He darted into the house through the garage. “Frankie!” Using his brother’s real name was a mistake, but the possibility of something going wrong made him forget the rules. A quick search of the lakefront house told Vince what he already suspected. Not only were Frankie and the woman not here, they’d never arrived.
He pulled out his phone and punched in his brother’s number.
It went straight to voice mail, which meant Frankie’s phone was off.
Heat filled his body. Cursing, he turned from the windows that overlooked the pristine lake and picked up a lamp. He hurled it against the wall.
Forty-five minutes later, he sat at a table in what appeared to be the most popular eating establishment this nowhere town had to offer. He was starving and clueless. He’d called Frankie a dozen times with no answer. So he did what he did best: blend in and listen.
People always talked, especially in Podunk towns. If something out of the ordinary had happened around here, people would talk about it.
He didn’t have to wait long.
One of the two older men at a nearby table quizzed the waitress. “Hey, Amy, what happened out at the Double Diamond yesterday?”
“A car crashed into the ranch’s front gate.” The pretty blond waitress put a hand on her hip. “But you already knew that, didn’t you, Roy?”
Vince’s hand stilled with his Coke glass to his lips. He took a gulp, focusing on the conversation at the next table.
“I heard it crushed the driver’s side,” said Roy’s buddy.
A chill swept over Vince that had nothing to do with the ice-cold beverage cascading down his throat.
Roy took a bite of his burger then spoke around the food in his mouth. “Yep, I heard the driver died.”
The glass slipped from Vince’s fingers as he choked on the sweet syrup that suddenly turned bitter in his mouth. It bounced off the table into his lap, spilling soda and ice down the front of him.
The blond waitress spun around and pulled a bar towel from the waistband of her apron. “Let me clean that up for you.”
He grabbed the towel from her when it looked like she was about to give him a frontal pat-down. He did not need her discovering the hard butt of the Glock under his jacket.
It was all he could do to focus on the task at hand as perspiration pricked his neck and the room threatened to spin.
Not Frankie.Vince had promised their father he’d look after his younger, half-brother. Vince had always tried to keep Frankie from going into the family business. But the kid had a gift for stealth and deception, and the family business was simply too lucrative.
“Here’s another towel.” The waitress mopped up the table as Vince struggled to breathe.
It couldn’t have been his brother’s car. Sure, Frankie had a lead foot occasionally, but he was the cautious one. He rarely took the risks Vince did. That’s why Vince had stayed behind and search the apartments. He figured sending the kid ahead with the woman would be the best way to keep him from getting caught.
The waitress brought another glass of Coke and gave him a broad smile. “Let me get you another burger and fries. It’ll be on the house.”
He stared at her pretty smile and sky-blue eyes. The woman was a beauty. And Vince loved beautiful women. Any other time, he would have flirted with her, but not today. Today, he needed to find out if his brother was in that accident.
He grabbed the plate she’d picked up. “This is fine. A few soggy fries never hurt anyone.” To prove his point, he picked up a fry and shoved it in his mouth.
Roy and his buddy’s stared at him as he chewed. Swallowing proved almost as difficult as breathing though. Keeping a tight grip, he picked up his fresh Coke and took a sip to wash down the greasy potato.
Turning toward the men at the next table, he kept his expression neutral. “Did I hear you say something about an accident?”
Both men nodded. Roy was the first to speak. “Sure enough. They weren’t from around here though.”
“What makes you say that?” His voice came out akin to a squeak.
“Everybody knows everybody around here, and nobody recognized them,” said Roy’s buddy around another bite of burger. He tipped his head toward Vince. “Where did you say you were from?”
I didn’t.
Vince gave a dismissive wave. “Up north. I’m just passing through.”
