Page 9 of Contested Crown

“House Morrison might want to. They’re gaining strength, but House Bartlett still has the historical power, the gravitas.” Cade’s lips went flat. “But Leon would never ally himself with them.”

“Great. So someone else wants us, and we don’t even know why.” I blew out a long breath.

“Where am I headed?” Cade asked.

“Keep going straight.” I looked out the window, trying to calculate the distance in my head. “We need to dump the car.”

ChapterFour

The city of San Domingo took us south, past all the exits for Los Santos, into a dry, dusty stretch of the 101. It was close enough to Los Santos that most people who lived in San Domingo commuted to the city, and those who didn’t commute worked for companies in the Los Santos orbit. The city felt small, even though it sprawled wide on either side of the 101.

After getting off at the second exit, I had Cade pull up outside a small grocery store. It was still dark, dawn too far away and the adrenaline fading to raw exhaustion. As soon as we stopped, Cade was already nodding off.

I let him sleep a few hours until the day had started in earnest, then shook his shoulder to wake him, explaining that I had to go in for supplies.

“Stay down. If you see anything suspicious, drive away. I can take care of myself.” I kept eye contact with Cade, waiting for him to nod.

Instead, he shook his head. “Miles, I’m not sure what impression I’ve given you, but you didn’t run when House Morrison attacked. I’m not going to run and leave you behind.”

I stared at him, unsure what even to say. At one point, I could have drowned in his eyes, but now when I looked, I felt like I was going to drown without them. What would I do if he fled? If I was on my own again after weeks with him as my constant companion?

“Okay.” I breathed in the first gasp of air after being plunged into the water. “I’ll be fast.”

I really only needed one thing, but since we were stopped anyway, I grabbed some snacks, Twinkies and protein bars, chips and nuts.

Then I headed for the alcohol, buying the most expensive bottle of wine they had. It took all of my money, and I had to give up the bag of peanuts to make the cash stretch to cover it. When I got back in the car, I gave Cade directions.

The streets of San Domingo curved around each other, houses turning into industrial areas turning back into houses. We passed a school and kids playing basketball in the street.

When I directed Cade to turn down an alleyway, the cinder block walls painted thick with layers of graffiti, both of his eyebrows went up.

“Is this safe?” He slowed the car to a crawl, and I waved a hand.

“Yes,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel. “Rick is a good guy.”

“I’m not sure either of us is a good judge of character at this point,” Cade said dryly.

“Hey, well, practice makes perfect. And I did call Sonja as a bad guy the first time I met her. Turn here.” I gestured, and Cade followed my finger, easing the car into an even narrower alley that ended at a metal gate. “Press the buzzer.”

Cade stretched out his window, pressing the buzzer on the keypad. After a long beat, I bent forward, looking out the windshield and waving at the cameras mounted to the top of the gate.

The speaker buzzed to life. “Jesus Christ, if it isn’t a dead man.”

I leaned over Cade to talk into the speaker. I braced against his thigh and grinned when he tensed.

“Rick. You gonna let us in?”

There was a long pause, then a buzz, and the gate made a metallic shrieking noise as it opened. I settled back into my seat, although my hand stayed on Cade’s thigh. He pulled forward into a medium-sized dirt lot.

The building in front of us was windowless, with massive bay doors open, revealing car lifts. I counted three of Rick’s guys working to strip a jeep.

The man himself came sauntering out, wiping his hands on a grease rag. He was clean-shaven, a difference from the last time I had seen him. When he saw us, he grinned broadly.

Cade turned off the car and looked at me, leaving his question unvoiced. I shrugged. “Chop shop. He owes me one.”

I got out of the car, shutting the door behind me and crossing my arms.

“You know, if I turn you in, I make a heck of a lot more than I’d make on any of the cars I just got.” Rick tilted his head, the smile not leaving his face.