Chapter 52 COLD CORRIDOR

Chapter 52 COLD CORRIDOR
"I don't like this, Si," Jax muttered as he got into the backseat of the car after Detective Miller. 

We had searched Miller, taken his phones and gun, and refused to let him take his own vehicle.

He was our hostage now, whether he liked the phrasing or not.

I rolled my eyes, got into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Seriously, aren't you even a little bit curious?”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Jax retorted. Then he threw a sharp glare at Miller as he reached for the door handle on his side of the car. “Except you want me to break that hand,” he growled, his deep voice menacing. “Behave.”

The man quickly released it and folded his hands on his lap.

I eased out of the mall’s parking lot. “Come on, Jaxy,” I teased him. “Live a little.” I glanced at Miller through the rearview mirror. “Which locker station is your safe box in?”

He straightened, trying very hard to pretend he wasn’t terrified, though he kept glancing at Jax every few seconds.

Unfortunately for him, Jax had a way of making people nervous without saying a single word.

“Trust bank,” he replied.

“Of course it is,” Jax immediately grumbled under his breath. “What a wonderful adventure this is turning out to be.”

I stopped at a red light, then turned and stared at Miller with a withering look. “Really?” I said, my tone dry. “Of all places to hide something. You picked a bank?”

“What?” Miller asked nervously, shrugging. “Safety deposit boxes exist for a reason.”

"Jeez," I muttered as I focused back on the road, merging the car into the lane that led to the commercial district. “To the bank then. I really want to see the so-called evidence you have.”

I glanced at Jax through the rear-view mirror, expecting him to protest. But to my surprise, he didn’t say a word.

Soon, a sleek building rose above the surrounding stores, its polished glass reflecting the afternoon sunlight.

Again, Jax said nothing, following quietly as we parked and headed into the bank. 

We kept our heads down, avoiding the security cameras as Miller went through the process to get the go ahead to access the vault, but as we were about to head down the corridor leading to the vault doors, a security guard blocked our path.

"Identification, please,” he demanded, gesturing at Jax and me.

I froze.

Beside me, Jax swore under his breath.

“They are with me,” Miller said, showing the guard his pass.

The guard looked between us, shaking his head. “Everyone entering the vault area must provide valid identification for visitation logs.”

Before I could say anything, Jax quickly offered him a smile. “We left ours in the car,” he lied smoothly, pulling my sleeve as he retreated. “Give us a moment.”

“This is where I draw the line,” he hissed once we got back to the car. He pushed Miller into the back seat then locked the door, using his body to block it. 

“I’m not going to run,” Miller protested, his outraged voice muffled by the glass. “I’ve actually been itching to show my discovery to someone. It’s the main reason I came back into town.”

Ignoring him, Jax turned back to me. “We are so not putting our IDs in a government database.” He continued, his voice sharp. “It’s bad enough that we are showing our faces on their security cams.”

I folded my arms. “You’re being ridiculous. It’s not as if we are ninjas or something," I retorted. “It’s just a regular procedure. It’s not as if they are entering it into the police database.”

“No. I’m being smart.” He snapped. "Think about this logically. They are going to be putting us on a digital log as visitors. If anything happens, it ties us directly to the scene.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. He did have a point. 

"I am seeing that evidence," I groaned, my fingers tightening into a fist. “That part is not negotiable.”

I glanced at the sweating Miller. He was claiming the man who had looked me flat in the eyes before pulling the trigger had an alibi. 

I knew it was a lie that had to be a fake alibi paid for by Harbinger money. He was probably directed to return back to town and spread the new ‘evidence.’ 

And I wanted to see the bogus documents for myself so I know how to plan ahead.

"Si, listen to me," Jax said, his voice surprisingly calm, refusing to match my rising temper. "Why don't we stay outside? We pull up right to the front and watch the entrance.”

“He’ll escape through another entrance.” I argued.

He frowned at me slightly. “We’ve been using this bank for years, Si,” he muttered, squinting at me. “There is only one way in and out, remember?”

“How can I?” I snapped, feigning annoyance to hide my slip-up. “Fucked-up brain here, remember?”

“Oh, sorry,” He apologized quickly. “Yeah, there’s only one way. We let him go in, get whatever he says he has, and bring it straight back to the car. We don't risk our names entering the system."

His eyes settled on Miller. “If he’s telling the truth, he’ll come back out.”

“And if he’s lying?” I demanded.

“Then we deal with it.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, staring at the grand, stone-columned facade of the bank. Jax’s logic was sound, and the last thing our crew needed was a digital footprint in a federal system.

I finally nodded, stepping back. “Fine.”

Jax opened the car door, leveling a cold, lethal glare at the detective. "You have ten minutes, Miller.” He warned, his voice cold and menacing. “If you are not back through those doors with that evidence in ten minutes, I am going to find you and dismantle you. Do you understand?"

“Got it.” Miller nodded quickly, adjusting his coat to hide the small bloodstain on his side from the cut I had given him. "I just want this over with."

He got out of the car, his posture stiff as he hurried across the asphalt and disappeared through the revolving glass doors of the bank.

I moved the car to a parking spot as close to the entrance as I could get. Then we waited, keeping my eyes glued to the entrance. 

"Si, talk to me," Jax whispered after about three minutes of thick, tense silence. "What the hell is going on in your head? Why are you chasing this specific issue so hard?"

"Can you just not do that right now, Jax?" I hissed, my tone sharp enough to cut. "Just drop it. Please."

To my surprise again, he didn't argue. 

Normally, he would have pushed, demanding answers until I broke, but this time he just went entirely quiet, his jaw tight as he looked out his own window. 

The rift between us from the night before was still wide, and the guilt of lying to him made my skin crawl.

Five minutes passed. Then seven. Then fifteen. 

An unexplainable, nagging prickle started at the back of my neck. My chest tightened, a sudden wave of anxiety making it hard to draw a full breath. 

Something was wrong. Something felt entirely off.

I scanned the street, my eyes tracking the regular flow of sedans and delivery trucks passing the street. 

Then, I froze when my eyes caught a dark jeep parked in a spot at the far back of the parking lot, its tinted windows rolled completely up. 

“When did that get here?” I asked Jax, something tickling at the back of my mind.

He shrugged, turning to look at the car. “It’s been here for a while, I think.” he stiffened, squinting at the car. “Why does it look familiar?”