AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Here comes the welcoming committee,” he muttered as they approached.
“How many?” Scott asked.
“Two, and they look like they stepped straight out of central casting.”
“What have you got?” one of them yelled as Pete leaned his head out the window. “We weren’t expecting any deliveries.”
“Hang on, let me check my sheet,” Pete replied, picking up a clipboard from the passenger seat. “The address is correct, 3220 Songbird Lane, but there’s a card here. Maybe this will explain it.”
Lifting the crisp white envelope from the clip and pulling out the piece of paper, he read the note aloud.
Hey, Sonny, sorry I can’t make it. Here’s the wine I promised, along with a special gift. Make sure you’re alone when you open the crate. Speak to you soon, Leon Hartley.
“Here, you can see for yourself if you want,” Pete said, handing it down to the glowering guard.
“Huh,” the man grunted. “Who the fuck is Leon Hartley?”
“You’ve never heard of Leon Hartley?” Pete exclaimed, feigning surprise.
The name belonged to his high school math teacher, a tiny, bespectacled man who reminded Pete of a woodpecker.
“Can’t say I have.”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t know him either, but my daughter drives me crazy. He’s all she talks about. She’ll be tickled pink when I tell her about this.”
“Okay. Step from the truck and carry it in.”
“No can do, it’s a big crate strapped to a dolly. I need a large entryway,” Pete replied, already knowing the house had a small loading dock for oversized deliveries adjacent to the wine cellar.
“Follow me.”
As the man lumbered ahead, an automatic light illuminated a roll-up door behind a high, wide concrete block looking incongruous against the sleek, modern home.
“Just what every international drug lord needs,” Pete muttered. “Scott, can you still hear me from back here?”
“You’re clearer than my cell phone.”
“It’s quiet, real quiet. There shouldn’t be any trouble,” Pete murmured as he expertly backed up and came to a stop. “I’m going in. Wish me luck.”
Jumping from the truck, he walked quickly past the guards and swung open the back door, revealing a large wooden box strapped to a wheeled stand. With one of the guards standing close by, he lowered the truck’s platform to line up with the dock, then pushed the crate out into what appeared to be a storage room.
“It should go in the wine cellar, follow me,” the second guard said briskly.
Following him to a wide arched doorway at the back of the room, Pete stood to the side as the man punched a code into the security keypad. Memorizing the numbers, Pete rolled the crate into the cellar, unbuckled the wide straps, and deftly pulled back the dolly.
“You’ve done that before,” the thug remarked with a grin.
“A few times,” Pete replied, returning the smile as he walked out. “I have one more stop to make before I can call it quits. It’s been a long day.”
“Lucky you, I’ll be here all fucking night,” the guard grumbled.
“Sorry to hear that. Maybe you should look for another job.”
“The pay’s too good.”
“I guess everything in life’s a tradeoff,” Pete remarked, returning the dolly and closing the door.
“Ain’t that the truth.”
