the dark and waited. Her eyes peered through the murky black, looking for any sign of movement.
When she sensed it was time, she crossed the street and ducked into an alley. She hunkered near a wall and listened. In the narrow, bricked passageway, sound reverberated off the walls and carried in the night. She closed her eyes to focus on every noise. When she’d slowed her heart and listened with her whole being, she finally heard the crunch of gravel underfoot and the steady footfalls of someone running.
