Page 11 of Kidnapped By the Boss
I looked right into the rearview mirror where the driver was throwing the occasional glance back at me. “You see, that’s the thing. He doesn’t have power over what I choose to do. He didn’tletme do anything. If I tell him I want to go, I go, that’s it. He knows there’s no reason to fear. I left this home, and this is the home I’ll come back to.”
The driver must have sensed a similar timber of danger in my tone because he swallowed hard and said, “Of course ma’am,” and then rapidly turned on the radio, cranking it up a little as if to say,“I’d like not to have any more conversation with you terrifying people.”
And that was honestly in his best interest, so I let him do as he pleased.
In terms of places to try and root out an underground group, Long Island was high up on the difficulty level. As Vincent had pointed out, there were a fair number of rich people on the island, but there were also densely populated neighborhoods of people of lower incomes. Lately, a specific area right in the heart of Long Island had been gaining traction as a “meeting place” of both groups of people called “The Marketplace.” Appropriately named because everyone can shop at the same marketplace, it was a string of speakeasy style bars that were considered the hippest place to be at the time.
This was where I suspected I might be able to find myself some official information about The Wreckers and where we might find them. I was hoping, as were we all, that my and Annie’s earlier, much safer mission might have borne more fruit, but because it didn’t, I now had to go this riskier route. Vincent was right, if we wanted to go on our honeymoon without worries, we had to deal with The Wreckers first.
“You sure you gonna be okay out here alone?” the driver asked when he pulled up in front of the first in the line of bars. Its storefront was a convenience store, but those in the know were able to get past this facade to the bar underneath.
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, fishing a hundred-dollar bill out of my purse. I handed it over and said, “Thanks for the ride,” and chuckled as his eyes bugged out of his skull.
“T-thank you!” he yelped. “Can I give you a little tip in exchange for this generous one?”
I was just opening the door when he said it, but I leaned back in. “I love tips.”
He pointed down the row of storefronts in the marketplace to the fourth one down. “That one. It’s apparently the only place in The Marketplace that’s a real store, but I’ve dropped a few people off here before and seen them go in there. It's supposedly a drug store, but I think that’s probably just a sign that it’s the place to go for your more… illicit activities. If you’re into that sort of thing.”
I’d heard that there was one storefront in The Marketplace that was actually just what it appeared to be. I never thought to question it. This was a tip indeed. “If it’s so secret, someone would probably need a password or some leverage to get in. Any ideas?”
He waved the tip I’d just handed him through the air. “If you’ve got any more leverage like this, I’m guessing you won’t have much trouble.”
I was trying not to appear to be another rich person attempting to rub elbows with The Marketplace’s slummier, hipper crowd, because I knew no one would trust me if I did, but if this driver was right and that place was real, I was betting it’d be where I’d find The Wreckers, or at least some info on them. I could slip them some cash quietly to let me in and keep their mouth shut. That was 101 for my line of work.
“Thanks,” I told him. “Be safe.”
“You too,” he responded.
I grabbed my clutch and got out of the car, and filtered into the small collection of people travelling down the street from one bar to the next. Some people were sober and just starting out for the night, while others were already blitzed off their asses. None of this was my concern, however. I had a goal and I intended to see it through.
Barbados was calling.
Entering the drug store, I saw that it was modeled like the front of a legitimate little pharmacy, with a few rows of medical supplies and over the counter medicines, with a single cashier’s counter centered against the back wall. There were shelves lining the wall behind the counter and a single man who was relatively plain looking was standing behind it.
“Good evening,” he said to me as soon as I walked in. “You’re dressed mighty fancily for an establishment like this.”
I smiled at him. “You’re designed relatively plainly for a street like this.”
He nodded at me. “Touché.”
I approached the counter and said, “Now tell me. I’ve heard that perhaps there’s a little more than meets the eye to this little spot. Is there any truth to the rumor?”
With a curt laugh, he replied, “Well, I’m not sure where you heard that rumor, but there’s nothing here but me and my meds.”
“Seems like a strange place to set up shop,” I told him.
He shrugged. “And yet, I do pretty well.”
There was no way I could miss that nudge. I reached into my purse, and after making sure no one was standing around, I pulled out a hundred dollar bill and set it on the counter and slid it across. “Let’s say I have a particularly bad headache. What would you recommend?”
Slickly, the pharmacist grabbed the bill, sliding his hands along mine and pushing the bill back in my direction. “I’ve got something that could clear that headache right up if you’ll join me in the back.”
I smiled at him. “That can be arranged. Just to make sure I get my part of the deal, where am I headed after that?”
The pharmacist pressed a button underneath the counter and I heard the door lock behind me, then he turned around and moved one of the bottles of flu medicine aside. When he did, there was a loud whirring sound, and then he pushed, parting a door-sized cutout from the wall, creating an entrance to a dark hallway beyond. When he was done, he pulled it back and locked it again, then held his arm out to a door to the left.
I grabbed the bill, tucked it suggestively back in my bra, and then walked around the counter. He opened the door and I walked in. Following me inside, the man shut the door behind us and immediately started to undo the button on his pants. I started to hike my dress up, bringing a huge smile from his face, until he saw the gun holstered high on my thigh.