Page 66 of Ride Forever
“And so many things can go right,” he replied.
I took a deep breath and held onto it for a second. Finally, I let it out like I was letting go of the last shred of fear and doubt I’d been holding onto.
“Are you ready?” Chaser asked.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
* * *
I leaned back in my chair and watched the stream of people walking up and down the Las Vegas Strip.
Earlier, we’d met Watts on the way into the city. Chaser took the signed letter with our deal from him, inspected it closely, then sent the biker on his way to join the mayhem crew. Apparently, it was legitimate, but I didn’t know much about these things. I trusted his judgment.
In the distance, I could see the spiked tower of the Halcyon rising toward the sky. We kept a few blocks and a casino or two between us, waiting for go time. We hadn’t heard from Gasket or the mayhem crew, but I knew we wouldn’t until the operation was over. I wondered if that was what made me so queasy. Not knowing what was going on.
I turned my attention to the Strip in front of us. We’d chosen a little diner to wait at, ordering some food and drinks, and sat at an outside table hidden in a corner. From here, we could see the comings and goings of the restaurant and watch the foot traffic.
It felt strange sitting on the most populated street in Nevada as a wanted criminal with a thousand and one security cameras and police officers around me. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose and glanced at the sky. The sun was starting to go down.
I was also getting used to the constant furnace that the sun and the baked desert bedrock created. I didn’t even notice the underboob sweat anymore. Typical. The moment we get to the crescendo, and I finally learn to deal with the heat.
Chaser glanced at his watch.
“What’s the time?” I asked.
“Six forty.”
“I need to go to the toilet,” I said with a groan.
“That’s just nerves.”
“Sexy, huh?” I smiled in an attempt to alleviate some of the churnings in my small bowel.
“Sunset is seven-oh-five,” he said, his lips quirking.Not infallible to toilet humor…noted.“We’ll move then.”
“Okay.”
“You got everything?”
I felt the weight of the Fortitude executioner pressing into the small of my back, hidden by the oversized T-shirt I’d donned that morning. It wasn’t exactly a tactical outfit, but tonight wasn’t about fashion. We needed to blend in until we got to the upper floors of the Halcyon. Then it wouldn’t matter.
Nodding, I brushed my fingers over the other Glock I had hidden at my waist. The revolver only had six bullets in it, so additional firepower was a must. If it weren’t for the symbolic justice my father’s gun represented, I would’ve just brought the Glock.
“This’ll go fast,” he said. “Whatever you do, don’t stop walking, okay?”
“I won’t.”
We rose from the table, and Chaser tossed a couple of notes down, setting an empty glass over them so they wouldn’t blow away. Taking my hand, he led me out onto the street, and we walked the two blocks to the Halcyon in silence.
At this stage, we’d said everything that needed to be said. We’d made our plans, said what was in our hearts, and shed all our fears. This was the moment we’d been working toward since the moment we met. Revenge, justice…it was a little of both.
We were one step away from forever.
“Keep your head down,” Chaser said. “The cameras won’t be able to get a clear picture of you that way.”
“Do you think they’ve got facial recognition?”
“Probably.”
