Page 23 of Made of Steele
He kept his attention pointed out the windshield. “Sure.”
“You ever heard of The Veritas Center?”
He nodded. A single bob of his head, sharp and crisp. “The private agency that processes crime scene evidence for law enforcement. What about them?”
He sounded skeptical but she wouldn’t let that deter her. “Their computer guru, Nick Thorn, is a whiz. No one in the area like him. If we want to quickly locate information, he’s our guy.”
“I don’t have that kind of money in the budget.” He glanced at her. “Might’ve earlier on, but with only a few days to go, we’re tapped out.”
“I’m friends with some of the owners. I could see if Nick would help for a discount or no charge.”
“Sounds like a plan. But first, we go in and learn what we can the old-fashioned way. With our ears.” Drew pulled the vehicle forward and parked between two large shipping containers. “You ready?”
“Never more so.” She quietly got out, closing the car door as silently as possible.
Drew opened the trunk and shoved a few items into his pockets. They hoofed it across the lot, darting in and out of objects under the full moon to hide their arrival. She palmed her Glock and crept behind Drew. They reached the correct building and slipped through shadows cast by the steel structure.
Their target? A black door at the rear of the building.
Drew raised a hand, and she stopped. He signaled his intent to move toward the door, and she was to stay put. She huffed out a sigh at being left behind, but nodded and was rewarded with a tight smile highlighted by the dim green bulb above.
He moved along the edge of the building, his steps fluid and smooth for such a large guy. He turned and waved her forward. She whispered along the building’s siding, hugging it like a magnetic force drew her to the metal. Drew took out a handheld radar device about the size of a small walkie-talkie that he slid along the building. She’d seen SWAT teams use it in the past, but she’d never had the need for one on the job. It was designed to detect the smallest of movements with great accuracy. Even movements as minute as the rise and fall of a chest in breathing.
The screen lit up, casting a blue glow on Drew’s face and displaying movement fifty feet away at the building’s front entrance.
“Should be safe to enter.” Drew pocketed the device. “Give me a minute to pick the lock. Hand signals only from here on out.”
She nodded as if she were a pro at breaking and surveilling, but she’d never breached a building without first announcing herself as a law enforcement officer. And even then, it had only been a few times for domestic calls.
Despite the cool temps and brisk breeze bringing the stink of burning rubber, sweat beaded on her forehead. Thankfully, it was winter or she would be sweating through her vest as her heart thumped in her chest.
Drew gave her a long look and stowed his weapon. He was telling her to have his back. And she did. Searching the darkness for any foe. Watching through brush and tall grasses moving in the dark. Listening to the quiet hum of traffic in the distance. Praying no one tried to confront them.
He twisted the knob, and it turned under his hand.Perfect.They hadn’t needed to break in. If they learned anything helpful inside, they could claim they thought the business was open and the information would be useable in court. A gray area for sure, but far better than breaking and entering.
She swiped the back of her hand over her forehead and noted a slight tremble in the hand holding her weapon. If only she were her cousin Bristol—a weapons guru—who had the ability to hit a target dead center most of the time. Teagan was proficient for sure, and she could protect Drew, but she sure wasn’t a sharpshooter like her cousin.
Drew lifted his sidearm and gave her another pointed look before opening the door a crack. He peered in, then waved her on and signaled for her to stay close behind him.
They entered a storage room with giant racks of small boxes labeled resistivity meters, obviously one of the products the company sold. The boxes were too small to hold antiquities of any size.
Silent. Stealthy. They crept over the concrete floor until Drew flashed up a hand. She eased next to him and spotted the three Conti brothers in heavy coats standing next to two men dressed in casual attire. One man was flag pole thin with a shock of silvery hair. The other guy was beefy with hair as dark as the night sky, and his hand rested on a sidearm.
“You trust this guy?” Flag Pole asked Sal.
“Dylan?” Sal asked. “Yeah. I’ve been stringing him along for nearly a year. He thinks I didn’t know he was dealing all that time, but you know me. Careful. Besides I had him researched and followed for nearly two months. He’s just a young guy who’s coming up in the game and needs someone to clean money for a friend to gain his status.”
Flag Pole scratched his pointy chin. “And you think we should be that someone?”
“I say we bring him in for a little. See how it goes. Maybe he can run some of the antiquities for us with his heroin imports.”
“Not sure I want to go that far with him. We stick to some money wired to one of my accounts. He handles that well, we add on. I’ll get the information to you.”
Perfect! But when?
“Soon, I hope. I want to move forward. I suckered him for a twenty percent fee.”
Aldo snorted. “Easiest money we’ll ever make.”
