Snow Blind - Lori G. Armstrong [89]
And for the first time since I’d met Big Mike, I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted him. This seemed too elaborate a scheme. Why not just have an Hombres member snatch Nyla at the dealer’s place? Especially since she was everybody’s crack whore? I’d bet a kilo of coke the Hombres were the dealer’s distributors. If 316
the dealers wanted continued business, they couldn’t deny the Hombres’ demand to detain Nyla until security arrived. But . . . chances were good Jackal knew where Nyla scored her drugs. If he put the place under surveillance and if Hombres members showed up, it’d tip him off they knew about his relationship to Nyla. Then we might lose the best chance of flushing Jackal out. On the other hand, if Big Mike suspected Jackal was living with Nyla, following her would kill two birds with one stoned chick.
God. Too many variables and I didn’t have the energy to work them all out. I really wanted to go home.
“You’re quiet. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just thinking. If I’m gonna help you do this, I want you to call off all surveillance on me.”
Big Mike vehemently shook his head. “No fucking way.”
“Listen. There’s no reason for me to tail her if she sees people tailing me. You guys might as well do it and leave me out of the middle of it.”
He was quiet for a beat. “Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. But I can’t call off your security detail. Not only will Tony know, the guy assigned to you will wonder why, especially in light of the fact Jackal is still out there on the loose.”
“There’s no other way to do this.”
“Fuck. Do you know what he’ll do to me if he 317
finds out not only are we going behind his back, but I’m purposely putting you in danger?”
“So you’d better figure something out fast. I’m risking my ass to save Tony’s. I’d do anything to keep Jackal away from him, and so would you. That’s what’s at stake, Big Mike. You think I like being fucking bait? You think I like lying and sneaking around on Martinez?”
“No.” He scrubbed the stubble on his face. “Fine. Let’s just hope this goes down soon.”
After he hopped out, I rolled down the window and yelled, “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Take good care of him.”
“I will. I’ll be in touch. Soon.”
318
Too soon.
The blasted cell phone Big Mike snuck me rang at 3:00 in the morning.
“Julie. Haul ass. She just got there.”
“Where’m I going?” Man, I was groggy.
Big Mike rattled off the address. “There’s an alley on the left side. It’s hidden, but it’ll give you an unobstructed view of the rear entrance. Yellow house, white trim, concrete stoop in the back. She’ll take the rear entrance out. Once you get to where she’s hiding, keep awake.”
The late hour proved Nyla was smart enough to pick a time when there’d be little traffic.
“And for Christsake don’t freeze to death.”
Vernon Sloane’s frozen body amidst the bright white snow flashed behind my dark lids and I was 319
instantly wide awake.
“Call me and let me know where you are, but you’re on your own. At least until dawn. Bossman is already suspicious about the changes in security.”
“Great.” I didn’t want to know how Big Mike had pulled one over on Martinez. After minimal hygiene I dressed in layers. Long johns. Flannel jeans. Two pairs of cotton socks. A long-sleeved T-shirt. A lightweight wool sweater. A fleece pullover. Then the usual hat, glove liners, gloves, scarf, and subzero Thinsulate ski jacket.
I popped four Jet-Alert caffeine tablets. They worked way better for staying alert than energy drinks and I didn’t have to pee all the time.
Cell phones, gun, restraints, big-ass bolt cutters, a blanket, a shovel, cigarettes, bottled water; I was good to go.
The area the dealers set up shop was familiar. A mere three blocks from the house I’d grown up in. The neighborhood hadn’t gone to the dogs in the last twenty-odd years; it’d always been a mix of working class and low-income folks.
At the mouth of the alley I cut my headlights and hoped like hell the cops weren’t patrolling. Nothing says criminal activity like cruising down an alley