Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

D espite the cool outside temperature, Clarence Carpenter was sweating through his favorite Hawaiian shirt. He debated whether or not to take a jacket as it didn’t really go with his outfit, but he was going to the mayor’s office so he probably should, plus, who knew what this wire thing the Feds planned to attach to him looked like.

He gulped down the protein shake he’d grabbed out of the fridge for breakfast and then put his hand on his stomach as he belched. He tossed the empty container into the recycling bin and wiped his sweaty forehead.

If his boss found out he was working for the Feds, he was going to end up inhaling concrete. Hopefully, if he could give the FBI the mayor, both the FBI and his boss would be happy and leave him the hell alone.

He’d told that prick Gonzales that he was working under his own initiative and that his boss didn’t have a clue why he was so successful at getting so many lucrative contracts. He wasn’t sure the agent had believed him, but no way was he implicating Frank Bannon in anything illegal—the guy wasn’t known for his patience or understanding.

If this meet worked out, he’d tell Frank what had gone down and why, and then they’d use the situation and make sure the Feds only learned what they wanted them to learn.

A tangle of anxiety wound around his chest. He grabbed the keys to his SUV and tossed them into the air. Caught them with a determined flourish.

I can do this.

He repeated the mantra as he picked up his cell from the charger and slipped it into his back pocket. Grabbed his sports jacket off the back of the kitchen stool, just in case.

He headed out the front door to where his car sat on the drive beside the tall hedge of bougainvillea that his neighbors kept asking him to trim.

Did he look like a gardener?

He shook his head and then shimmied down the narrow gap and conceded that perhaps they had a point. Maybe he’d ask his brother to give him a hand on the weekend or perhaps hire one of the local kids who lived nearby. Get them off the street, where they shot hoops, and doing something useful for a change.

He checked his watch which glowed in the pre-dawn light. He’d organized this meet early so his boss wouldn’t wonder where he was this morning.

He scowled as he climbed into the driver’s seat. The Feds better not fuck up his career.

Frank was a good boss. But a scary son of a gun.

He put the key in the ignition and jolted as Kendrick Lamar blared out of the sound system. He winced and turned it down because the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.

He shifted forward to drag the phone out of his back pocket and toss it on the center console. Then he yawned and rubbed his eyes before twisting to pull on his seatbelt.

He sat back and, let out a little squeal as a meaty forearm came around from the backseat and grabbed him around the neck.

“What the—” The words were cut off along with his ability to draw in air.

His fingernails dug into the man’s arm and tried to pry him off as his feet scrambled. He couldn’t breathe and whoever this guy was, he was far too strong for Clarence to dislodge him. He felt his vision start to gray and slapped his hand toward the horn to get someone’s attention.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” The accent was thick and guttural.

Clarence found himself jerked violently back between the gap in the seats. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he flung his fisted hand back toward his assailant and connected with what felt like a beard. Had Frank heard about the meet with the Feds and sent someone to get rid of him?

I can explain!

He tried to get the words out, but the guy had him in an unbreakable headlock and Clarence’s lungs were burning with panic and the fierce need for oxygen.

His knees banged the steering wheel as he tried to escape but the seatbelt locked him into place. He reached back again, and this time grabbed a handful of hair and pulled as hard as he could, tearing some out.

Weakness began invading his limbs, pins and needles throbbed in his fingers which suddenly felt numb. His legs gave out. The blackness that had been creeping around his vision suddenly rushed in. He lost consciousness not knowing why this was happening or if he was ever gonna wake up.