“Yeah, well you’re going to have to come back as this is not a good time.”
“I wish I could. The last family who said that woke up to find the carpets soaking wet and their entire luggage damaged. Like I said, two minutes could save you a lot of trouble.”
He scanned him. “You don’t look like maintenance.”
Jack laughed. “I know. I was called in after my shift. You know how it is, work never ends.” He shook his head.
Still hesitant, the guy grimaced. “Yeah, well let me just call through to the front desk and confirm.”
Jack rolled his lower lip under his teeth. “That’s gonna be a problem.”
“Why?”
Jack glanced sideways and then forced his way into the room, grabbing the guy by the throat while simultaneously pulling his handgun out from the small of his back and kicking the door closed. Clamping a hand over his mouth he forced him up against the wall. “Shut up!” The guy’s muffled whine caught the attention of his companion, another guy, African American, who came out stark naked.
“Huh, so it is true what they say,” Jack muttered.
“What the hell?” the black guy replied.
Jack pointed the gun at him and told him to get on his knees. He didn’t hesitate. The awkwardness of the situation couldn’t have been worse. Jack cocked his head and stared at the overweight white guy. It didn’t matter how many times he came across those batting for the other team, it still caught him off guard. “Take a seat over there with him.”
He backed up, hands raised. “What do you want? Drug money?”
“I’d like to erase the last few seconds of my memory,” Jack replied.
“What?”
“Just shut up.”
The black guy chimed in, his voice high-pitched. “Bob, just do as he says.”
“That’s right, Bob, listen to him.” Jack jabbed the barrel of the gun at him. “Don’t move. Okay?”
Bob nodded then cupped a hand over his pencil dick.
Jack ducked into the washroom and over to the sink, he reached underneath and felt around. He got down and took a hard look but there was nothing, not even masking tape left behind. The flash drive was gone. What the hell?
Before he could process another thought, he heard Bob’s voice.
“Yeah, this is room 14—”
Jack dashed into the room, pistol-whipped him across the face and took the phone out of his hand.
“Hello, sir. Are you okay?” the clerk asked on the other end.
Bob groaned gripping his head.
Jack handed it back to him and mouthed the words wakeup call.
Bob clutched his bleeding forehead and got back on the phone. “Sorry, I… dropped the phone. Can I get a wakeup call for seven?” The clerk replied, Bob nodded and then hung up.
Jack narrowed his gaze. “You really don’t listen, do you, Bob?” Jack turned to the black guy. “I imagine that’s a problem.”
The black guy pursed his lips, folded his arms and nodded.
Bob sneered at him. “The police will hear about this.”
Jack chuckled and glanced at his hand and noticed a wedding band on his finger. He looked at the black guy who wasn’t wearing one. It didn’t take much to figure out what was going on. “Give me your phone,” Jack said.
“What?”
Jack tapped the gun against his temple causing him to cower back. “Your phone.”
“It’s in my jacket.” He gestured to a heap of clothes on a chair. Jack crossed the room and fished around in his pockets for his wallet and took a look at his ID. His driver’s license had his name as Bob Sullivan, based out of Montana. There was also a nice little photo of the family inside — an aging brunette and two teen boys. Jack flashed it and Bob went a deep shade of red. Jack tutted. “The games we play. What’s her name?”
Hesitant but fearful of reprisal he replied, “Susan.”
“Now let me guess, Susan doesn’t know about your love of all things African, does she, Bob?”
Bob stared at the floor, and Jack tossed the photo on the bed. He retrieved his phone and had him unlock it and then brought up the contacts until he found the one for his wife. He took out his phone and took the number down. Then he used his own phone to take a snapshot of them both in the nude. “Now, Bob, if I even catch a whiff of you having spoken to the police, Susan here is going to get this memorable snapshot. Do I make myself clear?”
He nodded fast.
“Good.” Jack surveyed the room. “How long have you been here?”
“A day.”
“So you wouldn’t have by any chance come across a flash drive in the bathroom or this room?”
They looked at each other and shook their heads. “Nope.”
Jack spent a couple of minutes searching the room, checking all the various places Dana might have hid it. It was clean. Then he took a seat on the edge of the bed and tapped his gun against his leg. It was possible that housekeeping or maintenance could have come across it. Then again whoever was after Dana might have taken it. He exhaled hard and ran a hand over his head.
“Hard day?” the black guy asked before winking at him.
“More than you know,” Jack said rising and heading for the door. “Sorry to interrupt.” He stuck the gun in the back of his jeans, and covered it with his shirt before heading out into the hallway and retrieving his bag from the vending area. Jack returned to the bar for another drink and to browse his phone for one of the hotels in the area. He hadn’t been there longer than a couple of minutes when he noticed a young black guy with a lean physique and a confident swagger stroll in and take a seat just down from him. His hair was cropped short, and he was dressed in black with a gold chain around his neck.
He tossed a few bills
