Page 23 of Red, White, and BearCat Blue

Mars turned to look at him. “Ya cleared it with Candy. Stop going on. Sometimes I think you’re a bloody old woman, Milky.”

Mickey shot him a shitty glare. “Candy did clear it…grudgingly.” He quickly turned away as Mars reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry so much, matey. Cam knows what ‘e’s doing.” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Ya do, don’t ya?”

“Pfft. Yeah, I know what I’m doing.” I pointed. “Park in that corner. It’s a camera blind spot. I want to avoid anyone seeing me getting out of your car which is identifiable since I assume your tags are legit.”

Mars nodded. “Smart. I didn’t think of that.” I could see his grin in the rearview mirror as he flicked a look up at me. He found a spot in the corner not far from the vehicle which just happened to be close enough to watch me do my work. I checked my watch.

It was just after one o’clock, which meant the lunch rush was in full swing, but I wanted to get into the car and out of the lot in less than three minutes. It would take time to disable the GPS as well as the electronic alarm system, both of which were located underneath the chassis on this model. If I wanted to avoid being run over if the owner returned and decided to drive away with me under the car, I needed to make it quick.

“Wish me luck!” I said, filled with adrenaline as I jumped out of the car.

“Good luck!” Mars said as Mickey slid down in the seat with a pout on his face.

I could understand his reticence in me doing my job. I had to guess it wasn’t every day that an FBI agent watched a serious crime being committed, only to do nothing about it. Weren’t FBI agents required to intervene if they witnessed a crime, just like the cops? I’d read that somewhere too. Mickey had cleared it with their boss, but since I’d only had negative experiences with law enforcement so far, I had to trust they’d keep their word. FBI guys usually kept their word…didn’t they?

I put it out of my mind as I ran to the Maybach, looking around the lot to assure there weren’t any other cars driving around and no restaurant patrons lingering or walking through the lot. I kept my face turned away from the cameras knowing from experience and talking to some of the guys on Josiah’s crew, that the cameras weren’t manned by live security personnel in this lot. They wouldn’t be able to pick up where I’d come from until security reviewed the tape once the vehicle’s owner reported it stolen. As soon as I confirmed I was alone, I dropped to my knees, rolled over, and scooted underneath the car.

It didn’t take me long to locate the alarm system and GPS, and in just under two minutes, I’d disabled both. I checked my watch again, holding still as two pairs of feet became visible. Laughter reached my ears as the stilettos stopped at the car next to me. I held my breath, staying right where I was, praying the women weren’t driving the Maybach. Instead, the door locks on the BMW beside me popped open and the stilettos disappeared as they stepped into the vehicle. In seconds they were backing out, making a three-point turn, and driving away. I let out my breath, waited about thirty seconds, and slid back out, checking to make sure I was still alone.

Confident no one was around, I pulled a small electronic box out of my pocket and went to work to get inside. I pressed several numbers and watched the digital display run through a series of numbers. I glanced at my watch, hating that I had to wait as it cycled through. When it finally stopped, it was only a few seconds before the door unlocked all on its own. I grinned to myself and slid into the driver’s seat, thrilled that no alarms had gone off. I looked under the dash, just to make sure there was no redundant alarm, and then took a deep breath of the clean, new car scent that always sent a thrill through me.

The push button started the nearly silent engine, and I pulled out of the parking space. I drove to the back entrance, glancing at Mars and Mickey as I passed by, unable to stop myself from flashing them a thumbs up and a toothy grin. I jumped out of the car at the kiosk, and used cash, then impatiently waited for the horizontal boom gate to rise. Easing out of the lot, I turned onto the Strip and breathed out a sigh of relief as I drove into the midst of afternoon traffic, confident of my destination.

Traffic cameras would be reviewed as soon as the theft was reported to the cops, so I detoured several times into various underground garages and then back out different entrances again and again. I caught sight of Mars following in my rearview mirror a couple of times, and had to smile to myself, impressed that he hadn’t lost me so far. I was really beginning to like him, plus he was pretty to look at. By the time I finally pulled into Gary’s shop at three-thirty, I’d pulled off the wig, beard, mustache, and facial prosthetics, certain I’d fooled the traffic cams. Mars pulled in twenty seconds behind me.

I’d called Gary right after leaving my apartment, telling him I needed a place to stash the Maybach for a few hours until I had to make delivery. Josiah had rules about never delivering cars during daylight hours. He had rules about everything. After sealing the Maybach up in a garage, I jogged over to the Camaro and slid into the backseat.

“Gary will hold onto the car until after dark,” I said.

Mars turned to look at me wearing a grin. “Ya made that look effortless.”

I shrugged, smiling back. “It’s not hard when you know what you’re doing.”

“I got a fright when I spotted those two women walking over to the car.”

I nodded. “Tell me about it. I was terrified they were gonna get into the Maybach.” My stomach suddenly growled loudly, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since early morning.

Surprisingly, Mars grinned. “Ya ‘ungry?”

I nodded. “Starving actually.”

He exchanged a glance with Mickey. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving too.” When Mickey nodded, Mars pulled out onto the street and flicked his eyebrow at me in the rearview mirror. “What’s good in this town? I’m sure ya know all the good places to go.”

“Um…head downtown to Old Vegas.”

“Where’s that?”

“Oh, go that way.” I pointed north. “Fremont Street. It’s old town, not as glitzy. More nostalgic than the Strip. The tourists want the fancy, new hotels that were all refurbished starting in the early 90s once the mob lost all their power in this town. That’s when Wall Street took over and brought all the Japanese money with them.”

He grinned at me as he turned north. “Ya know a lot of ‘istory about Vegas, yeah?”

I shrugged. “Um…I guess so. I was just born and raised here, so I guess that’s normal, plus I like to read about history and stuff.”

“That’s good,” he said, exchanging another glance with Mickey.

I had the feeling they’d been talking about me. It was clear to me that Mars’ friend didn’t think much of me, which wasn’t really a big surprise. I figured as FBI agents, they probably ran into a lot of swindlers and hustlers all the time, but it was still kind of shitty to know I’d been lumped into the category of criminal. Though I couldn’t really blame them. The criminal side of me was what they knew, first getting caught breaking into cars, and then showing them how adept I was at stealing them. I’d proven I had experience in both. They thought I was just another Vegas car thief and general all-around shitty guy.