“What do you want with me? What did I do?”
“Nothing, to both questions, so shut up. Hand over your cell phone. I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas.”
The man reached in his pocket and dug out his phone.
Antonio tipped his head. “Put it in the cup holder. What’s your name?”
“Frank Wyatt.”
“Man, the timing on that was perfect for me, but I can’t say the same for you. Where were you going?”
“To the store for milk, and my wife is going to worry when I’m not back in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, that sucks, but I’m sure once the cops find my car, they’ll explain everything to her. Tell you what.”
“Yes?”
“If you behave, I won’t kill you. How about that? That should improve tonight’s outlook for you.”
Frank nodded and dropped his chin to his chest. “May I ask where we’re going and why you’re wearing gloves in the summer?”
“No, just keep quiet. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Antonio merged onto I-43 South and headed back to the warehouse. Taking the interstate was risky and he didn’t need the exposure, but it was the fastest way to get back to the building. The cover of night would help for that short ride.
He pulled into the crumbled concrete parking lot that belonged to the long-deserted building that had once served as a thriving manufacturing company. Now it was only a shell of what it had been a decade earlier. Weeds sprouted from every crack in the pavement, and window glass was a thing of the past.
Antonio drove the car around to the side door and parked it out of view. He turned his head toward Frank. “Don’t move a muscle.” He slipped Frank’s phone into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his own. He grasped the fingertips of his right-hand glove with his teeth and pulled it off so he could make the call. With a swipe of his index finger, he woke the screen, tapped in the four-digit code, and scrolled to the contact that read Loomis.
“Boss, I need Anthony to unlock the side door. We have an unexpected guest, and I had to ditch the car.” Antonio pulled the phone away from his ear. Carden’s words were loud and angry. He waited as the man calling the shots ranted. “I’ll explain everything once I’m inside.”
The outer door slammed closed at Antonio’s back as he and Anthony walked across the building side by side. With a finger prod in his back every few feet, Frank inched grudgingly forward. Carden stewed in the shadows as he watched Antonio escort Frank Wyatt to an empty room away from view of Agent Harper.
Antonio gave fair warning to the shaken man as he patted him down. “I’m locking you in this room for the time being. Make one sound and you’ll either be knocked out cold or tied up with your mouth gagged. It’s your choice. Got it?”
“I’ve got it.”
Antonio closed the door and locked it behind him. He gave the handle a jiggle to make certain it was secure.
“Mr. Vetcher is pissed,” Anthony said as they crossed the large open space.
Antonio spoke in a low voice. “He’s the one who told me to follow them to see what they were up to. I stayed far enough behind not to be noticed. Somehow, somebody knew of the car and alerted the Feds. There was nothing else I could do but dump the Mercedes and grab another vehicle.”
“Stop your whispering.” The tone of Carden’s voice was enough to give fair warning—he wasn’t happy with the situation. “Now we have someone else who has seen your face to deal with. Have a seat and explain everything to me.”
Antonio and Anthony each took a seat at the card table. The chairs squeaked under their weight. Antonio tapped his fingertips on the table as he waited for instructions to go ahead. Carden took a sip of red wine from his plastic cup as he eyed the giant of a man.
“Please explain to me how you managed to be detected.”
“I have no idea, sir. I was several car lengths behind the last cruiser on a busy street and didn’t do anything unusual to give myself away. Suddenly, the sheriff’s department SUV turned right at the next set of lights, and the others continued going straight. That caught my attention. A few minutes later, when I checked my rearview mirror and saw that same vehicle trying to turn right and get into traffic behind me, I knew it was time to bail off. Somehow, they knew the description of the Mercedes and that I was following them.”
“Where had they gone before you were detected?” Carden folded his arms over his chest and let out a puff of air.
“They’re smarter than we thought, boss. They released a drone over a warehouse complex. The only thing a drone would help with at night—”
Carden interrupted, “Is body heat. So, for some reason they’ve concluded that we’re holed up in an empty building. That means we have to vacate this warehouse. Antonio, bring all of our supplies downstairs. They’re going in the van. Anthony, make a few calls to your family. We need a place to stay that isn’t on anyone’s radar.”