“Hoyt didn’t tell me you’d be stopping by.”
“Hoyt doesn’t know everything.” Culver smiled. “Please, sit. You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Travis nodded at me, and so we sat at the table with Culver. He nodded.
“That’s better. Now, Travis, have you made any progress?”
“Some,” Travis said.
“Elaborate.”
“We visited their compound today. I did some preliminary scouting. I suspect they’re keeping the shipment on site, somewhere on the compound.”
“What makes you think that?”
He shrugged. “Logistics. If this shipment is as big as your employers said it was, I doubt they’d take the time to lower it down into some mine shaft. No, they’re likely getting ready to sell it off, and it makes more sense to keep it close at hand.”
“I accept your logic,” Culver said, nodding.
“The place is well guarded. Easy sightlines everywhere, plus a lot of closed-circuit cameras.”
Culver seemed pleased. “This is why we are giving you this job, because it is a difficult one.”
“Yeah, it is difficult.”
“But you have connections to these people, don’t you?” Culver continued.
“I do.”
“We know all about you, Travis Rock. We know about your family, about your brother, about your friend Toad, and about Markus.”
Travis didn’t blink. “I hear what you’re saying.”
“I believe you do, but I’ll spell it out for the girl. If you fail, everyone you know and love will get hurt.”
He nodded and I just stared.
Culver was cold, so cold. He said these things with a small smile on his face, like he was ordering lunch. He was completely cool and calm, a lot like Travis was. But where Travis was warm and intense, Culver was aloof and uncaring. He seemed like he barely cared enough to speak the words he was saying.
“The Dixie Mafia cares a lot about this job,” Culver said. “That is why they sent me. They do not send me on normal, everyday missions. Understand?”
“Understood.”
“Good. I will be your handler from here on out. If you have issues, you come to me. My number is on the refrigerator. Do not contact anyone but me, including Hoyt. His life is on the line here too. You understand?”
“Understood.”
“Very good. I like you, Travis Rock. I believe you have a chance to make this work, if you’re smart.”
Travis nodded but didn’t respond.
Culver smiled at me, making my blood run cold. He stood slowly and took the gun, slowly pushing it into a holster at his side. Once it was away, he raised his hands.
“Well then, goodbye. Be good.”
He walked away without another word, a moving skeleton. He pushed open the door and closed it softly behind him, exiting the room like a whisper.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“It’s okay,” Travis said, leaning toward me. “He was just here to scare us.”
“It worked,” I said. “How did you know he was here?”
“I left a few little traps around here. He tripped one on his way in.”
“Seriously? Like what?”
“I taped a piece of hair on the doorframe. It was missing when we got here.”
I laughed despite myself. “You’re serious?”
“Simplest trick in the book, but effective.”
“A single hair.”
“You’d be surprised what I can do with a single hair.” He smirked at me and I laughed again.
I felt the fear break inside me. Travis was here and he was watching over me. Culver was a terrifying man, but he was nothing compared to Travis. I had the right man on my side in the end, and I knew we’d get through this.
“Come on,” Travis said, standing. “Let’s go grab something to eat. We’ll need our strength.”
“Strength? For what?”
He grinned at me. “I’m moving my timetable up a bit. A man like Culver getting involved is bad news, so we’re going to do some serious scouting tonight.”
I nodded. “Okay then.’
I stood up and followed him back outside. I didn’t know what it really meant to go scouting, but I’d do it anyway. This wasn’t a game, and if Travis thought something was important, then I’d do it.
I was going to get through this no matter what.
Chapter 12
Travis
Bringing Hartley was a damn mistake, but I knew I couldn’t avoid it.
The girl wasn’t a pushover. I had expected her to be a trembling mess after Culver’s little surprise visit, but she seemed to take it much better than I could have guessed.
Culver was a killer. There was no doubt about that. I knew killers. Hell, I was a damn killer. Culver was a particular breed, a cold-blooded killer, more likely to shoot you in the back of the head in the dead of night without you ever even knowing he was there. That little stunt with the visit, that was just him letting us know that he could break into the apartment and kill us at any time.