Page 10 of Scarlet Embrace

THE WAREHOUSE

It took a while for Kaze to get me a definite answer, and after four days, he gave me three warehouses where the cars could be. “The cars might actually not be there, and I don’t know if you know, but your client is involved with some pretty dangerous people,” Kaze informed me.

Of course, I was dealing with Lucas Cruz, a monster who doesn’t have human emotions and empathy. He was a killer in his own right, but it was a decision I was going to make. Kaze tried to tell me exactly what I was getting myself involved in. Clearly, he knew that the cars belonged to Lucas Cruz, and only a fool would dare cross a member of the Cruz family here in Philadephia. However, finding these cars means a whole lot to me.

First, getting the police to seize them would turn out to be a huge hit to Cruz’s finances, and I can get back at Lucas Cruz for breaking Bianca’s camera. At the moment, Bianca is out of the city, so I don’t have to worry about replacing her camera, but she would be back home within months, which means I would need to come up with either an explanation for why her camera was in such state or replace it.

The first two warehouses turned out to be a dud, and this is the only warehouse left. It was the only place that might have the answers that I desperately needed.

“For the moment, I’ll have to make do with this,” I said as I took pictures of the warehouse. I had been sitting right outside the building for the past five hours, and there was no one going in or coming out, which made no sense, seeing how there are a number of guards guarding the facility.

I would have passed on the information about this place to Roland, but I needed to get definite proof that the cars were truly here. Stakeouts weren’t exactly my thing, but I have done a couple of them with my investigator in the past few years, and I knew what to prepare for. I had a case to prepare for the following afternoon, which meant I would be working out of my car that night. Explaining to Carmen and Natalia why I couldn’t meet with them was an entirely different case, but I managed to come up with a satisfactory story.

All this while, there’s been one question that’s been bugging me, and that has to do with the fact that Lucas or any of the Cruz family hasn’t figured out the location of this warehouse, or could it be that Lucas already knew about it and was keeping quiet?

Maybe, just like me, he’s observing this warehouse to determine who was responsible for the theft.

There’s no telling what Lucas might be planning, but if the cars were truly in that warehouse, it was only a matter of time before I found out. I was just about to have dinner when I noticed a train of cars approaching the warehouse. Almost instantly, I ducked, scared that they’d be able to make me out. While my car was well-hidden, it could take a curious glance for someone to spot me, and I wasn’t risking that, not when I had come this far.

Who drove in? Is it Lucas? Or is it LaRosa? Marcus or Diana?

Despite how much I wanted to jump out, I knew I had to wait patiently until they were all gone. Staying in my car was no longer an option, as I needed to find a way to sneak into that warehouse. Taking a peek, I realized all the cars had gone into the compound, which meant it was time to sneak out and find a way inside.

Luckily for me, the guards who had been posted to guard the place were gone, which meant I could find a way to sneak in. I could hear voices inside the warehouse, but I couldn’t figure out exactly who the voices belonged to. A quick trip around the warehouse provided me with just one source of entrance, a window high above ground.

“If only I could find something to stand on,” I said thoughtfully.

Giving up was not an option I was willing to consider, and soon, I found the answer I was looking for. Four empty crates were a short distance from me, and if I could pile them up, it would provide me with the boost I needed to get to the window. Getting straight to work, I began to pile the crates as silently as possible. I could hear engines from inside, and I was more than confident that this was the location of the cars.

I need to get Roland here as quickly as possible before the cars are driven out.

Once the cars left the warehouse, they were as good as gone, and that meant more drugs or whatever Lucas was trafficking into the city. I quickly sent a text message to Roland telling him that I had somewhat found the location of Lucas’s car, and I was trying to get evidence to support it.

“How? Where? When did you get that info?” Roland texted.

“Doesn’t matter, just get here as quick as possible before the car vanishes,” I said as I typed.

Putting my phone back into my pocket, I took a deep breath as I was about to climb the crate. I had concerns as to whether I’d be able to sneak into the warehouse through that hole. My height wouldn’t be a problem, but my waist might stop me from getting in. I’ve always loved my body and shape, even though it got me a few distasteful comments from time to time.

“Nothing’s gonna stop me from getting inside,” I said right before heaving myself onto the crates.

For the first few minutes, everything was going quite well. I had climbed onto the crates and was about to climb through the window when everything came crashing down.

“Fuck!” I yelled as I collapsed onto the floor.

Even the deaf would have heard the racket I made, and it was only a matter of time before whoever was in the warehouse sent their goons out to find me. I tried to get onto my feet, but I cried out in pain.

Fuck! I think I broke my leg.

“Who’s there?” I heard a hoarse voice ask.

My plan had not only failed, but it seemed I had placed myself in serious danger.

CHAPTER 6: LUCAS

ANSWERS AND MORE QUESTIONS

Finding the right warehouse wasn’t exactly as easy as I had thought it would be. I made one fatal mistake, and it was a result of my overconfidence. My assumption was based on the fact that all the attempts to sabotage my family’s business were minuscule; hence, I thought I was dealing with someone high up in the chain but not so high up that they could manipulate things quite easily.