Chapter 512 Chapter 512
Tripp watched the truck pull up beside his SUV and stop. He didn’t see a passenger, just one male in the driver’s seat. The man took his time looking at him and then around the area. He wasn’t stupid Tripp thought, checking out the lay of the land before exposing himself. He didn’t want to spook him, so he stood still, and kept his arm at his side, the dart gun visible.
The door opened and he got out, first thing he noticed was he was dressed in decent clothes. His pants looked like they’d been pressed and without a single wrinkle, and his jacket was smooth, with no marks on it anywhere Tripp could see. Being a delivery person must pay well. His boots were new, with not a scuff on them. He was clean-shaven, even his black hair was styled with an immaculately straight part. He wasn’t a huge man, but he’d be a challenge in a fight.
“Are you Darrel?” He asked, still standing by the door.
Tripp shook his head and then motioned to the trees, “call of nature, he’ll be back in a minute.”
The man bobbed his head and closed the door. In his hand was a cloth bag and that made Tripp edgy, not knowing what was in the bag.
The man stepped clear of the truck and then looked over at Amari. “Pretty little thing.” He said.
Tripp glanced at her to make sure she was sticking with the plan. “Do you do this a lot?” Tripp motioned to her with the hand holding the dart gun. “Pick up?”
Shaking his head, the man moved over closer to Amari, but still not far enough that Tripp wouldn’t be able to get a shot in without him seeing him move to take it.
“Not often.” He dropped the bag to the ground and pulled his jacket together. Tripp caught the outline of a gun holster as he did. Shit. “I only collect those Mr. Tomas wants in his personal collection.”
Personal collection? Like she was some doll or something… A low growl came from Amari, and he couldn’t even get mad about it because he’d had to swallow his own.
The man grinned, “she’s feisty, he’ll like that.” His face sobered as if he wasn’t as pleased about it as he let on.
Tripp moved closer, scenting the air as he went, he couldn’t get a fix on what clan this fool was from and that was always a concern. “I wouldn’t get too close,” he paused when the man glanced over at him, “one of the guys got a little too close and she bit off half his ear.”
Eyebrows raised the guy looked at him and then slowly back to her, “that’s great.” He sounded entertained. “That she fights back. Hopefully not too much.”
Tripp sent Amari a look while he was staring at her, she had that look on her face, the one that made him want to brace for whatever was going to happen.
“So many of the females are so docile it’s a bore to Mr. Tomas.”
The fool needed to stop talking or he was going to lose body parts and not from Tripp’s doing. “She’s anything but boring.”
Nodding his head, the man glanced down at the bag, “aren’t you going to count it?”
The bag had money in it? “Not my job.”
He shrugged, “fair enough.” He motioned to the gun in Tripp’s hand, “how long does one of those last? I’ve got an hour’s drive until I meet up with the plane, after that she’ll be in a cage.”
A cage? A fucking cage like a pet. He tried to keep his face free of emotion, but it was hard to do. Tripp turned to look at Amari, hoping she didn’t do anything to blow it until he could see if this idiot was willing to share more. “Animals don’t like plane travel much.”
He shrugged, “it’s a short flight, they’ll have a collar for her to make sure she doesn’t shift.”
With a shrug he hoped didn’t appear as stiff as it felt, he aimed the gun at Amari, “it should keep her out long enough to reach the plane.”
The man looked elated, “I’m really looking forward to seeing her shift.” He grinned at him, “a cougar, right?”
“That’s what they tell me.” They needed this one’s phone and any information he had in that head of his. He looked at Amari to see she was glaring at him and not the idiot. The look was easy to decipher, she was telling him to shoot him before she did something they’d both regret.
“Damn, look at that hatred. Good for you.” There was something in this guy’s tone that set off alarms for Tripp.
Amari jerked her head back to glower at the errand boy. Her look promised retribution.
“Oh, there he is.” Tripp looked at the trees on the other side of him, so the man would turn too. When he did, he aimed at his back and squeezed the trigger. The man dropped to the ground before Tripp could think about adding a second one.