Page 32 of An Eye For Illusion

I never want to give a client false hope. Especially Jade.

I make a split-second decision I hope isn’t the wrong move. “I wanted to let you know I may not be the only person following Moore. So, I’m no longer sticking exclusively to his schedule.”

“Who’s following him? When did this happen? Why am I just now hearing about this?” Her rapid-fire questions are exactly the reason I haven’t told her yet.

“I’m still gathering information. I waited to tell you because I don’t have answers to those questions yet, and I figured that would only cause you more stress.”

I hang back from Moore. There are a few cars between us as we get onto the freeway.

“What can I do to help?” she asks in a lowered voice.

“Nothing right now. I can handle it. Jade…just be careful, okay?” I want to warn her because these guys could be dangerous, but I also don’t want to scare her when I don’t know anything for sure.

Moore picks up speed quickly and moves across the freeway to the far-left lane. At this speed, it’ll be hard not to be noticed. I accelerate but not too close to his speed.

“Colin, I have a right to know if I’m in danger.” Her voice is lowered still and strained. I assume she’s still in the car; maybe she doesn’t want her driver to hear.

Moore’s speed continues to stretch the gap between us. He’s out of sight for several moments before I notice traffic slowing ahead. I’ve never been so grateful for traffic before now. He’s several cars ahead of me, changing lanes as he tries to get through the jam quickly. I keep him in sight but stay in my lane, hoping to go unnoticed.

“I didn’t say you are. I’m just telling you to be careful. I don’t know who these guys are yet. I don’t want… You don’t want to get caught in the middle if they’re bad news.”

“You’d tell me if I were in danger, right Colin?” There’s a hint of something in her voice that I can’t quite place. Maybe it’s fear, which would be an emotion I haven’t seen from her.

Moore suddenly darts out of the left lane, cutting off car after car as he makes his way to the upcoming exit. I turn on my signal and make my way across the lanes, too. I end up behind several other cars on the exit ramp, Moore being one of them.

“Of course, I would. I’ll call when I have another update.”

I want off this call. There’s a softness on the other end of the line, one I’m not used to from Jade.

“Thanks, Colin,” she says softly before ending the call.

I glance down at the phone to make sure the call disconnected.

“Fuck,” I say out loud.

That conversation was uncomfortable, but I don’t have time to process it right now. I still need to tail this asshole and find out who else is tailing him. This case gets more and more complicated by the day. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying it a little. The thrill of the chase is one reason I love this job so much.

My cell rings again, and as I look down, I half expect it to be Jade calling back to rip me a new one. I’m surprised to find it’s Donovan. I pick it up, briefly thinking I need to pair it to the car, so I don’t have to keep doing this. I’m usually not in the same rental long enough to bother.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” I answer.

I planned to call him from the parking deck earlier, but instead, I ended up with ringside seats to see Jade get dry humped by Moore.

“Not much. Have you talked to Liam?”

He must be anxious to get back to work since his last assignment ended.

“He’s good with it. His condition is that we don’t get our hands so dirty trying to catch Moore in some shit that he has to bail us out of jail.”

Donovan chuckles. “That old bastard takes the fun out of everything.”

Donovan loves to rev Liam about being old, even though he isn’t that much older than us.

“You’re sure you want to step into this world, kid? This isn’t like anything you’ve done before. These are seasoned criminals with rap sheets a mile long, and you’re stepping into their ‘no rules playground.’” His tone goes from joking to dead serious in an instant.

I take a beat to let what he said sink in. I haven’t been in much direct danger before being a private investigator. SJ and Donovan typically get all the action because they’re bodyguards. Moore hasn’t left me much choice. He’s either too good at this, or he’s really fucking bad—only time will tell which.

I can still see Moore a few cars ahead of me. He slows to make a left turn. I squint to read the sign on the building; it’s a financial service firm. He makes the turn, allowing traffic in my lane to move again. As I pass the parking lot, nothing looks amiss. Just a few cars parked in front.

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