Chapter One
His phone rang as he pulled up to the parking lot on his motorcycle. Drew Colborne-Ramesly grabbed it and answered the call. “Harley here.”
“They’re moving up the demolition,” Miguel said. “They’re worried about protesters wanting to put it on some historical list or something so they’re trying to get it demolished before the protesters get organized and it becomes a media circus. I thought you should know.”
“You’re kidding? When?” Drew kept his voice low. He didn’t need anyone overhearing him. Especially right now. “Everything is all in place. They’re coming to the party.”
“The party is being cancelled. Two days from now party central is going to be rubble.”
“Miguel, this is not good,” Drew scanned the parking lot. There was a truck there that he was unfamiliar with. It had a logo for the demolition company. Not good at all. “You need to get the boss to get on this. The drugs, the players, they are all here or nearby. We don’t hit them now, it’s all going to be in the wind. We won’t get this opportunity back.”
“The boss feels there isn’t enough time to do it right. Too risky,” Miguel responded. He sighed. “You should pull back a little.”
“Pull back?” Drew snorted. “This is past my neck. Get the boss and tell him to get on this. Right now, I got an uninvited guest to deal with.”
“Who?” Miguel asked, a little alarmed.
“Someone from the demo crew is here,” Drew explained curtly. “I’m hoping he hasn’t stumbled onto anything important and I can get him out without any issues.”
“Good luck brother,” Miguel didn’t sound too confident. “Call me if you need some backup.”
“Get the boss on it,” Drew replied.
“I’ll try to convince him.” They both knew it was a long shot.
Drew ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket. He pulled on a hidden compartment in the Harley he was riding and retrieved his Glock. Putting the trusted gun in the back of his waistband, Drew replaced the compartment cover and casually walked up to the building. This was probably not going to go well. If he was lucky, the guy was already dead or hadn’t been in the building long enough to stumble on anyone and Drew would be able to get him out. If Drew was really unlucky, the guy was alive and had been found by members of this criminal gang. Then Drew would probably be witness to a murder. That was something his conscience probably wouldn’t live with very well.
The lock had been cut on the door. Drew pulled it open and went in. He listened and looked around each corner as he slowly approached the loading dock area of the condemned building. Luck was not with him. There was a man talking to three members of the gang. Red, Knuckles and Sam.
“Look guys, the city just sent me to make sure the building is clear. I don’t want any trouble. Tomorrow all the big equipment will be coming in, we’ll be blocking off the street and then early next morning we set the explosives and the whole thing comes down. You guys need to move out.”
He had obviously seen the bricks of heroin sitting on the pallets. Drew would give the guy guts for trying to talk his way out of a no-win situation.
Sam spotted Drew. “Hey, you should get a load of this guy, Harley.”
Drew walked up casually to the group. “Who is this? I thought there were no other players in this operation.”
The demolition guy looked at him and Drew nearly broke stride in surprise. Max Ramesly. He couldn’t believe it. Max Ramesly had stumbled on this drug operation. What were the odds?
“You ever see this guy before?” Knuckles asked, motioning to Max.
“Sure,” Drew said grimly. “Every morning in the mirror except he ain’t got the scar and tats.”
Max and Drew looked startling alike. Drew’s hair was shorter, he maybe weighed twenty pounds less, had black tattoos running up his arms and a scar through his eyebrow. Otherwise they could be twins.
“I’ve always heard everyone has a doppelganger, but I’d never thought I’d meet mine,” Max stared in fascination.
“We gotta get rid of him,” Red commented.
“Whoa!” Max threw up his hands in surrender. “I’m just doing my job. I got a wife and kids at home. I’d like to go back to them tonight.”
“Shame we’re going to have to make her a widow,” Drew pulled out his gun. He decided to take the initiative before one of the others did. Maybe there was a way that he could salvage this situation and get Max out alive. “Turn around.”
“Please don’t do this,” the charm was gone, replaced by fear.
“Turn around. Nice and slow,” Drew repeated. “Sam, I’m going to need your car.”
“Why?” Sam was surprised by the request.
