“She’s heading toward Knoxville with Hammer and Jonas. I’ll call you when I know more.”
Train texted Jewell, telling her he was going to take the day off. He needed some sleep if he was going to tail Killyama for a couple of days, which was why she had lied to him about being gone for three days. That meant the fugitive she was tracking was one they anticipated being difficult to find. Train would meet up with Crash and send him back to Treepoint.
The next time she stayed the night at the club, he was going to sneak into her phone and put a tracer on it. It would save him and Crash a lot of effort.
When Jewell gave him the okay, he went to his room, getting the much needed sleep he needed, knowing it was going to be a while before he would be able to again.
It was almost midnight when he pulled into the Waffle Stop across from the hotel Killyama, Hammer, and Jonas were staying in.
Train sat down in a booth facing the hotel. Ordering a black coffee, he gave Crash his attention.
“They’re tracking a fugitive who broke parole.”
“What’s he on parole for?”
“He beat up his baby’s mama. They already checked out the family in the area. The baby’s mama has gone into hiding. She’s got a restraining on Cooper—the fugitive—saying he threatened to hurt her and the baby when he was sent to prison.” He gestured toward the hotel. “They settled down for the night about an hour ago.”
“Who’s sleeping where?”
“They’re sharing the same room. You want me to stay?”
“No, go on home. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Where’d you get the wheels?”
“It’s Moon’s. Sasha drove it down for me.”
“Sasha’s at the club?”
“Ready and waiting.” Train slid Crash’s check next to his own. “Drive safe, and thanks.”
“Let me know if you need a break. I can come back.”
“If it takes longer than two days, I might have to. Someone told me I’m getting too old to burn both ends of the candle, and I’m feeling it tonight.”
“If she was my old lady, she wouldn’t be running around, chasing felons.”
“If Killyama was your woman, you’d be dead.”
Crash shook his head, leaving.
The waitress approached him for refills several times, each time making a beeline toward the cook tending the grill who kept eyeing him suspiciously. At four o’clock, two cops came in, doing the same thing. Train saw them running the license plate on Moon’s car when they left with their coffee.
He went to his car at five, expecting Hammer would want to get back on the hunt with the sun. Plus, he needed to hide out in case they stopped at the Waffle Stop for breakfast.
He was glad he had moved the car when Killyama, Hammer, and Jonas came out of the hotel. The three looked wide awake, talking as they made their way inside the Waffle Stop, staying inside only thirty minutes before they were on the road again.
Train spent the day following them, holding back so they wouldn’t see him.
It was getting dark when Hammer and Jonas went inside a burger joint and left Killyama outside. A few minutes later, Train felt his phone vibrate with a text message. He took his phone out to see Killyama had texted him.
He was glad she couldn’t hear him laugh as he stared at the picture she had sent him. It was of three football players, holding their helmets as they talked to whoever was on the other side of the camera.
The first message read: Missing you. Underneath, another one read: Not.
Train texted Jewell to send him the picture he wanted. When she sent it back, he sent the picture to Killyama. Sitting back, he waited for the fireworks to start.
Who took that picture of you?
I did. It’s a selfie, he replied.
Selfie, my titty.
Train waited a second to see if she was going to say anything else. She did.
You have a selfie of Shade like that?
He wondered what she would do if pulled up to that Escalade and paddled her ass.
Why don’t you find out when come over tonight? If you don’t have tickets for tomorrow, come on back now. I can meet you at your apartment. I miss you.
Sorry, lover. One of the players gave us tickets for tomorrow. Guess you’re just going to keep missing me.
Just one time he wished she would give him a small sign that she cared about him. Just one that she didn’t hide behind pretenses or insults.
Train didn’t respond and was about to shove his phone back into his pocket when she got out of the Escalade. When he saw her face, he could see that she knew he had been mad at her texts. With no one around, she had let her guard down.
An aching loneliness filled her expression, and his hand went to the door handle. He had suspected the deep emotions she held for him, but he had never witnessed them before. Now he was.
She bleakly watched a small family walk past her. The father carried a little girl in his arms while the mother carried an infant. It hit Train that she believed she would never have what that family had.