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“Zip and I will group the targets for efficiency. I figured I’d stay here and coordinate, but that leaves one group short. Unless you wanted to take Jack?” Pirate asks.
“We’ll take Jack. You stay here,” Hex says. “We really need more members and more prospects. During our next meeting we should discuss patching Jack. He’s only been with us for six months, but he’s proven his worth.” The rest of us nod in agreement.
“Okay, let’s finish breakfast and get the fuck out there. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can end Mikel.”
“Speaking of Mikel, should we leave someone back here to watch him?” I ask. “Irish could do it. See if he can redeem himself.” God knows the kid could use some redemption. He’s the most unlucky person I’ve met and always seems to come up short when tasked with an assignment. Like picking up and delivering the greenhouse supplies. A simple job, but one that he couldn’t complete without a struggle.
Hex grimaces but agrees. “Yeah, he can watch Mikel. Make sure he knows not to engage him or open the cell. All he has to do is sit outside and keep watch. Even he can’t screw that up.”
Pulling out my phone, I call Irish and hear the phone ringing nearby. Irish answers it just as he’s coming down the stairs. He glances up when he hears his name in stereo. I give him his instructions, explaining that Mikel should still be unconscious and that Pirate has electrified the cell. He agrees to stand watch before heading outside. I then call Jack and tell him to meet us at the clubhouse.
Pirate hands out the list of properties to each group. Zip has given us the best route to hit each one as quickly as possible. Zip and Lake take the properties north of I10. Abra and Jack have the area south of 61. Hex and I take the area between the two. We take several boxes of security cameras with us. The plan is to install the cameras at each location so Pirate can monitor them.
Our first stop is an empty storefront with no signs of recent activity. The place is clean, but empty. We don’t find any clues why Mikel stopped here, but there is a coffeeshop a few doors down that may have been his destination.
“Why would Golubrev own this place?” I ask Hex, who shrugs as he glances at the list of properties in his hand.
“He owned this building and the buildings on either side. Let’s check them.” We do and they’re just as empty as the first.
“Maybe he planned on tearing the buildings down or selling them off,” I suggest.
“Maybe. I’ll let Cleo sort it out. It’s her deal now. Let’s place the cameras and go to the next. Considering its location, it’s probably a warehouse.”
We arrive at the spot and find that it is a warehouse, but unlike the storefronts, this place shows signs of use, even though it’s empty right now. The warehouse isn’t massive, but it is a good size for storing weapons or drugs.
“My money’s on drugs,” I say, running my finger through a dusting of white powder and coffee grounds.
“Agreed. Whatever was here is gone now. I’ll recommend to Cleo that she hire a security firm to secure this place. Whoever used it may come back. She doesn’t need the hassle.” We install the cameras before moving on.
The remaining locations are variations on a theme. All of them look as if they’ve been in use until recently. “Mikel could have been checking the locations to see if he could use them or he was clearing them out,” Hex says. “He likely knew it wouldn’t be long before Cleo sent someone to check on all the properties owned by her father.”
We just finish our last building when Pirate calls Hex. He puts it on speaker.
“Prez, Abra found something you need to see,” Pirate says before giving us the address. “Zip and Lake are on their way there.”
We head for the address Pirate provided and find everyone but Jack waiting for us in a parking lot near the address. We climb off and join the huddle.
“The building is on the other side,” Abra explains. “It looks like it used to be an office building. They have guards on the roof and security cameras all around. The place has barbed wire surrounding it. It looks like a prison. So, either they’re trying to keep people out or keep something in.”
“Where’s Jack?” I ask.
“He’s checking the stores to see if we can get a view of the building from one of them. We tried approaching the building, but we couldn’t get close enough to see anything but the security measures,” Abra explains.
I hear someone running and turn to see Jack coming towards us. He’s carrying a bag in his right hand.
“You went shopping?” I asked.
“Kind of,” Jack says, pulling a box out of the bag. It’s a small drone with a camera attachment. “I found a way up onto the roof, but nowhere to observe without them seeing us. I spotted this inside the electronics store over there and thought we could use it to get a closer look.”
Hex grins at the young prospect and nods his approval. “That’s thinking. Okay, let’s see what they’re up to over there.”
We move as close to the building as we can, but remain out of sight. Jack opens the box and fiddles with the drone for several minutes. He finally claims it’s ready and soon it is up in the air and on its way. Jack uses his phone to control the device. We stand around the prospect and watch the progress.
Jack maneuvers the drone high into the sky before sending it over the top of the target building. We can see guards standing in each corner, their eyes on the ground. The sound of a car getting closer to the building has him sending the drone over to the opposite edge of the building. He gets there in time to see a man leaning out the car window and entering a code into the security box. The driver ducks back into the car before driving forward.
“Must have underground parking,” Abra says. “Need to see what’s inside.”
Jack maneuvers the drone between the guards, making sure they don’t see it. The drone slips down the side until it hovers in front of a window. Even though the window is dirty with grime, we can make out what’s inside and we all suck in a collective breath.
