Nightcrawler (Trackers #1)

Chapter Nine

RAVEN

I was shocked by the sheer amount of dried blood in my new truck. The gray leather passenger seat and my floor mats were pretty much toast and would have to be replaced. It saddened me to see what a mess Passantino’s gunshot and the resulting bullet wound in my side had left behind.

Miguel insisted I call him by his real name, now that I’d asked, and it was almost nice when we’d had a short argument about who was going to drive, now that I was feeling better. It felt almost normal to be fighting. He finally gave up the driver’s seat when he realized I wasn’t giving up. He slid into the stained front passenger seat as I got behind the wheel, determined to get home to rest and hopefully bathe in my own tub.

“I know it’s a pain in the ass, but would you take me back to Passantino’s house?” he asked as soon as I pulled out onto the street. “I left my truck parked in his neighborhood around the corner from his house. Then I can follow you home just to make sure you get there okay.”

I turned to look over at him. “Why? You don’t need to do that, Miguel. I’m totally fine.”

“Because I want to do it. I need to know you’re okay.” He frowned at me and I would have been tempted to frown right back had I not been driving.

I sighed. “Yeah, of course that’s okay. I’m just not used to being coddled.”

“Is it coddling when you have not one but two bullet holes in you?”

I darted a glance at him before looking back at the road. “No, of course not. I’m sorry to be obstinate.” I headed toward Gemma and Passantino’s mansions on Hesby Avenue and he pulled out his phone, scrolling through it silently. It was morning rush hour and since my truck was big and couldn’t weave in and out of traffic with ease, I decided to think about the review I’d leave for one of the last books I’d read.

Book title: The Mount of Minty Cristo

Author: Brownsleeves

Publisher: Self-published

Genre: Adult Entertainment/Equestrian

Review/rating by Nightcrawler: 2 stars

Synopsis:

A young woman named Minty finds her soulmate in the oddest of places, on her grandfather’s farm in Mexico. After moving there as a young child because of the death of her parents, she grows to womanhood learning to ride his favorite stallion, a horse named Coco. But she falls on hard times when the old man dies, being forced to take up the lonely life of prostitution. Using a series of flashbacks which put the reader in the moment, Minty’s life is chronicled from childhood to her tragic death many years later.

My Review:

I’ll never learn.

Even the adult entertainment section of the Amazon bookshelves hadn’t prepared me for a porno about a girl who finds her soulmate in the form of a horse named Coco. This book sucked big donkey balls. Take that any way you want and by that, I mean to say, take it literally . I’ve never been fond of flashbacks in books but in the case of this story, they were the only part I could stomach. They consisted of Minty’s younger years and the kindly grandfather who is loving and dear to her. When he dies, things change in Minty’s life and let’s just say, the kind of mounting she and Coco had been doing in the past, changes in ways I’m not prepared to describe here.

I think you get what I’m saying…or neighing.

If I didn’t like or need them, I’d enlist volunteers to come and gouge out my eyes but even that wouldn’t erase the memories of what I just read, so that’s futile. For those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, I’ll put it this way: Minty, unable to bear leaving her beloved Coco on her grandfather’s farm with no one to care for him, moves to the port city of Cozumel and comes up with a business model which works for her. I’ll describe it briefly , since there will be copious retching involved afterward, and I have no desire to harm readers with my reviews.

Minty holds horse shows, similar to donkey shows, where she and Coco are the stars. Unlike any old donkey shows, Minty designs a mask for Coco which covers his face during and after these shows. I should also say, Coco doesn’t seem to appreciate being deprived of his senses in this manner which makes Minty chain him in his stable every night. The book details Minty’s many injuries during one such show and eventually her untimely death, from which you, dear readers, can only imagine. I care not to.

I’m giving this book a negative two-star rating because, well…who really cares after being subjected to this subject matter. The author, Brownsleeves—who evidently earned his name from inseminating farm animals—knows way too much about Minty’s injuries for this reader to stomach. So, in conclusion I say, this book is a big, fat, NO from me and needs to be burned.

And now I’ll go put out my own eyes.

I chucked as I mentally archived the review in my brain, and Miguel looked over at me.

“What’s funny?”

I remembered that he’d had one of my older reviews open on his tablet the other night, but I didn’t want to admit to snooping. The time would come to tell him I was the reviewer called Nightcrawler, but I judged the time wasn’t right. “Nothing important. I was just thinking about an old book I’d been reading. It was terrible.”

“You like reading?”

I loved it . “Yeah, when I get a chance. It’s what I do after work to unwind.” It sounded like a lame excuse but then who needed an excuse for reading?

He nodded. “I like it too.”

When I looked over at him, he was grinning from ear to ear, an expression so rare on the man, it took my breath away. “You’re smiling. Something I didn’t think you did very often when we first met.”

He nodded, looking at his lap. “Yeah. I’m not usually a very happy guy and trust me, I’ve never been mistaken as someone with a sunny personality.”

“But you were grinning just then,” I said, wanting to get to know as much as I could about this man.

He grinned again, as if unable to stop himself. “I read when I have time but a while back, I stumbled on this review site which is really great. I follow a couple of the reviewers on there but there’s this one guy who writes these reviews that always make me smile. And, though, I’ve never picked up any of the books he’s reviewed, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to. I’d sure like to know where some of those books come from. There’s some real crap out there.”

I gave myself a mental pat on the back, smiling inwardly as I simply nodded back at him. “He’s honest, huh ?”

“Brutally, but from what I can tell, some of these books are pretty out there.”

We both got quiet as I took the freeway off-ramp not far from Passantino’s house and then turned onto Hesby. “Where are you parked?”

“Around the corner,” Miguel said, pointing. “Go to the end of the block and turn left. I’m parked fifty feet down on the right side.”

I did as he asked. “You said it was parked over here, right?”

Miguel was silent, looking up the block where I would have expected his car to be parked but sure enough, there was nothing. I watched him twist to look back over his shoulder and then groan as he spotted something. “There’s a sign posted over there. I have a bad feeling about this.”

I felt my heart in my throat. I knew what he was talking about. I did as he asked and backed up, stopping so we could both read the street sign. No parking 8AM to 12PM Tuesday. Street Sweeping.

“I don’t believe it. They towed my truck,” he exclaimed.

“Don’t they usually just give you a big, fat ticket? Do they actually tow your vehicle for that offense?”

“How the fuck should I know!” he snapped, raising his voice.

I flinched and then waited as I felt his anger and desperation fill the truck. “I’m sure we can find out about it,” I said quietly. “Maybe one of the neighbors knows. In this neighborhood, they probably all have their noses in everyone’s business,” I offered. “At least we can find out where they towed it by making some calls, Miguel.” I reached over to touch his forearm to offer comfort, but he pulled away like he’d been burned. The jolt of pain I felt in my heart was worse than a physical blow, worse than the time he’d tackled me out there in front of the Capitol Records building and that was saying something. It’d felt like being hit by a tank and then backed over a few times.

“I’m not asking a neighbor.” The growl in his voice would have been sexy in any other context. I spotted a man using a leaf blower in front of one of the gated residences about a block down and pulled away from the curb.

“Where’re you going?” he challenged. “I’m seriously not asking a neighbor about it.”

“I’m going to ask that man.” I pointed to the Hispanic gardener who was standing on the sidewalk, blowing leaves away from the curb. He was sweating, wearing a straw hat, and running a big, gas-powered blower. He moved to the drive as soon as he saw my truck. I pulled up alongside the curb and rolled down my window, making a gesture with one finger to turn off the blower and come over. He did as I asked.

“ Hola. Can you tell me if you saw a truck being towed this morning?”

The man shook his head. “Lo siento, senor. No hablo Ingles.”

Miguel leaned across the seat and asked him again in rapid fire Spanish. The man instantly nodded, rattling off an answer. Miguel asked one more question, but the man shook his head. Miguel raised his hand. “Gracias, senor.”

“De nada.” The gardener smiled and nodded, restarting the blower as I powered up the window.

I turned to look at him. He was vibrating with anger. “They towed it. He doesn’t know who the towing company for the area is, but I guess we can stop into one of the local shops and ask. I really don’t want to hang around here in case news of our exploits at the Passantino’s mansion the other night is making the rounds.”

That was probably a good idea. “Sometimes they have signs posted in nearby parking lots,” I offered, feeling terrible.

He nodded grimly. “We can try.” He looked at me with sad eyes. “I s’pose that’s best.” He looked out the window for a few seconds before looking back at me. “I’m… ah …really sorry I snapped at you back there. I just don’t have extra money to throw at a towing company. They could have just given me a ticket but no, these rich bastards don’t care that they’re hurting the little guy.”

I wouldn’t dream of referring to Miguel Huerta as little, but I wasn’t stupid either.

He sighed. “Anyway, I’m really sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have every right to be upset and when you get to know me, you’ll realize I have a thick skin.” I’d known what he was about to say about money even before he said it. From the humbleness of his neighborhood and his apartment to the older model truck I’d seen parked on Vine Street the day we’d first met at Capitol Records; I’d known money was an issue. I let it drop.

If we were to become friends, the last thing I wanted to do was to embarrass him or push him to confide in me. I had an inkling that’s what was going on with him simply by the way he’d behaved about not only losing out on the bounty for Lyle Trench but then by losing out on the commissions he would have earned for the recovery of Gemma Monroe’s boobs. My phone rang and I picked up as I drove out to Ventura Boulevard to find a parking lot with a sign.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?” the irritated voice asked. “She won’t calm down, Raven. You need to get here so she can see you in the flesh, not just hear your voice over the phone.”

“I told you, I’m on the way, Ned. I’m in the Valley, so I’ll be there as soon as I can. Probably about an hour and a half.”

“An hour and a half?” The voice of Ned Jeffries, rose. I couldn’t blame him. When we’d spoken this morning after Vonne took Miguel out into the hallway to have a chat, I told him it’d be an hour. I hadn’t planned on making any stops along the way. He could be such a needy, whiny bitch sometimes. I wanted to let him have it, but if I had to be honest, he’d been doing me a huge favor over the last twenty-four hours.

“Like I said, I’ll be home as soon as I can.” I hung up the phone and glanced over at Miguel who was studying something out the passenger window. He couldn’t help but overhear my half of the conversation and I hated the thought that he was getting the wrong idea. Then again, it was my own business, and I didn’t feel all that much like sharing. Besides, Ned drove me crazy with his possessiveness at times. I said nothing more and pulled into the first restaurant we could find. Sure enough, each of the four parking spaces had signs fastened to the wall with a towing company’s name and phone number. Miguel wrote it down and dialed the number as I idled in the drive, unsure where to go.

“How much?” he asked after he read off the make and model of his truck as well as the street where it had been parked. “And this isn’t just a ticket because?” He paused while someone on the other end of the line explained something to him. “Gimme your business hours and address,” he barked, writing it down, nodding as if the person could see him. “Fine, thanks.” He paused without hanging up. “Today?” He glanced over at me before turning away to look out the window again. “I’ll let you know.” He sounded utterly miserable, and my heart squeezed just a little. He disconnected the call, saying nothing.

After a minute or so, he turned to me. “I’m so sorry. I know you have something to do but I need to go home.”

“You’re not picking up the truck?” I asked, almost angry with myself for asking. I already knew the answer.

“I don’t have that kind of—they want—I’ll—” He stopped talking, covering his face with both hands. “I need to just go home.” He turned to look at me. “I’m sorry. It’s not your problem.”

“It is my problem, Miguel.” I held up my hand. “It’s my fault you had your truck towed. If I hadn’t gotten shot, you wouldn’t have been parked there this morning. Just, let me pay for the tow fees and help you get your truck back.”

He rounded on me so fast, I flinched. “Do you think I can’t pay my own towing fees? What kind of a pussy do you think I am?” He was yelling and it freaked me out.

“I didn’t say anything about that,” I rushed to explain. “And I don’t think you’re a pussy at all. Shit happens, Miguel. All I’m saying is that none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been shot. I hope it’s obvious that I want us to be friends. I offered to pay the towing fees because I feel responsible for what happened…and before you say it, what I mean is, at least in part. Please…let me do this for you.” I didn’t want to give him any excuse to say no. “Let me do this for you and if you want, we can call it a loan. Okay? Pay me back after your next job.”

He was silent for a full minute and when I looked over, I could see the muscles in his jaw working as he mulled over my offer of a loan. “Okay,” he finally ground out.

“Good. So, where is this place?” I was watching where I was driving but I could feel him flinch.

“They’re on Wilshire in downtown. I know it’s really out of your way but—”

“It’s totally fine like I said, but I have to make a stop at home first. It’s kind of important.”

“Of course. I’d be a real asshole if I said no to you. I just feel terrible because you need to get home to rest, not cart me all over the place.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll handle my business, grab some painkillers, and we can even have some breakfast. After that, we can go get your truck out of hock.”

He snorted at that. “That’ll work.” He seemed to hesitate. “I need to call my boss and the conversation isn’t going to be a happy one. I’ve been ignoring his calls and texts since yesterday when I should have checked in to tell him the outcome of our little escapade at Passantino’s house. I also need to find out if James or Gemma mentioned us by name.”

Yeah, I wanted to know that too. I had scanned the local news and police blotter for Encino when I’d woken up this morning, but I’d seen nothing about it. Surely the police would have been around to my place by now if they had my name. And Ned hadn’t mentioned anything like that. It was just the juicy type of drama he’d thrive on. “You should call him. Sorry, I can’t give you your privacy at the moment.” I pulled onto the freeway and headed home.

“It’s fine and there will no doubt be yelling involved.”

Concerned, I glanced over at him. He was smirking, so I realized he was either used to his boss’s reaction to all this or had resigned himself to it. As I turned my attention back to driving, he called him. Even with the phone pressed to his ear, I could hear the obnoxious voice on the other end as the yelling started the minute he picked up the phone.

“Where the fuck have you been? Do you have any idea what kind of a shit storm you left behind in Encino?”

The man hadn’t even greeted Miguel. What a dick.

“I’m sorry, Jamie. I know. It’s…we got caught and there was gunfire and then Raven got shot and that’s been a cleanup type thing.”

I glanced over at him, and he was looking at me with wide eyes. He shook his head and mouthed, “You know what I mean.” I nodded and went back to driving.

“I heard about the gunfire, and I know you were there at the same time Raven Mathis was but not because I heard it from you, Trigg. Oh, no! I had a call from Don Woolworth. Do you know who that is?” He didn’t let Trigg answer. He just kept yelling. “He’s a fucking son-of-a-bitch legal counsel for GMS Insurance. And he’s throwing me and my company under the bus. He wants my license pulled and has threatened to turn you into the police.”

I waved my hand at Miguel who looked over at me. His glare couldn’t have been darker. I shook my head and mouthed, “I’ll take care of it.”

Miguel nodded. “Look, Raven said he’d take care of it when he talks to his boss. He was shot and—”

“He was shot?” Jamie screamed so loudly, Miguel had to pull the phone away from his ear.

“Yeah. You said you heard about gunshots. What did you think happened?”

“I thought Passantino just scared you guys away. And what the fuck were you doing working with that prick anyway?”

I darted a glance at Miguel who looked embarrassed as hell. “It wasn’t like that, Jamie. I got there after he did and we kind of went in at the same time,” he explained. “By the way, you didn’t tell me anything about him having a firearm in the house. That’s a pretty massive oversight on your part. Raven could have died.”

“First of all, I didn’t know he was shot. How could I know when you’ve been out of touch with me? Second, the fucker doesn’t carry a licensed firearm and neither does Gemma Monroe. I ran both of them through the database. You know I’m careful about that. I told that fucker Woolworth if he tries to bring this down on my head, I was going to turn both Passantino and Monroe into the cops. Since GMS gets a hefty amount of money in premiums from both of them, I doubt he’d take it that far. I told him they were empty threats but none of that excuses you for working with that guy. What were you thinking?”

Miguel sat forward, pressing the phone to his ear and running a hand through his hair, a gesture which was becoming easy to identify. “I already told you what happened, Jamie. He shot Raven. We went to the safe—which by the way—has been upgraded to a brand-new system which you didn’t put in the brief. Fortunately, because Passantino and Gemma both have GMS Insurance as a carrier, Raven was able to get into it. He had the combination. After we found it empty, we investigated noises upstairs and found that they weren’t split up after all. They were fucking and Gemma was wearing her prosthetic.”

There was silence from the other side of the phone for a few seconds. I kept driving. “They were together?”

“That’s what I’m saying. We decided to see if he kept the prosthetic somewhere else so we went looking for it and when we realized they were in the bedroom, we went in. They were in bed together, Jamie. As it turns out, you can tell that lawyer to go to hell since Passantino and Monroe were engaged in blatant insurance fraud. I’ve got pictures to prove all of it. That should shut GMS up right quick. Your license isn’t in jeopardy. It never was. I documented everything.”

“Okay, Trigg. I get it.” He must have deflated because I could no longer hear him speaking.

“Yes, I’ll send you the pics,” Miguel said, sounding exasperated. “No, I didn’t.” He paused and I felt him looking at me. I turned to confirm it. The phone was still pressed to his ear as he spoke. “Yeah, he’s fine. It was a through and through and he’s all patched up now. We didn’t have to go to the hospital. My friend patched him up. I’m taking him home now.” I turned my attention back to the road as he continued his conversation. “Jamie, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry this happened.”

He paused for another minute before answering a question his boss posed. “Yeah, I do want another job if you have it.” I could hear the hope in his voice and marveled at how easy it was becoming to read him. He sighed. “That’s the only one you’ll give me?” After a minute more, he sighed again. “That’s going to be dangerous, but I guess I have no choice.”

Dangerous?

Alarm filled my chest and the ache in my gut returned as he talked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. If that’s the only way I can keep my job, I have no choice, right?” He listened for a few seconds before nodding. He sat back, banging his head on the headrest a couple of times. “I’ll see you to pick up the file tomorrow morning.” He paused and then sighed. “Okay, email it then.” He finally hung up and I was left wondering what the hell he’d just agreed to.