Sam once shared how Suds suffers from PTSD. I had no idea. I mean, it’s not the type of thing I would ask about and honestly, to me, he seems perfectly normal.
I sigh. I guess if you really love someone, you share parts of yourself you would never show anyone else. Paolo never opened up and to be fair, I never did, either.
“What’re you thinking?” After polishing off the last of his coffee, Wheels tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Nuh-uh. This time you tell me something about you.”
His eyes cloud over, and I fear I may have overstepped. We agreed to be exclusive, and we enjoyed our sex. Other than that, the rules around‘this’are pretty sketchy.
“Fair enough. What would you like to know?” Nodding, he pats the mattress next to him and I sit.
“Parents?” I keep the questions easy to begin with.
“My dad died during my second deployment. My mom lives in Delaware with her boyfriend.” At his fierce frown, I grab hold of his hands and squeeze.
“I’m so sorry. Do you have any siblings?”
“Nope. I’m an only. Are we done?” He starts to stand but I pull him back.
“Just one more thing. Why do you always keep your pants on when we make love?” I thought it was an easy question but apparently, I hit a nerve.
“Enough!” His sharp tone makes me cringe and I back away.
“God. Sorry.”
Grabbing my hips, he places me in his lap. “No, I am. How about we skip twenty questions and focus on the BIC code, huh?”
“Sure.” My heart sinks. Once I remember, no doubtthiswill end. Maybe my subconscious refuses to surrender because I’m not ready to give up the only man who ever sent chills down my spine.
“Start at the beginning and walk me through what happened that night.”
“Well, I worked a regular shift. Like usual, I arrived home, went upstairs, and asked Sam if I could watch Mikey. I brought him to my apartment and gave him a bath so she could work. No sooner did I have him in his PJ’s, when he had this horrendous poop. Like any reasonable human being, I walked him up the stairs and gave him to his mom.”
Wheels nods. “Sounds rational to me.”
“Right?” Sharing a high five, I close my eyes. “Then, my memory gets fuzzy. I remember she took the baby into the bedroom and how Catrina jumped on the table. As I scratched her chin, she rolled onto her back for tummy rubs. A couple seconds later, I hear voices.”
Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer.I hum the tune, now stuck in my head.
“You take one down…” Tightening his grip on my hand, my interrogator sings along.
“That’s it! I heard hundred, and also, ninety-nine!” My eyes pop open as I’m rewarded with a kiss and a hug from behind.
“We have four out of the six numbers. Congrats. You did it.” Reaching into his pocket for his cell phone, he calls Jasonelle. “What Evergreen containers have a BIC code with NYU and contain the digits zero-zero and nine-nine?”
A picture of an eighteen-wheeler pops up on his screen. “There is exactly one container matching your identification code. It is currently being driven by the U-go trucking company.”
“What is the destination?” Leaning in, he holds the image in front of our noses.
“Chicago.” As the meme, dressed in a dark suit and dark glasses, blinks out at us, Wheels barks out, “Conference in Slate.”
A few technical difficulties later, the Patten boss joins the call and after we fill him in, I need to ask, “But why the windy city? My uncle’s business is based mostly in New York. There’s plenty of sales to be had close to home. Why risk it, and send them to the Midwest?”
I thought the AI unit would respond but Slate is faster. “Distribution. Most of the Mexican drug cartels operate out of Illinois.”
His answer confuses me more. “Why would Vinny sell the fentanyl to a middleman? He has an excellent pipeline. It makes no sense.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. We need to tell the Feds.” Wheels hugs me close and while I appreciate his thoughtfulness, I don’t agree.
