Page 51 of Breathless
Roger that, Rafferty said.
Later that night…
Leland Warshafsky knew he couldn’t exactly welcome Seth Masters at his Chieftain, even though he knew he should stay in hiding. Therefore, he’d have to move locations.
After careful consideration he made the call to Minchin. “I need you to pick me up.”
“Where do you want to go?” Minchin asked.
“I’m still working on that,” Leland explained. “I’ll meet you at the front gate of the RV park. How soon can you be here?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Minchin said. “I’ll call if traffic is heavy.”
“Okay.”
He hung up and prepared his place to be vacated for a while because he didn’t know when he’d be able to return. So, he gathered up what he needed and packed a backpack with essentials and headed toward the front of the RV park to wait. The sun had already set so he was able to move through the park under the cover of darkness. As he wove his way between the parked motorhomes he decided on where he would go while Masters was in town. He had a warehouse that had been renovated into loft apartments. The top floor was kept for when his superiors came to town. He’d treat Masters, his men, and himself to this luxury.
Minchin was waiting when he arrived at the gate, and he got into his car. He gave him the address with instructions on what supplies to pick up after dropping him off. “I want the place stocked before Masters and his men arrive.”
“I’ll have it all there by nine in the morning,” Minchin promised. “Is there anything else you need, boss?”
“Don’t be surprised if you get a call from Landry asking about Dan,” Leland said. “He’s doing background.”
“All right.”
“Pull around to the back to let me out when we get there,” Leland said as they neared. “I don’t want to be seen going into the building.”
As the car neared the building, Minchin did as he asked, turning down a side street to drop him off at the back.
“Thank you for everything,” Leland said, shutting the door. He didn’t wait for the car to drive away before he fished his keys out and unlocked the side door. He found the service elevator and rode up to the top floor, keeping as low of a profile as possible. As soon as he arrived, he inspected the loft for cleanliness since its last use and texted the service he used to come as soon as possible the following day to give it a once over before Masters arrived.
Satisfied he had all ducks in a row for the night, he opened a bottle of white wine from his private stock and sat in his favorite upholstered chair with the overhead lights burning low and enjoyed being back in the comforts of a home. Living in his Chieftain wasn’t totally roughing it, but it was cramped quarters. And he didn’t know when he might be discovered living in a storage facility for RVs.
Taking a deep breath, he swirled the wine in his glass and breathed in the aroma before taking a sip. He’d missed this. He’d been forced to drink beer, albeit, IPAs and name brands, but it was still beer for the last two months. He’d worn jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and polos. To fit in with those who were staying at the RV park if he were seen outside of his Chieftain.
It would be glorious to put on one of his fine cut suits again. Have his hair cut, his nails manicured. In fact, he’d make an appointment tomorrow. Somewhere he never went before so no one would know him. Once he found out when the cleaning service was coming, he’d leave to give them time to do their job and he’d go take care of himself.
Twenty-eight hourslater Leland welcomed Seth and his men into his loft and showed them where they’d be staying while there. He offered them a glass of wine and they got down to business.
“I have to say this isn’t exactly where I imagined you were hiding out,” Seth said as they sat in the living room.
“It isn’t. I moved here to receive you,” he explained. “I hope I am not taking a risk in doing so, but I couldn’t expect you to rough it like I’ve been doing.”
Seth nodded. “Your spirits appear improved from the last time we spoke. Has the move made the difference?”
“Not entirely. Although I did visit my barber today. A cut and shave can boost a man’s spirits,” Leland said with a smile. “But that isn’t all that has me feeling optimistic. We located the one who went missing after the raid. It turns out he was shot and partially paralyzed on one side after the raid in June. He’s been in a rehabilitation facility in town recovering and will be able to rejoin my outfit soon. I’ve had my attorney vet this information for veracity, and it pans out. If it is a cover then someone worked hard to make it look this way.”
“Good,” Seth said. “I’m glad to hear it. As for your other men who have been screwing up?”
Leland gave a heavy sigh. “Well. I can’t do much about them I’m afraid. They are all I have at the moment. But I will replace them all and start fresh as soon as I move out of the Springs.”
“Wise decision,” Seth agreed.
A knock at the loft door interrupted their discussion and Leland excused himself to go answer it. It was the chef he’d hired to prepare the evening meal.
“Welcome. Let me show you to the kitchen,” he said, leading the man in the black chef attire through the loft. “The refrigerator and cabinets are stocked. You should have everything you need to prepare the meal we discussed.”
The man nodded and got to work.
