Page 60 of Beyond the Stix

My phone rings right then. I glance down at the screen and see Dean’s name on the caller ID. “Hey,” I utter in relief.

“Since it’s last minute, I called one of my contacts and got you on a private plane. Lee will be sending details. Fig will meet you at Paine Field Airport in Seattle, Washington.”

“Why am I going to Seattle? Jessup’s in Black Rock.” I glance down at the text that comes through and I have about twenty minutes before the flight leaves.

“Fig will explain when you meet up.”

“Okay, I guess. Anything else on Jessup?”

“Clean as a washed plate,” Dean throws out. “But Lee’s determined.”

“So am I,” I admit as I step inside the business end of the hangar. “I’m heading in.”

“Will let you know if Lee finds something,” Dean says before hanging up.

After a tired woman behind the counter confirms my ID, she points me in the direction of the small jet that’s apparently waiting for me.

I’m too restless to notice the inside of the plane as I plunk my ass in the seat the steward directs me to. A snack, water, and a nap make the ninety-minute flight seem quick. Mind you, the entire time, I’m wondering how Connor is doing.

I should have called him before the plane took off, but I doubt that he wants to talk to me after the disaster at Black Rock with Jessup.

There is a huge chance that he will never forgive me, but that’s alright, I’ll still protect him—even from his own family, no matter how he feels about me.

The plane finally lands. Half way through the small terminal, I get a text from Fig that he’s arrived and waiting for me out front.

I speed up my pace, not having to worry about crowds of people and their rolling luggage at this airport.

Right outside, I meet Fig by a neon yellow Mojave X. Even though dawn is barely skimming the horizon, the damn vehicle glows like a beacon.

“This is yours?” I don’t know why I bother asking. Fig is as flashy as it gets, where his vehicles are concerned.

“Hell yeah.” He grins. “Now get in.”

I glance in the back seat and spot two bags. “Are you planning on staying longer than a day?”

“No asshole.” Fig side-eyes me. “The second bag has clothes and shit for you. Now we have about an hour’s drive to where we’re going to be staying at. It’s a small motel, but it’s a clean place, and I already checked in.”

“Where are we going?”

“Lee found three homes in Jessup Wild’s name. This one, he has owned for fifteen years.”

“Did someone scope it out?” I ask while clicking my seat belt on.

“Yes. I did a drive-by already. Selleck is a tiny, nondescript town. Where that douche canoe’s house sits, it’s away from the other homes in the area. He has no security system in place or animals,” Fig explains as he clips his cell phone onto the black mount. “Trust me, we’ll get into the house without issues. We just need to wait until tonight when it gets dark.”

“Explain to me what we’re looking for?” I grab the oh-shit handle as Fig takes the corner a little too fast.

“See this?” Fig pulls out a small black container from the middle console and hands it to me. “Open it.”

I pop open the box, and inside is a miniature, near-transparent disk that looks like it can fit on the pad of my pinky finger.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Lee says it’s a bug of some sort. We place this little beauty on the underside of Jessup’s computer or a laptop, and it will let Lee see what that bastard is hiding—if he’s hiding anything at all.”

“I hope so,” I say, as Fig gets on the 4-05 going South. I’m impressed with what Lee has devised, but I still like the good, old-fashioned detective work.

It’s early, just half past five in the morning. Traffic around the airport is light, but morning rush hour has already started around Seattle. It will take a bit longer than we anticipated to get to the motel.