Chapters (95)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by David Swinson
- Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
When he’s done I say, “Do not go there. Just sit tight, and I’ll take care of it. No. Don’t worry about that shit. I’ll take care of you. They’ll never know. I do this shit all the time. I’ll call you when it’s done. Sit tight.”
If that’s possible.
I disconnect, hop out of bed, slip into jeans and a T-shirt. I feel half dead. I secure my magazine pouch and my holstered weapon on the belt, grab the backpack, and rush to the car.
Did I lock the door?
I run back to the house to double-check. It’s locked.
“It’s locked,” I repeat to myself like it’ll stick in my head that way. Pathetic.
It only takes me a few minutes to get to the lower end of 11th Street. I drive past the alley Diamond was talking about and notice two guys sitting near a Dumpster, leaning against the wall of a multistory office building. I park at the next corner, where I can still see the opening to the alley. I grab the burner cell phone I keep in my backpack and call 911.
I try my best not to sound like an ex-cop.
The dispatcher answers, “Nine one one, what’s your emergency?”
The location is the first thing she needs.
“Two guys in the alley, rear of the seven hundred block of Eleventh Street, Northwest,” I begin, and then think, shit, that sounds like a cop talking. “They just broke into an office building and stole a bunch of laptops. They’re in the alley now.” She asks for a description. “Two guys. I didn’t get a close look. I think one is either white or Hispanic and the other one is black. They’re sitting there right now. They hid the laptops behind a Dumpster and are acting like they’re waiting for someone to pick them up.”
She tries to get more information, including stuff about me.
“No, that ain’t gonna happen. Just get the police here fast and quiet or they’ll lose them. I ain’t involving myself.”
I hear her dispatch two units to the location, telling them something about “a concerned citizen.” I disconnect the cell and pull away from the curb, make a right on 12th to go around the corner. I drive slowly.
It’s almost shift change, midnights to day work, so the primary unit on this call probably isn’t too happy. This is First District, so it’d be nice if the primary is Jasper. Just a little payback.
By the time I get around to 11th again, I see a unit speeding south on 11th. No lights or siren. The cruiser looks like it’s occupied two times. Didn’t look like Jasper. I head in that direction as another unmarked unit comes from the other direction.