Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

still didn’t know why Elijah was caught up with this chick. She seemed like more trouble than she is worth.

“I can see if I can get some information on the guy.”

“She never saw you that night at the warehouse, right?”

“Correct.”

“See what you can find out and let me know. Keep an eye on her.  In the meantime, I’ll make some travel arrangements and get down there.  Just so you are aware, after the next hour, I’ll be off the grid.”

Elijah disconnected, and Vargas put away his phone. He took a swig from his beer as he watched the guy carry Mia inside, then down a hallway to what looked like an office.

It seeed like he was sticking around for a while.  He took a seat at the bar and started chatting with some local guys from the police department.

◆◆◆

Elijah threw his phone on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. He was in a state of panic.  He had Claus helping him contact all of his associates across the country to cease all operations and purge all documents relating to his business.  Whatever those locations had regarding merchandise, they needed to get it the hell out of the warehouses.

He didn’t have time to waste. Depending on when they executed the search warrants, he was possibly facing jail time sometime today. He and Claus were tying up some loose ends and then they were getting out of town. The plan had been to fly out of the country, but knowing now where Mia was he thought maybe he would pay her a visit as she was considered to be a loose end now.

He now wondered what type of game her family and the police were playing, because it was no coincidence that she appeared in the same small town her brother lived it. Yes, she had to be silenced.

He had enough money saved to last several lifetimes.  It was better to get out now before he was caught.

Claus emerged in the doorway.

“Is everything taken care of?”

“Yes, all operations after midnight tonight will be shut down.  New Orleans, Portland, and Corpus Christi were the only three with merchandise.  All three locations have moved any remaining dogs to shelters.”

Claus stood there just staring at him and knew the look; something was on his mind.

“Is something bothering you, Claus?”

“I just went by Mia’s apartment to look around one last time to make sure she had nothing there connecting you to your operation.”

Elijah turned to face Claus and raised an eyebrow. “And did you?”

“No, but I did see a familiar face leaving her apartment before I got there.”

When Elijah didn’t say anything, Claus continued, “Terek Larkin.”

“The guy who handles Demitri’s distribution in New England and Canada?” Claus nodded. “Why in the hell would he be at Mia’s place?”

“I thought the same, so I did a little digging and made a few phone calls. It appears that Mia and Terek used to date. According to my source, they broke up earlier in the year. I also found out that Terek doesn’t have any ties in Canada or New England. But he does have several in Washington, D.C. and most of them are law enforcement.”

Elijah rubbed his head. None of this made any sense.

“You think that Terek could be law enforcement?” Then a thought hit him. Could Mia have been playing a role in gaining information? She had access to everything in the clinic. He thought back to the night of the gala and the moment Demitri had introduced Mia to Terek. Terek couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  At the time, he couldn’t blame any man for staring at her.  She was radiant and a ball of positive energy. After the introductions, he remembered that Mia had remained quiet and resilient, which had been unlike her actions earlier on in the evening. Was Terek the reason she had clammed up?

“Bingo. My guy inside the police department said he’d heard a lot of rumblings about FBI agents infiltrating the city and going undercover to bust major organizations.”

“You think Terek is an undercover agent?”

“I don’t know for sure, but my gut is telling me yes.”

“What about Mia? They could be working together.”

“Mia? Do you really think Mia is involved?” Claus questioned, sounding like he wanted to argue. Elijah ran his hand through his hair.  Fuck!  Did he really believe she could betray him like this? Did she really have it in her to gather information on him? Sure she had access to anywhere in the office except for the basement, including his office, but he was very careful about what was brought and kept in his office at the clinic. It didn’t matter; he couldn’t take any chances.

“Shit, I need to call Demitri.” He picked up the phone but looked back at Claus. “I think we all have been played. Have the car ready in thirty minutes. We’re making a detour to Virginia before we fly out.”

Claus raised an eyebrow in question, and Elijah explained the phone call he received from Vargas.

A grin appeared on Elijah’s face. Demitri would love to get his hands on Mia. Maybe instead of silencing her, he could make some cash off of her. Demitri would pay major cash for her.

“Do I want to know what evil thought put that wicked grin on your face?”

Elijah looked at Claus. “Probably not.” He stood up and walked over to the safe he had hidden inside a decorative pedestal.  Punching in the numbers on the keypad, it opened, and he started throwing stacks of hundred dollar bills into a bag until the safe was empty. That would last a while until he got his overseas accounts settled. His destination was his private estate in New Zealand that he held in a different name. He’d make a few stops along the way to redirect their movements and throw off anyone who may be following. Suddenly, an image of Mia’s luscious body laid out on one of the loungers along his private beachfront popped into