Page 49 of An Eye For Illusion

He smirks, but it’s brief as Frankie cuts in. “February twenty-seventh is the fucking deadline. You better make it happen, or you’ll have one very pissed off boss on your hands.”

Vinny finally releases the collar of my jacket, pushing me back against the couch.

I smooth the lapels down, straightening them. “And if I can’t?” I ask, gauging their reaction.

Vinny reaches up and pats me roughly on my cheek. “We won’t have to worry about that, will we?”

I blink once, twice, and on the third, I reply, “Absolutely not.”

“Good. Good. That’s what I like to hear, my boy. Frankie will give you all the information we have. Keep him in the loop on your progress.” Vinny turns toward Frankie and jerks his head in my direction. “You take care of this. I need to deal with the fuck up in the other room. Make sure our friend here gets back home safe and sound.”

Vinny leaves the living room and heads for the back of the house.

I have two guesses on who the fuck up is. One being Carlo and the other being Moore.

My bet is on Moore.

Frankie heads towards me. “Time to go. I’ll give you a ride back, and we can talk about the car.”

I want to stay so I can find out more about why the hell Moore is here, but it looks like tonight’s a bust for that. I second guess our plan. So far, I’ve had little interaction where Moore is concerned, and I’m worried finding this car won’t help. I seem to be getting deeper into this without getting anything I actually need.

It feels like cleaning for hours on end, and when you quit for the day, you realize you pulled everything out, cleaned under and behind it, washed the curtains, and organized the cabinets… But when you look around, the trash is still full, dishes are undone, laundry is still piled up, and there are still messes scattered all over like you didn’t do a damn thing all day.

There’s no backing out now. I just have to hope that I can find reasons for my path to cross Moore’s.

It’s my only chance at breaking this case wide open.

Chapter 17

Colin

“You fucking went… alone.” Donovan’s voice is low and filled with frustration. He showed up at my apartment after Frankie called him about what happened in the early morning hours.

We’re standing in my living room in what feels like a standoff. Donovan’s body is rigid, his stance wide. He seems ready for a fight. Not a literal fist fight, but he’s angry enough to have it out with me over this.

“Yes, I called you repeatedly, and you didn’t answer. You made it blatantly clear I can’t hesitate. I did what I had to, to push the case forward.” I won’t let him beat me up about this.

He rakes his hands through his hair. “You could’ve gotten yourself fucking killed, Colin. That was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have introduced you to these guys. You’re reckless.”

“I nailed it, D. I’m in. They think I’m a legit car thief.” I chuckle, not understanding why he’s so angry. I made a reckless decision, but I got the best possible outcome.

“Yeah, great job. You’re fucking in. Now Vinny wants you to find a very specific car in a short period of time. YouTube won’t make the car appear. What’s your plan now?” His tone is sarcastic.

“I have some contacts from an old case. If anyone can find the car, it’ll be them,” I explain. I have this under control. I don’t know what’s up with Donovan lately, but he isn’t himself.

“Your contact can find this very specific car, within a few weeks?” He stresses the time crunch that I’m under.

“Yes. I’m sure he can. All I can do is try. What other option do I have?”

“Fucking none now! That’s why I told you not to do any of this on your own. I figured they’d test you, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon. And I thought you’d listen to me. It’s all shot to shit now.”

“Breathe. I’ll handle this.” I may not have a criminal past, but I’ve followed enough of them gathering evidence to have learned a thing or two.

“No. We’ll handle this. Whether you realize it or not, if you fuck up, my head is on the chopping block, too. Let’s find this fucking car.”

I grasp Donovan’s shoulder. “I’m already ahead of you, man. I reached out to my contact with the information Vinny gave me. His best guy is already on the hunt.”

He lets out a long sigh, and I take his relief as an opportunity to ask what’s bothering him. His behavior has been off throughout this ordeal. Something is up, and I want to know what it is.

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