Page 73 of Invincible
“I can go early in the morning and run a search,” he answered.
“Tyler, do you have anything personal she left behind?I could overnight it to Memphis to see what he can find.”
“No, she took everything with her.What she didn’t sell anyway.Everything left fit in a couple of suitcases that she took with her.I dropped her off at the bus station,” Tyler said.
Knox walked back over to the deck chair he had abandoned, dropping down into it.He searched his mind, trying to think of anything else that would help him find Greer.With a sigh, he picked up his beer and took a long drink.There wasn’t anything else he could do tonight.
The next morning, Tyler tried unsuccessfully to reach Greer several times.Her phone calls went straight to voice mail and her texts were left unanswered.Watching Tyler’s anxiety level grow with each attempt did nothing to allay Knox’s own fears.
Dex had risen early to beat the traffic to his office.Returning midmorning, he didn’t have too much to add.What he did manage to find out wasn’t good.Settling around the kitchen table, he pulled out a folder sliding it over to Knox.
“The LeBlancs are an old family that have been in the area for a long time.They’ve been wrapped up on the fringes of most of the criminal enterprises in that area since they arrived.Greer’s parents were never married.Her mother eventually took off dumping Greer and her brother, Deacon, with their father.
“He’s freelance, low-level muscle for some of the more unsavory gangsters.According to sources, he also has a nasty gambling habit.There is a rumor that he owes some loan shark a lot of money and that her brother has been forced to work for this shark to pay his father’s debt.”
They all sat in silence, digesting the information.
“Do you think Greer went to help her brother with the debt?”Knox asked.
“It’s possible.If so, she may be in more trouble than we thought.”
“I need to get down there.I’ll do some recon, then check back in.”He stood, turning to grab his bag out of the spare bedroom.Retrieving it, he quickly packed up Harry’s stuff, whistling for the dog.Dex and Tyler followed him outside.
“You need to be careful.Those guys play a tough game.Let me know if we need to head down there to help.I’ll also give the office in New Orleans a heads-up in case you need their help,” Dex said, helping Knox strap the dog in the sidecar.
Swinging onto the motorcycle, Knox paused to hug Tyler before starting it.
“Please call me the moment you know something,” she said into his ear with one last squeeze.
“I will,” he agreed.
With his helmet on his head, he pulled out from the curb in front of their house.It would take around five hours, so he would have just enough time to check out her apartment before heading over to the club.With any luck, he would find her safe and sound tonight.
Knox had been to New Orleans before, when his Navy ship had docked here.He had immediately developed a love for the city.
Although he certainly did not love the area he was driving slowly through, looking for Greer’s last known address.He truly hoped she had found somewhere better to live than this neighborhood.Pulling in front of an old corner grocery store, he checked his information before climbing off.With a prayer that both his bike and his dog would still be there when he came out, he headed into the store.
“Hey, Pops,” he called out to an old man behind the counter.As far as Knox could tell, he was the only one working here.When the old man looked up at him, he continued.“I’m trying to find a friend of mine, goes by the name Greer.About yay high,” he added, holding his hand about chest level.“Long cinnamon-colored hair with light-blue eyes.She’s supposed to live here somewhere, but I can’t find any apartment numbers.”The old man narrowed his eyes at Knox.
“What do you want with her?”he asked.Knox debated briefly about how to deal with the old man.Strong arming innocents that were obviously weaker than he was didn’t ever hold much interest for him, but he needed to find her.He would try the nice guy approach first.
“We were friends in Houston.I was passing through and thought I could take her to dinner.”
“She’s not home,” he said with a grunt.
“But she lives around here?”
The old man sized him up again before shrugging his shoulders.
“Upstairs, apartment two.”
Knox was grateful for the information, but he didn’t like how quickly the old man handed it over.“I’m going to go make sure she’s not home.Maybe she came in and you didn’t notice.Will my bike be okay here for a few minutes?”
“For ten dollars, I’ll let you park it in the garage in the back,” the old man said with another shrug.This man had acting uninterested down to an art form.Pulling out a ten spot, Knox flicked it onto the counter.With a second thought, he pulled out six more, adding them to the pile.
“I’ll pay your extortion for a week.You’d better not be lying about that garage being safe,” Knox grumbled, drawing a smile from the old man this time.Moving faster than he thought possible, the old man snatched the money off the counter.
Leaving the store, Knox eased the motorcycle around to the back, pulling inside the old garage door that had been opened for him.The old man handed him a key to the lock before heading back inside his store.
