Page 52 of Intangible
“Got that right, little brother,” the big man said with a grin before keying the passcode into the lock on the upper door.
It was decided that Memphis and Thayer would wander around downtown for a while until lunch. The men spent a half hour deciding what parking lot would be the best before discussing the lunch possibilities. They spent the rest of the day wandering around until Thayer noticed Memphis starting to favor his side.
Meeting Knox back at the car, they drove silently back to the loft.
By the time they made it upstairs, Memphis had a pounding headache. Thankfully, Jay had shown up an hour before and had dinner waiting for them. He moaned at the first bite of creamy scalloped potatoes with ham. Jay had been the only one of the kids that had paid rapt attention to the cooking lessons that had been forced upon them. By the time he graduated from high school, he could cook as well as any gourmet chef.
“Everything go okay? Your people are in place downtown?” Jay asked between bites.
“They are, and no one saw anything out of the ordinary,” Knox answered.
“This all feels very cloak and dagger,” Jay added.
“It’s the only way I can think to catch them. We can’t just run to the cops about some group we think may or may not be in the area. Anyone need another drink?” Knox asked, pushing away from the table.
“Agent Tanaka still hasn’t had much luck with the identity of who hired the men at your cabin. I’m afraid that’s a dead end,” Knox said, returning with another round of beer and a water for Memphis.
Memphis scowled at the realization that his brother was just as big of a babysitter as Thayer. Would one beer really hurt? He wasn’t even on the heavy painkillers anymore.
“I’m not sure how you’re going to explain to your insurance company that your house randomly burned down due to a fireball during an attack from hired gunmen.” Knox smiled when Memphis laughed.
“Yeah, that’s going to be interesting,” Memphis said. “Thanks, buddy.” Knox scowled at his sarcasm for just a moment before a laugh bubbled up from the big man.
“Anytime.”
* * *
Outside, Curtis stood against the wall of one of the other warehouses, looking at the windows on the second floor. Though the height of the second floor made it too hard to see anything but what was pressed against the windows, he knew they were there. His men had followed them around the downtown area for a while before following them back here.
In the back of his mind, he knew they were setting up a trap. He also knew he was smarter than all of them put together.
There was no doubt in his mind that he and his men would have to, somehow, kidnap her off the street in downtown Memphis. They had counted at least four men watching her, including both Monroe and Prescott.
It would have to be a quick snatch and grab if they had a hope of getting away clean with her. It would be best to avoid any bloodshed in such a public area, though, he wouldn’t be upset if Prescott was gutted at the same time. The man had become a very painful thorn in his side.
He had checked the company files for a safe house in the area but found none. It was no matter. It wouldn’t be hard to find an abandoned house or building to hold her in. It wasn’t like he had time to draw her death out much longer. He would need her caught, killed, discovered, and the press spinning their own sensational story in less than a week’s time.
He had assured Mr. Roberts only that morning on his secured phone line that it would be no problem. Curtis hoped that was the case anyway. His reputation as a man who could get things done was starting to suffer.
Tomorrow he would look for the perfect place to take her. By this time next week, he would be lying low on some island where there was an endless supply of mojitos and bronzed women. Mr. Roberts wasn’t the only one with the promise of a large payout when the contract was signed. Everyone at the company stood to make a small fortune, him included.
With a nod to his men, he turned for the SUV. Soon, he would be not only a wealthy man, but one who could name his price in the world of fixers.
Nothing could stop the smile that spread across his face as he climbed into the passenger seat. No doubt, his time had finally come.
Chapter 21
“Better?”Memphis asked Thayer the next morning, standing in the middle of the Optometrist office.
“I don’t know, I like your glasses. Like I said, they’re very Clark Kent,” she answered with a mischievous smile. He smirked at her, putting his glasses in their case.
“Yeah, well, Clark Kent just uses his as a prop so he can whip them off like a sexy reporter. He doesn’t have to squint through them to see the damn lab reports.”
“You don’t know, he might be nearsighted.” She stifled a laugh as she watched him pay.
“So the man can leap tall buildings in a single bound but he can’t see to read the newspaper? I don’t buy it. Based on Superman logic, no one should know who I am in glasses anyway. I’m virtually incognito.”
He twined his fingers through hers, pulling her out of the store. “Besides, does Lois Lane take one look at him wearing his underwear on the outside of his clothes and think ‘yeah, I’d hit that?’” Thayer burst out with a laugh as they walked down the street.
