He nodded and went around the block to approach the neighborhood in question. The apartment buildings weren’t tagged by graffiti, but they looked worn and in need of repair. She frowned, hoping that wasn’t a sign the gang might try to expand their territory. That’s often how these things happened. Neighborhoods slowly deteriorated until they became low-rent districts, which in turn attracted criminals.
A revolving door of poverty and crime that had been happening in big cities for decades.
Jarek parallel parked their SUV between two other vehicles. She pushed out of the car, then made sure to grab the binocs first. She hesitated over the KA-BAR knife. It was large and bulky. She decided her weapon was good enough for now. Their primary focus was to watch and learn.
Well, that was Jarek’s focus. Personally, she was hoping for the opportunity to get inside one of the warehouses. If she happened to see someone suspicious going inside, she had every intention of following. Jarek could stay back and raise the alarm if things didn’t go well.
“Ready?” Jarek eyed her over the hood of the car.
“Yep.” She rounded the front of the car to join him.
On foot, they walked toward the warehouse they’d spotted earlier. There were more cars on the streets, and she felt certain there was a drug deal going down two blocks away as a vehicle pulled up to the curb and a man on the street bent over to speak into the passenger-side window.
“Where are the cops when you need them?” she asked in a low voice, nodding toward the drug deal. “I still think Ray Bond and Jeff Schnor should be out here cruising the streets.”
“Yeah, I agree with you on that.” Jarek frowned, and she could tell he wished he could be out there slapping cuffs around the drug dealer’s wrists. Instead, he turned and made his way down a side street. “The warehouse is a few blocks south of here.”
“I remember.” She was glad they were both wearing black, but even with their dark clothing, their arms and faces gleamed pale in the moonlight. They should have purchased shoe polish to darken their skin.
Jarek stopped at the corner of a building and peered around the brick. Then he gestured for her to follow.
The street that had previously been surrounded by cops after the shooting was completely deserted now. She frowned, hoping the police response hadn’t scared everyone off. It would be a waste of time to set up a watch on the building if there was nobody around to go inside.
She was about to mention her concern to Jarek when he ducked into a doorway, pulling her along with him. “Did you see something?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, there’s someone heading toward the warehouse.” He held out his hand. “Can I use the binocs?”
“Let me check first.” She regretted allowing him to take the lead. “I might be able to recognize Cargo Shorts or someone else from within the K2 Bloods gang.”
Jarek scowled, but he nodded and moved out of the way to switch places with her. She peeked around the corner to get a frame of reference. The man Jarek had spotted was several blocks away but seemed to be making his way toward the warehouse from the south. She brought the binoculars up and brought the man’s face into focus.
He didn’t look familiar, but as she scanned him from head to toe, she had to admit he was dressed like Cargo Shorts. The boat Cargo Shorts had arrived on was gone by the time they returned, so she couldn’t be sure if this was the same guy or if he was just another gang member.
“What do you think?” Jarek whispered in her ear.
Ignoring the sizzle of awareness, she lowered the binocs and glanced at him. “Sorry, I don’t recognize him.”
“He’s dressed in cargo shorts,” Jarek said. “Same guy as earlier?”
“I wish I could say they’re the same guy, but I can’t.” She turned and lifted the binocs again. Zeroing in on the man walking toward them. She wondered if he was bypassing the warehouse when he stopped and turned toward the building. Then he took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “He’s going inside.”
“He is?” Jarek pressed close to see for himself. “We need to get on the other side of the street where we have a better view.”
“Agreed.” She lowered the binoculars and quickly stepped into the street. Cargo Shorts #2 was already inside the warehouse, so she hurried across the street and down a block to get a better look.
Jarek was hot on her heels. They ducked into another recessed doorway, and she quickly raised the binoculars to see inside the warehouse. The interior was still dark; Cargo Shorts #2 hadn’t flipped on any lights.
Reaching up to the top of the binoculars, she turned the switch that activated the night vision lenses. Now she could easily watch as Cargo Shorts #2 walked between stacks of boxes. She zeroed in on the boxes, not surprised to see the red-and-white checkered Liquid Gold Coffee and Tea logo on each of the containers.
Had the pallet of boxes been moved from the port authority dock already? She couldn’t tell by looking.
Then the lights abruptly turned on, blinding her. She jerked the binocs away, blinking to regain her vision.
“What’s wrong?” Jarek asked.
“My fault.” She struggled to bring Jarek’s face into focus. “I had the night vision lenses in place when he flipped on the lights.”
“Not good. Here, let me take a look.” He held out his hand for the binocs. She passed them over since she couldn’t see anyway. She willed her vision to clear as Jarek watched the warehouse. “I’m getting the impression Cargo Shorts #2 is waiting for someone else. He’s hanging out by one of the stacks of boxes, watching the street nervously.”
