“What is it?” I felt frustration hit as my sexual desires got redirected.
“The alarm code has gone off at the warehouse. I gotta go over there. You ridin’?”
“Of course. Let’s go,” I said but it came out reluctantly.
Diego flung open the closet door and pulled out his rustic biker boots, sliding into them easily. He laced them up. His club vest was hanging in the closet and he put it on swiftly. At the bottom of the closet was the second helmet.
“Here.”
“No. Diego, let’s take my car and go now.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. Let’s ride.” I felt like Bonnie and Clyde riding with my man. I picked up my purse from the kitchen counter as Diego walked ahead of me and yanked the door open. His face was pure concentration. He was ready for battle. I saw something I didn’t want to see. That was him strapping up. He put a gun holster on and slid his Smith and Wesson into its slot. Shit. “I’ll drive,” I said.
“Okay. Keep to the speed limit. Whatever they decided to do, it’s been done already. Let me call Rick and see if he can back me up out there. If this is who I think it is, we got some heat coming our way.” Diego’s eyes flashed with anger in the passenger seat. The streets were lit up and people were out. The traffic was reasonable, nothing out of the norm for Merced. I opened the window to get some air and breathe.
“You think it was those two weasels?”
“Yup. I do think that. This is something bigger. I gotta get a handle on it. This might mean war. I can’t explain away someone breaking in at the warehouse.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I pray it's not that.”
As I turned into the warehouse driveway, I saw a fire extinguisher being used and one of the security team from the alarm company on deck. Nobody else.
I scanned the street as we parked and walked swiftly toward the two men.
“Hey, Mr. Christopher is that right?” A beefy security dude with a flashlight shone it at his shoes. In his hand he was holding a bag.
“Yes. That’s right. How you doin’, man? What happened here?” Diego asked.
“Good, good. We responded to a call for this address,” he said curtly. He shone the light at me and smiled. His light was the only source. Other than that, the whole parking lot area was pitch black. The moon was hiding behind clouds, refusing to show its face. “Looks like a small spot fire was lit just outside the building. Set off the smoke alarm for the building. Nothing major. Probably some kids around the way. Sorry you had to come out for it.”
I breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time wondered who did it.
“Ah, how did the fire start? You got any clues about it?” Diego asked. I paced around the side of the building to take a look.
“Molotov cocktail. That’s what I’ve got here.” He held up the bag in his hand.
“Holy shit. People are still throwing those pieces of shit?”
“Well, that’s why I say it was young kids, because this is a backyard job. Still, we’re going to hold on to it and investigate. We also have the security tape. Once we roll it we will get it back to you.”
“Please do. I want these bastards caught. They did a shit job if they were planning to burn down the place,” Diego mused.
“They did. I don’t know if they were trying to do that, more like trying to be a nuisance.” The security guy wrote down some notes. “So hey, we have all your details. I will be in touch with you, Mr. Christopher, once I’ve had a look at the tapes.”
“Can I have that cocktail? I wanna take a closer look at it.”
The beefy security dude hesitated for a minute. “Are you going to take this to the cops? I suggest you do. You might want to take along the tape when we release it to you as well,” he said.
“I might. Depends. Thanks for coming out.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Christopher. Give me a call if you think of anything else about the issue.” He held out his hand for the shake. Diego shook it back.
“Will do,” Diego said grimly.
Diego curled me into him and kissed my head. We watched the security walk away. I looked down at the ground where the cocktail had been. The bottom half of the door was singed and some of the paint peeled off.
