can’t tell you anything else. We need to do this now.”
He frowned at me. I could tell my high-pressure sales routine didn’t jibe with his life outlook. But I held out the title anyway. “We can sign it over to you right now.”
Zeke took the title from my hands and checked both sides of it. “My title’s back in Dallas.”
“You can mail it to me. That’s no problem.”
Zeke tugged at his chin. “You’d drive around in a car with no title? That doesn’t seem too smart.”
“It’s fine as long as you don’t report it stolen. You’re not going to do that, are you?”
Zeke laughed. “Naw, man, I wouldn’t do that to you.” He sighed, then peeked at Omar, who was picking his nose. He walked around the front and poked a finger at the bullet hole in the front windshield. “What’s this?”
“Rock on the highway, I think. If you get it patched up soon, it shouldn’t spread.”
“Hmm. Okay, we can do this. I got some old vinyl in the trunk I need to get, but otherwise, it’s all good with me.”
Thank God for easygoing Zeke.
I helped him transfer the contents of his trunk and a few things from the backseat, thanking him profusely every few seconds. After we’d made the exchange, I helped Omar out of the car, trying my best to keep him out of Zeke’s sight. Not that Zeke cared too much, but the fewer people that knew, the better.
The look on Omar’s face, when he settled into the passenger seat of his new car, made me feel a little sorry for him. Zeke didn’t have the same level of cleanliness that Omar had. Fast food bags, empty cigarette packs, receipts. I hoped Omar would understand that none of that mattered now.
He started breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto the dash of the car. His nostrils flared and he clenched his hands together in his lap.
“You okay?” I said. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer, but kept breathing until he calmed down in a few seconds. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back into the seat. “I become… uncomfortable sometimes. I am told they are called panic attacks.”
“Do we need to go somewhere? Is there something I can do?”
He stared out the window for a few seconds, then shook his head.
As we drove away, I waved to Zeke and wondered if IntelliCraft would follow him and murder him as they had three of my four trainees from Dallas. I had to hope that they wouldn’t. Or maybe they’d torture him to find out what he knew. A stab of guilt tore through my stomach, but it was too late. The deal had been done, and even if we traded cars back, Zeke was still involved.
If they were satellite tracking us, then switching the car wouldn’t matter, and it had all been for nothing.
“I’m sorry, Zeke,” I said to the windshield.
“Excuse me?” Omar said.
I turned back to the highway. “I think I may have just gotten that guy into trouble.”
“With these people, everything is trouble. They destroy all things in their path. No one is safe. Your friend back there was in trouble from the moment he walked into your life.”
***
I studied Omar as we caught up with the flow of traffic. “When are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
“There will be less jeopardy for you if you know nothing about it. Maybe you feel your curiosity will be sated, but it will not.”
“So, what can you tell me?”
“My brother Kareem was a great man. He tried to help people and expose the truth, and for that he died.”
“And what does that have to do with Heath Candle?”
“Candle was Kareem’s greatest adversary. They wanted the same thing, for different reasons. Or, at least, they used to want the same thing. Candle is a very bad man. He will do anything to protect himself.”
I fidgeted in my seat. “ Was a bad man. He passed away.”
“And how do you know this?”
The restriction of the seat belt felt like arms holding me down. My mouth dried out as I licked my lips. “I haven’t been entirely
He frowned at me. I could tell my high-pressure sales routine didn’t jibe with his life outlook. But I held out the title anyway. “We can sign it over to you right now.”
Zeke took the title from my hands and checked both sides of it. “My title’s back in Dallas.”
“You can mail it to me. That’s no problem.”
Zeke tugged at his chin. “You’d drive around in a car with no title? That doesn’t seem too smart.”
“It’s fine as long as you don’t report it stolen. You’re not going to do that, are you?”
Zeke laughed. “Naw, man, I wouldn’t do that to you.” He sighed, then peeked at Omar, who was picking his nose. He walked around the front and poked a finger at the bullet hole in the front windshield. “What’s this?”
“Rock on the highway, I think. If you get it patched up soon, it shouldn’t spread.”
“Hmm. Okay, we can do this. I got some old vinyl in the trunk I need to get, but otherwise, it’s all good with me.”
Thank God for easygoing Zeke.
I helped him transfer the contents of his trunk and a few things from the backseat, thanking him profusely every few seconds. After we’d made the exchange, I helped Omar out of the car, trying my best to keep him out of Zeke’s sight. Not that Zeke cared too much, but the fewer people that knew, the better.
The look on Omar’s face, when he settled into the passenger seat of his new car, made me feel a little sorry for him. Zeke didn’t have the same level of cleanliness that Omar had. Fast food bags, empty cigarette packs, receipts. I hoped Omar would understand that none of that mattered now.
He started breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto the dash of the car. His nostrils flared and he clenched his hands together in his lap.
“You okay?” I said. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer, but kept breathing until he calmed down in a few seconds. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back into the seat. “I become… uncomfortable sometimes. I am told they are called panic attacks.”
“Do we need to go somewhere? Is there something I can do?”
He stared out the window for a few seconds, then shook his head.
As we drove away, I waved to Zeke and wondered if IntelliCraft would follow him and murder him as they had three of my four trainees from Dallas. I had to hope that they wouldn’t. Or maybe they’d torture him to find out what he knew. A stab of guilt tore through my stomach, but it was too late. The deal had been done, and even if we traded cars back, Zeke was still involved.
If they were satellite tracking us, then switching the car wouldn’t matter, and it had all been for nothing.
“I’m sorry, Zeke,” I said to the windshield.
“Excuse me?” Omar said.
I turned back to the highway. “I think I may have just gotten that guy into trouble.”
“With these people, everything is trouble. They destroy all things in their path. No one is safe. Your friend back there was in trouble from the moment he walked into your life.”
***
I studied Omar as we caught up with the flow of traffic. “When are you going to tell me what this is all about?”
“There will be less jeopardy for you if you know nothing about it. Maybe you feel your curiosity will be sated, but it will not.”
“So, what can you tell me?”
“My brother Kareem was a great man. He tried to help people and expose the truth, and for that he died.”
“And what does that have to do with Heath Candle?”
“Candle was Kareem’s greatest adversary. They wanted the same thing, for different reasons. Or, at least, they used to want the same thing. Candle is a very bad man. He will do anything to protect himself.”
I fidgeted in my seat. “ Was a bad man. He passed away.”
“And how do you know this?”
The restriction of the seat belt felt like arms holding me down. My mouth dried out as I licked my lips. “I haven’t been entirely
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