Unfazed, he patted his pockets to search for his phone. Before he could find it his eyes drifted to the officer sitting in his squad car on the other side of the parking lot. Not just any officer but the same one who was just inside of his mother’s apartment.
Mike walked over to the car. The officer sat inside the air conditioned car filling out paper work. Mike tapped on the driver’s side glass.
When Officer Myers turned to see Mike, he rolled his eyes. He slowly placed his pen aside before pressing the button to lower the window. “Yes Mr. Andrews, what can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to thank you again and ask you a couple of questions.”
Myers twisted his furry mustache before he spoke. “Ok, what’s on your mind?” The officer’s eyes drooped with fatigue. Scattered red lines mapped across the whites of his pupils. To Mike he had the expression that he would rather be anywhere but there. The look made Mike reconsider the question he had in mind but he pressed on anyway. Can’t hurt to ask.
“My first question is what time is your shift over?”
Officer Meyers took a look at the digital clock on the car’s dashboard. “Umm, about 7:30 pm, why you ask?”
“That brings me to my next question. Would you be willing to moonlight after your shift is over?”
After a quick trip to a nearby ATM, Mike hired Officer Thom Myers. The job entailed working as a bodyguard for Mike’s mother for the entire of the night. The officer drove Mike back to his car where they both searched for the missing cell phone bit after not finding it Mike used the officer’s phone to call for a tow truck.
* * *
Just a few blocks away a twelve passenger limousine pulled away from the access road curb. It had been strategically parked just a few feet away from the exit ramp, waiting, watching. They knew that Mike would be driving right past them and watched the entire sequence unfold.
Mike’s Porsche flew right past them down the ramp with sparks flying into the humid Texas air. At the time the plan was to follow Michael Andrews right to his mother’s apartment. Plans changed after they spotted the police car trailing behind the silver Porsche.
In the end it worked out even better then they could have anticipated. The item they spotted flying out of car’s window caught their attention. After the cars raced by they focused on what they had.
The lone passenger seated in the back of the limo placed the fresh drink in his hand aside. In his other hand, a copy of his favorite book gripped in his large palm. Although he read the narrative a countless number of times, he had discovered that each reading was like a new discovery for the 6th century novel. He placed his copy of The Art of War on the seat next to him.
While still seated in the back seat he picked up the interior phone that connected him to the driver.
“Pull over there,” he said.
As always the limo driver followed his bosses’ instructions without question. The luxury vehicle pulled away from its parked location next to the grass section along the tollway’s exit ramp.
“See if you can find it,” he said to the diver. The driver got out of the car and walked directly to the item that sat in the inch high grass. He picked it up and took it to the rear of the car.
The dark tinted rear window lowered allowing an array of cigarette smoke to filter out of the car and into the air outside. The driver placed the cell phone into the hand that extended out from the window’s opening before it was raised back up.
The phone’s display lit up the dark interior. Still working, good. Garcia gazed into the display. The mirror like surface reflected his iniquitous smile.
This is an unexpected surprise, he thought. Finding the phone that belonged to Michael Andrews gave him an even greater strategic edge and was about to make his quest just a little easier. To know thy enemies. Garcia felt that he now had the Cart Blanche all access pass to Mike’s inner circle.
That very morning, Garcia decided to postpone his planned trip to Europe. Now he reconsidered. Inside of his daily planner sat an invitation to the prestigious Moscow poker tournament that was to be played at the Hotel Renaissance.
He waited till the very last minute before he cancelled his reservations in Moscow. The Hotel Metropol along with all the opulent trappings that he had grown to love remained his hotel away from home and his favorite place to visit. For him the five star hotel existed in a class all of its own.
Of the many hotels the he liked, there were very few that he loved. The Hotel Metropol offered the opulence that suited his taste. Detailed perfection displayed in every aspect of the Hotel. The lobby’s gold statues, marble columns and priceless chandeliers never failed to impress Garcia.
Just as impressive as the exterior and lobby, the rooms also stood out. He adored the Karelian birch furniture through out the four room presidential suite. The wide bay windows exposed the perfect view of Red Square that was a mere three minute walk away from the hotel.
As he sat in the darkness of the rear limo, Garcia looked down at the phone inside of his hand. With Mike’s phone and its content in his possession, he would have time to devise his plan of attack.
A trip to Russia now felt very doable. The delay would not be long but it would take a great deal of wit to get through the poker contest. He would have to make the trip as short as possible. Cleverness has never been associated with long delays, according to Sun Tzu.
Garcia placed a call to Flo, his long time travel agent. “Hello beautiful looks like I am going to need to renew the Moscow reservations that were cancelled this morning,” he said.
The limo pulled into the Dallas traffic and headed south toward the DFW airport. In approximately twelve hours he would land in Moscow and take part in the poker tournament after all. He needed the get away. Once the tournament was over, it would be time for Michael Andrews to taste a little man made darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Mike watched as the tow truck drove away from his home with his wrecked Porsche on its flatbed. Luckily the tow driver was able to drop him off after getting the car from his mother’s apartment complex.
He could have borrowed his mother’s car but that would have created another list of issues. He didn’t mention that he wrecked his car. The last thing Mike needed was for his mother the see a totaled his car and tossing her into a world of worry.
With no car and an uncertain future, even in the hot Texas climate, the problems were piling up like snow flakes.
Just as the tow truck pulled away, Enterprise Rental pulled up in his car. A stealth gray metallic GMC Yukon made its way up the driveway. He chose it from the large SUV category and took advantage of the home delivery they offered him. When the SUV pulled to a stop, it was love at first sight.
I could get use to driving this. A fleeting moment of guilt lifted inside of him since one of his new year’s resolutions was to go green. The less then environmental friendly mammoth was a far cry from going green.
After the enterprise company’s driver informed him that the vehicle was a hybrid, Mike felt a little better about his choice. Not that it mattered, once he got behind the wheel it could have eroded the ozone for all he had cared.
“Just sign here sir and she’s all yours,” the driver said.
Another car pulled up. The white Ford Taurus with the Enterprise logo took the worker back to the main office.
“I thought I was going to have to drop you off,” Mike said.
“Well yes sir normally that would be the case but we were told that you were in a rush so we made arrangements,” the worker smiled.
Mike signed the paperwork. “This is almost too convenient. I’m scared to see how much this is going to cost me,” he laughed.
As soon as they left, he started the car. The new engine kicked on instantly then purred with sweet precision. By the time he settled in his thoughts, the SUV already lost some of its luster. Outside matters pushed the admiration of material things aside. No matter
where his thoughts took him, they always returned to one place, Garcia. Mike leaned heavily against the steering wheel.
The man who re-entered his life never strayed far from Mike’s concerns. Shaking the constant feeling of being dying prey beneath the ominous shadow of a hovering vulture lingered in every awaken moment. Garcia managed to infiltrate Mike’s mind with unwavering persistence.
The resisted but accepted fact was that Garcia would never move far from Mike’s thoughts. During the eighteen year period when the events in his past were not spoken of, a dimension tittered on the perimeter of Garcia’s presence.
The digital clock on the Yukon’s instrumentation panel reminded Mike of the need to make up lost time. The gas pedal lowered and the V8 engine smoothly hummed into the next gear. The SUV’s ride glided along giving a false sense of the actual speed in which he was traveling. Something about the vehicle reminded him of his life.
Yes I could definitely get use to this. Images of the SUV sitting next to his silver Porsche appealed to him. Another look at the digital clock display pulled Mike away from his daydream. He should have picked up Kelly at least an hour ago.
At Kelly’s apartment he somehow remembered the gate code. After putting in the four digits he drove right into the apartment complex then parked in her reserved space. He leaped up the stairs till he reached her door. His knuckles were just about to rap against the door before it swung open with Kelly in the doorway.
Her expression mixed with attitude and scolding silence. She dramatically raised her wrist to look at her watch with the other hand holding her cordless phone. She extended it in front of Mike’s face with the classic Kelly exaggerated flare.
“So you can’t answer your cell phone when a stranded girl is trying to call you?”
“Give me a break ok,” he said with a smirk. “It was a lot of traffic.”
“Yeah right, anyway you know I can’t be late my boss is a class without the C L.”
“Ooooh ouch!” he smiled. “That hurts, at least call me an ass behind my back like the rest do.”
“Alright I’ll work on that. Anyway no one calls you names behind your back; they love you, for God knows why. It’s only me who hates ya!” she winked.
“I never knew. Wish you would have told me before your last review. You’re a hateful little thing huh? Just pretend that you’re pleasant around my customers, deal?”
“Pretend? Oh famous, you’re on a roll today,” she moved closer to him. “But, I guess I am being a little too mean to you huh?”
“Ya think?” Mike said steeping back.
Kelly moved back in front of Mike getting as close as she could. Her oval dark eyes looked up into his. “So what are you gonna do about it, am I too much trouble for ya?”
The tension between him and Kelly took on a different experience. The maintained fragile glass wall between employee and boss either purposely or inadvertently cracked. Even more critical was the fact that out of all his employees, Mike considered Kelly as a friend. He felt that the sacred line had been approached so he stepped back again as he stared down at Kelly.
“Ok buddy, you had your chance,” she shrugged. She made her way to her bedroom humming, got her purse then walked out of the front door. Mike stood in place still not able to move as he tried to make sense of what did or did not happen. Her words churned in his head. Had your chance? What that actually ment he wasn’t sure.
Kelly’s choice of words puzzled Mike. The aspect of never being sure if her actions were naïve innocence of actual flirting left him mystified more then once. Possibilities were considered but quickly discarded by the more dominant impossibilities.
Mike made his way to the door. By the time he got there he saw Kelly already at the bottom of the stairs. She turned and tossed him her keys up to him. “Mike be a sweetie and lock the door for me!” she said. “Hey you want to make a spare copy for yourself?”
“Huh?”
“Loosen up Mikey!” she laughed.
He locked the door but ignored the remark. He had no idea of how to even respond to her words and wasn’t about to try. And make a spare copy for yourself?
For Kelly, words flew from her mouth unfiltered. She had no ability to think before the words raced from her mouth. Mike made a mental note to thank God for a functioning inner monologue. She stood in the parking lot swaying from side to side without in synch with the sunshine filled music in her blonde head. Not a worry in the universe, that must be some kind of feeling, he thought.
He wondered how Kelly really felt when she would say the things that she did. It could have been flirting just as easily as Kelly just being Kelly. One just could never be sure. Whatever the case, she never passed on a chance to say the things that had Mike wondering hours.
When he thought about it, he was actually growing tired of it. Eventually he was going to have to tell her that she might need to filter the words before they came out of her mouth. He hated the way his naturally dark skin would turn a shade of burgundy whenever she flirted, or at least he thought that she flirted with him. In a sense, the jester became an uncomfortable small degree of power that she had over him.
He would never call her bluff. He just wasn’t prone to flirtation, and it was not what he was all about. Kelly obviously took his respectfulness for granted.
She stood in the center of the parking lot looking all around. Mike moved down the stairs then walked past her.
“You coming?” he said.
“Yeah but-,” she looked around. “Where’s the Porsche?”
When Mike walked up to the metallic gray Yukon Kelly stood a few feet back.
“This is yours? Wow, I like it!” she commented. She ran up to the car and slipped into the passenger seat.
“No, this isn’t mine. It’s just a rental,” Mike said.
“Really, what happened to the Porsche?”
With a conspiracy tone in his voice, he answered Kelly. “It hasn’t been driving too well since, well since the incident,” he said.
Kelly’s face went sober. “What incident?” Her normally playful voice now filled with apprehension.
“Well, where do I even start? Umm ok, see, I let this blonde drive it and it has been running like crap every since.”
After speaking he couldn’t move fast enough to dodge the punch he knew was coming. He laughed and Kelly glowered. Just a few minutes ago he was ready to confront her about the flirting and now they were playing like teens. She had that affect on him.
“You really are turning into a real ass you know?” she added with a smile.
“Yeah yeah I know, but the laughing keeps me sane.”
“So what really happened to you car?”
“Let’s just say long story.”
“Ok fair enough. So why don’t you answer you cell phone?”
He looked over to her and thought about everything currently looming in his life, darkening the thoughts in his head.
“Longer story,” he replied.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
As Mike and Kelly drove away from her apartments he remembered a number of things he still needed to do. Don’t get overwhelmed take care of the important things first. He knew that he needed to make an important phone call. He made the call at least once a day buy more then often several times at random hours. He always made the call when he was alone.
I should just wait till I get back to the bar, he thought. He took a long look at the dashboard clock and realized that there would not be enough time. With the list of things he needed to do after his late arrival, he was positive that if he didn’t call now he would not have time to call at all.
“Kelly, do you mind if I use your phone for a minute?”
“For you, anything,” she smiled then passed Mike the yellow and white cell phone complete with dark yellow hearts. He took the phone then grimaced as he observed the cover.
“Don’t even comment, ok?” she warned.
Mike thought of commenting anyway but opte
d for a light laugh. He followed by presenting an innocent jester of raising his shoulders pretending not to have any idea of what she was talking about. Kelly didn’t appear to buy it before turning her attention to the elegant interior of the Yukon.
Mike dialed the number was quickly. Just like his mother’s number, this one was also locked in his memory. He dialed the number so often that he could dial it backwards if he had to do it. Kelly looked through a small calendar that she pulled from her purse to either actually not or pretend not to listen to Mike’s conversation.
* * *
“Hey buddy!”
Kelly flipped through the calendar but could hear the inflection in Mike’s voice. Whoever answered on the other end of the phone made him happier then she had ever witness.
“Of course I didn’t forget. Do I ever forget?” The smile on Mike’s face came from deep inside. After a short pause, Mike continued to talk. “Ok tell your mom that I’ll call her later. I’ll see you later buddy.”
The conversation stopped and Mike pressed the red button to disconnect the call. He handed the phone back to a stunned Kelly. She sunk low in her seat as she eased the bright yellow phone back into her purse.
For the remainder of the ride she remained silent devoting all of her attention to the calendar. When she grew tired of staring at the open dates, she deferred her attention to the passing cars outside the window.
The uncomfortable quiet didn’t last long. The sound of Walking on Sunshine, her elected ring tone, sprung from her phone indicating an incoming call.
She did not recognized the number but she answered it right anyway. “Hello?”
A long pause followed her words. A young voice then spoke on the other end.
“Is my dad, I mean Michael there?”
“Sure,” she said hiding her surprise. “He’s right here, hold one just one second.”
Kelly offered the phone back to Mike. He pointed a finger to himself with a mystified expression. For me?