AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Hollis muttered under his breath as he picked up his cell phone again. He looked down and quickly dialed a number he hadn’t called in years. When the phone started ringing, he turned his attention back to the binoculars, watching the punk unlock the rear door and slip into the warehouse.
“Looks like he had a key,” Shane grumbled. “Can’t get him on B and E.”
“No, but this is the guy that one of our targets hired to rough up the client.”
“Banner, if you’re calling me because you’re going to jail, you deserve to stay there,” a low, rough voice that brought a ghost of a smile to Hollis’s lips grumbled.
“Kirby, you old dog. Did I catch you sleepin’?” Hollis teased. Taylor Kirby worked homicide with the Cincinnati PD. And thanks to the high body count linked to Jagger’s men, their paths crossed on several occasions while Hollis was on the force. Kirby was a salty older cop who’d worked the CPD for nearly two decades. Damn good cop. And it was just lucky that he also liked Hollis.
“Yeah, I was sleeping. I’m on the day shift now.”
“Slacker. Everyone knows the good shit happens at night.”
“What the hell do you want, Banner? Some of us gotta work in the morning.”
“I’m sitting here in this van working—”
“Are you in a van down by the river?” Kirby demanded suddenly.
Hollis glanced over to his right and sighed as he clearly saw the dark waves of the Ohio River. “Yeah.”
“Ha! I won the pool! Oh, shit! Sorry, honey. Go back to sleep. Everything is fine.” There was a sound of rustling fabric and a loud creak like Kirby was climbing out of bed while apologizing to his poor wife. A couple of seconds later, Kirby continued, his voice a whisper. “I knew you’d end up in a van down by the river.”
“Ha. Ha. Focus, old man. This is serious.”
“What’s up?” His voice was sharp and the joking was gone.
“I’m working surveillance on a case. Looks like possible extortion and maybe attempted murder. I was surprised to see Joey Pinscher could have been hired for this job.”
“No Nose?”
“The one and only. How did he escape the roundup after Jagger went down? Shouldn’t he be locked up doing at least ten somewhere?” Hollis struggled to keep his voice light and even when he really wanted to grind his teeth in frustration. Joey had hurt plenty of people while working for Jagger. He should be rotting behind bars for far more than ten years, but here he was, running around free in Cincy.
“Joey slipped the noose. When Jagger bit it, all his little minions scattered like fucking cockroaches with the lights on. The DA was stretched thin, trying to tackle Jagger’s entire organization, so they focused on his upper lieutenants in hopes of breaking any chances of someone trying to re-form his businesses. Low-level nobodies like Joey got a free pass.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly.”
“How many got through? How many other Joeys are running around the city?”
Kirby heaved a heavy sigh. “More than you want to know.”
“Any way I can convince you to do a favor for an old friend?”
“I’m not getting fired for you, bastard. I retire in a couple of years with a full fucking pension.”
Hollis winced. He was not going to cost Kirby his pension. The guy had definitely earned his retirement. But that didn’t stop him from asking. “Just want a list of names. The ones that got away.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Kirby. I mean it.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Thank me with reservations at your boyfriend’s fancy restaurant. It’ll convince my wife that I can be romantic.”
“It’s husband now. You get me that list, and the dinner will be on the house.”
Kirby chuckled. “Keep your fucking head down, Banner.”
“You too, Kirby.”
Hollis ended the call and looked over at Shane to find him paging through the pictures he just took. “We got what we need?”
“It’s a start. We can show some of these to the client and see if he recognizes the guy. You’ve got us a name and some background. We got nothing illegal yet for the cops, but I’m sure that’s only a matter of time.” Shane looked up at Hollis, worry clear on his face. “You and Ian okay?”
“We’re good. Safe.”
“You sure? You know that I’d do anything for you both. No questions asked.”
Putting the binoculars in his lap, Hollis reached over and clapped his hand on Shane’s shoulder. He’d never expected to find such a good friend in his boss, but Shane Stephens was a hell of a guy.
Fuck, Hollis was lucky to have so many amazing friends in his life. He needed to remember that he had these people to lean on. He might not be able to tell Shane the full story about Jagger and his involvement in Ian’s life, but there were other men who knew everything. Maybe it was time for another “No Boyfriends” meeting with Andrei, Jude, and Noah. That trio could give him some much-needed perspective.
