I drop my arms and shrug indifferently. “They destroyed it.”
Even in the dark, I can see his jaw flex. “You’re already in too deep, Charlie. You have no idea what or who you’re dealing with. You’re too green.”
“You think I can’t do this?”
“I think you have your eye on the prize and you have blinders to the rest. Do I think you can do this? Yes. Do I think there’s a chance you’ll die trying? Also yes.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Did you come here just to yell at me once you found me alive?”
He’s quiet long enough that I peek back at him. “No,” he eventually says. “I had a feeling something happened to your phone, so I brought you a new one.” He picks up the crumbled paper bag, opens it, and pulls out a phone. Passing it to me, he adds, “It’s untraceable except to me. I made sure of it. Do you have my number memorized?”
“Since I was a kid,” I confirm and take the phone from him.
“Good. Only call me on it and delete the history every time.”
I nod in agreement, and we just stare at each other for a while. Both of us are steeped in the weight of what might possibly become of my future, but I break the silence when his truths become a real thing in my mind. “Thanks for the phone.”
“Sure, kid. Did you at least find out anything during your interview?”
Clearing my throat a little, I decide not to tell him about the second part of my interview. He’d yank me from the job immediately, and he’d never look at me the same. However, I think, on some level, he knows it’s bound to happen, and he’s just choosing to ignore that fact. “I have two names.”
“Good.” He pulls out his own phone from his back pocket, and with a quick glance, I watch him open his notes app. He then looks at me expectantly.
“Feenix is the first one. Andre the second.”
“Last names?” he asks as he types them into his phone.
“I didn’t exactly ask,” I grumble.
“Right,” he comments because it makes sense that I wouldn’t. “I’ll ask around.”
“Won’t that give me away?”
He raises an eyebrow. “You’re not the only one who has been working this. I might have someone who’d know.”
“What? Like another addict?” I chuckle at my joke.
“Yes, actually,” he responds as he pockets his phone. “I don’t think you know how far this business of theirs reaches. The more I look into it, the more I’m blown away.”
“Makes sense though.” I twist my lips to the side for a second. “Everyone we’ve encountered who has helped us is hooked on something, and their suppliers are those two.”
“Any clue as to who is at the top yet?”
I shake my head. “No, but Andre and Nix hold a lot of power. Maybe Nix more than the other. At least, it seemed that way, even though Andre tried to strut his authority.”
He brushes a hand over his jaw. “Maybe Nix is our guy. Maybe it’s that simple.”
Why the hell are my hackles rising? I can’t keep the tinge of anger from my voice when I ask, “What? Hide in plain sight?”
He raises an eyebrow at my tone. “Exactly.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I look just over his shoulder and out the window as if I can see Nix himself just because we’re considering him to be the guy I’ll eventually arrest. I mean, yes, he’ll be arrested, but do I think he’s the top guy? “My gut feeling tells me it’s not him.”
Miles sucks in a slow breath and blows it out. “Don’t go getting attached. It’s only day one, Charlie.”
I scowl again. “I’m not attached.”
He crosses his arms defensively, and the empty paperbag crinkles in protest. “He is not your friend. You’ll do well to remember that. People in this kind of business don’t have friends. I don’t care if he is the friendliest guy you’ve met all year; he will stab you in the back at the first sign that you’ll become trouble for him.”
