Time Pirate 2, page 20
Ears froze, and his eyes went wide as the cold metal from the gun kissed his skin.
“Don’t move,” I instructed in a calm voice.
“Take it easy,” Cauliflower Ears said as he raised his arms up in the air.
I looked over at the doorway, where the leader was watching the scene in front of him with a deep scowl on his face and the shotgun in his hands.
“Don’t come any closer,” I said in the same calm voice. “Toss the gun.”
I saw a vein start to bulge in the leader’s neck, but he gave me a curt nod to indicate he understood, and then he tossed the shotgun to the side. It landed on the cement floor with a loud clatter.
“You--” the leader began.
“Shut up,” I snapped, and I pushed the barrel of my gun against Ears’ temple harder, which caused the man to wince in fear. “No one moves or talks unless I say.”
I kept the gun trained on Ears’ head as I slowly backed away from him, and I held the gun steady as I crouched down from my knees to pick up the manila folder with Emily’s documents. I considered going back into the other room for the cash, but I just wanted to get out of this situation, and I couldn’t risk one of the men overpowering me.
The two criminals continued to glower at me, but neither one of them made a move toward me. I kept the gun held high and aimed it alternatively at both men as I slowly walked backward across the warehouse until I made it to the door. I tucked the manila folder under my gun arm, and then I used my free hand to open the door from behind my back.
“Pleasure doing business with you gentlemen,” I said cheerfully before I threw myself through the door and slammed it shut behind me.
My heart was pounding in my chest as I sprinted to the Corolla. I lowered my gun and fumbled with my keys, but I managed to unlock the car and throw myself behind the steering wheel while I tossed the gun and manila folder on the passenger’s seat. I sped away from the industrial complex, and I didn’t look back until I was at the end of the street.
To my surprise, the criminals hadn’t followed me out into the street. But they did have their dead friend to deal with and the imminent threat of police presence.
Shit. The police.
My mind started racing as I slowed my driving to legal speeds. I had just killed a guy. Shit.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and I noticed my hands were shaking pretty bad. I took a few deep breaths, but my hands were still shaky, so I decided to get a little more distance between the warehouse and me, and then I pulled the car over to the curb.
I was still shaky as I turned my phone back on and dialed Lance’s number, and I took some more deep breaths while the phone rang.
“Hey, Frankie, what’s up?” Lance asked when he connected the call.
“Lance, I’m in trouble,” I blurted out, and I could hear the panic in my voice. “I think I just, well, I mean, I know I did, but it was self-defense, and then with the other guy--”
“Whoa, slow down,” Lance said loudly over my rambling. “Take a couple deep breaths. Tell me what happened. Do we need Craig for this?”
“Yes,” I answered before I forced myself to slow down and take deeper breaths. When I spoke again, my voice was less shaky. “I was in a warehouse in Anacostia--”
“Anacostia, shit,” Lance muttered. “What the hell were you doing there?”
“Crime,” I said, and I let out a bark of laughter that sounded almost delirious.
“Are you hurt?” Lance demanded. “You know that’s one of the most dangerous areas in the city.”
“I’m fine, but I killed someone,” I said in a flat voice. “I swear though, he was going to kill me first.”
“Okay, okay,” Lance said in a reassuring tone. “I believe you. It sounds like classic self-defense. What were you doing in the warehouse?”
“Buying a fake passport for Emily,” I groaned.
“Hmm, okay, not ideal, but we can work around it,” Lance said, and I could hear him typing furiously on the other end. “Alright, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to go back to Joan’s townhouse, and you’re going to lock the doors and stay inside. I’m going to get Craig on this, so I need you to go home and sit tight. Don’t answer the door or any calls, except from me or Craig. Got it?”
“Got it,” I said. “Thanks, Lance.”
“Don’t even mention it, just get yourself home,” Lance said. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I hung up the phone, and then I took a few more shaky breaths. Suddenly, I remembered the pocket watch. I felt the panic rising in my chest as I reached for my pocket and pulled out the watch in its protective pouch. I tipped the watch into my hand, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw there was no visible damage to it. Fuck knew how after that tumble with Cauliflower Ears, but I wasn’t going to complain.
I flipped the lid open, but the watch face was also unscathed. I sighed in relief and returned the watch to its pouch, then my pocket, before I finally turned the engine over again and headed back to Joan’s. I nervously checked the rearview mirror the whole time, but no flashing police lights or sirens followed me, which I figured was a good sign.
I finally made it back to the townhouse, where I parked the car in the garage and killed the engine. I sat in shock for a few moments before I finally forced myself to unbuckle my seatbelt and grabbed my gun and the manila folder from the passenger’s seat.
At least I had something to show for this insane afternoon of dangerous crime.
I headed into the townhouse, and I fixed a smile on my face before I entered. I didn’t need the women worrying about me or this mess. I found them both in the kitchen together, and they were wearing matching aprons. There were loads of ingredients and bowls and pans spread out on the kitchen island, and pop music was playing in the background as they giggled and worked on whatever they were making.
“Hey, ladies,” I said with a forced smile. “What’s all this?”
“Hey, babe,” Joan said brightly. “We’re making dinner.”
“Something called la-zang-ye, have you had it before?” Emily asked, and her blue eyes were wide and eager.
“Lasagna? That’s one of my favorites.”
I crossed the kitchen and gave each woman a kiss on the forehead. Then I reached out and popped a cherry tomato in my mouth, and Joan swatted my hand away.
“Hey, no samples,” she said as she made a shooing gesture. “How did it go with Marcus?”
“Yeah, it was good,” I lied, and I tempered the bile that rose up in my throat. Then I cleared my throat and held up the envelope. “Em, got some presents for you.”
“Oooh,” Emily cooed, and the pretty blonde wiped her hands on her apron as I tipped the contents of the folder onto the kitchen island.
“Everything you need to live in the modern world,” I said proudly. “Well, the paperwork, at least.”
“Passport,” Emily read out loud, and she grabbed the little blue book. “What’s this for?”
“That’s so you can go to different countries,” Joan explained as she wiped her hands on her own apron and joined us. “Remember we were telling you about the airplanes that fly?”
“Oh, yeah.” Emily shuddered at the thought. “Do I have to use this?”
“No.” I chuckled as I took the passport from her and flipped it open to the main page with her picture. “You can just use it for general ID purposes. See, that’s your picture there, to prove it’s you.”
“Oh, it’s me!” Emily cried out happily when she saw her own image looking back at her. She giggled and held the passport close to her chest. “I changed my mind, I love it now.”
“Figured you would.” I smirked. “Then this is your birth certificate and your social security number, in case you ever wanted to get a job or go to school or something.”
“School?” Emily’s blue eyes widened. “I can go to school?”
“Eventually,” Joan said quickly. “I think we need to get you acclimated to modern times a little more before we stick you in a classroom.”
“Why?” Emily asked as she jutted her lower lip out.
“Hmm, well,” Joan began with a sly smile. “Do you know what a PDF is?”
“No.” Emily frowned.
“Or a word document? Excel? How to convert a word document to a PDF?” Joan continued.
“Okay, okay, I get it.” Emily sighed. “I guess I need more time.”
“Don’t worry about it, babe,” I said, and I slung my arm around her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. “You’ll catch up in no time, but you’ve only been here a couple of days.”
“Exactly,” Joan agreed with a nod. “Be patient with yourself. The world today is a lot different from what you knew, it’s going to take a little time to learn everything.”
“Like how to make… laysan-- lusang-- ugh, what’s it called again?” Emily’s nose crinkled in frustration.
“Lasagna,” I said gently. “Joan is right, be patient. We’ve got your papers, and that’s the first step. We can look into some things for you to get involved with soon, I promise.”
“Okay, you’re both right,” Emily said, and she wrapped her arms around Joan and my waists and pulled us in for a hug.
“Right, we need to get going on this lasagna if we want to eat it tonight,” Joan said as she pulled away from the group hug.
“Anything I can do to help?” I asked as I mimed rolling up my imaginary sleeves.
“You can go wash up for dinner,” Joan said as she eyed my dirt-streaked clothes with a frown.
“Good call.” I shot the ladies finger guns, and they giggled as I made my way out of the kitchen and up to my bedroom.
I took a scorching hot shower, but it didn’t wash away the anxiety from my warehouse meeting. I figured it was a good sign that police hadn’t stormed the townhouse with drawn guns yet, but I was twitchy with the thought that they could at any moment.
But I just needed to wait for Lance to call me before I did anything else, so I dressed in some comfy clothes and headed back down to the ladies while I towel dried my hair.
“Ohh, it smells amazing in here,” I said as I entered the kitchen again.
It was steamy and warm now as the women progressed with the lasagna making.
“Thank you,” the women chorused with bright smiles.
“It’s almost ready, do you want to set the table?” Joan asked me as she pointed at the cupboard with the knife in her hand.
“Sure thing,” I said.
I set the table and poured a drink for everyone while the women started to plate up the food.
“Oh, Frankie, I almost forgot,” Joan said as she took her seat. “The auction is still going for the book, but I found a lot of stuff about your watch on the dark web.”
“You did?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“I know what the dark web is!” Emily interjected excitedly. “It’s a page of the intranet for criminals.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it, good job, babe,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll be ready for school in no time,” Emily giggled as she wiggled her butt in the chair.
“Yeah, totally,” Joan said as she shot me a discreet wink. “But yeah, the pocket watch is sort of a legend on some parts of the dark web.”
“Really? How so?” I asked as I cut off a corner piece of my lasagna.
“Apparently, no one knows if it really exists or not,” the pretty researcher explained as she knifed her own lasagna. “It’s a highly debated topic, people even have bets on its veracity. And big bets, like millions of dollars.”
“Where the fuck do all these people on the dark web get all of this money?” I asked as I stabbed the cheesy lasagna with my fork and brought it to my mouth.
“Probably from all the crime,” Emily said brightly.
I froze with my fork in mid-air, and I laughed at the blonde woman.
“You know what, you’re probably right,” I said. “Carry on.”
“Well, because there are bets on it and stuff, there are people actively looking for it,” Joan continued. “There have been a few posts about people thinking they’ve found it, but they’re usually debunked within a few minutes.”
“So, no one knows where it is,” I said.
“Nope. Well, except for us.” Joan shrugged.
“Hmm.” I finally popped the piece of lasagna in my mouth, and my eyes went wide as the flavors exploded in my mouth. “Oh, my god, this is amazing!”
“Really?” Emily asked in an excited tone. “You really like it?”
“Mmm, love it,” I replied as I immediately started sawing off another piece.
“Yay!” Emily wiggled in her seat again as Joan grinned from ear to ear.
“Incredible job, ladies,” I said between another mouthful.
Emily spent the rest of dinner excitedly explaining all of the new, modern cooking techniques Joan had shown her. I had to admit, this was some of the best lasagna I’d ever tasted. I felt my heart swell as I realized I had two gorgeous girlfriends who were also phenomenal cooks and had happily cooked dinner for me without me even having to ask. I enjoyed the food and the conversation so much that the thoughts of the warehouse fight were pushed to the back of my mind, and I practically forgot all about them.
Until my phone rang.
I cringed as I saw Lance’s name on the screen, and I stepped back from the dishwasher that I was helping Joan load and held up my phone.
“Sorry, I’ve got to take this,” I said, and then I dipped out of the kitchen as I hit the accept call button. “Hey, Lance, any word?”
“Hey,” Lance replied. “So, Craig’s been glued to the scanner, but there’s been no call ins about a gunfight at a warehouse in Anacostia.”
“Oh, good,” I said as I slumped in relief. “But, are you sure? There was a body…”
“Nothing, but I mean, it is Anacostia,” Lance said. “There are hundreds of gunfights there a day, the police can’t respond to every single one of them. Something tells me your passport guys hightailed it out of there with the body. The last thing they’ll want is cops poking around their illegal business.”
“Good point,” I said as I felt another wave of relief. “But you’ll let me know if you hear anything else, right?”
“Of course,” Lance agreed quickly. “Craig says he’ll pop down to that area if he has time on his shift tomorrow. Do you know the address?”
“No, but I might be able to find it on a map,” I answered. “I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, but don’t worry yourself about it too much anymore,” Lance said in a reassuring tone. “I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”
“Thanks so much,” I sighed.
I disconnected the call, and then I turned to see Joan standing in the doorway with a frown on her face.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said as I pocketed my phone. “There was a little hitch picking up Emily’s paperwork, but it’s all taken care of.”
“Are you okay?” Joan asked, and her voice was thick with concern as she closed the distance between us and laid a hand on my arm.
“Yeah, of course,” I said with a smile. “Especially after that delicious dinner. You’re a great cook, and a great teacher.”
“Thanks.” Joan smiled and reached up on her tiptoes to give me a quick kiss, and then she turned back to the kitchen. “Now come on. Help us finish up the cleaning so we can curl up on the couch.”
So, that’s what we did.
After the kitchen was cleaned up, we grabbed a bottle of wine and three glasses, and we headed to the living room. It felt nice to switch off and watch some mindless TV after the day I’d had. The sky darkened, and the night crawled by until there was a collective yawn, and we headed up to bed. It was becoming a habit for all of us to sleep in Joan’s bed. The women curled up around me, and they were sleeping within a few minutes.
I tossed and turned restlessly for a while before I finally slithered out of bed, careful not to disturb the women. I padded down to the kitchen and grabbed a beer, and I cracked it open on the couch and sat in darkness while I drank it.
Then I spotted Joan’s laptop on the table, and I suddenly remembered the auction. With all the warehouse action, the dark web auction had totally slipped my mind, but now I was curious. I opened up the laptop and keyed in Joan’s password that she’d told me earlier. I was pleased to see the auction site was still up, so I didn’t have to search for it. I navigated to my auction items and clicked on the book to see where my bids were at.
My jaw dropped open when I saw the book had a bid.
For six million dollars.
“Holy fuck!”
Chapter 14
I jumped up from the couch and pumped my fists in the air.
“Fuck, yes! Woooooo!”
I heard a thud upstairs, and I realized my screams must have woken up the women. I hopped up and switched the light on so I didn’t scare them, and a moment later, I heard footsteps rushing down the stairs.
“Frankie?” Joan cried out anxiously.
“In here!” I responded.
The two women burst into the living room with panicked expressions, and Joan looked around wildly while Emily ran into my arms.
“What’s wrong?” the pretty blonde woman asked as she clutched at my forearms.
“Nothing is wrong, everything is fine,” I said in a soothing voice. “In fact, everything is great.”
“What was all the shouting about, then?” Joan asked as she joined our side.
“Take a look.” I grinned, pulled away from Emily’s grasp, and motioned at the laptop as I took a seat on the couch again.
Both women plopped down on the couch at the same time, which caused us all to bounce up and down. The screen of the laptop had gone dark, so I reached out to press the spacebar, and the screen lit up again. Joan and Emily frowned as they leaned forward to read the screen while I watched their faces.
Joan’s face lit up when she saw the bid, and she leaned back and let out an excited shriek.
