Page 54 of Diesel's Perseverance
“She’s anxious to find Freddy. I understand, but it’s easier if she’s with me, and I can control things.”
“Making excuses for her? There’s some shit going on between you two. We all see it.”
“Fuck off.” Diesel glanced at the wall clock. “I gotta get to the car wash and finish up princess’s sports car. See you tonight.”
“Ignoring what I said doesn’t change what it is,” Tank said.
Diesel turned around, held up his middle finger, and walked out of the club.
Two hours afterarriving, Wheelie stuck his head in the work area and called out to him. “You got a phone call.”
Diesel grabbed a rag and mopped the sweat around his face and neck. “Is it that woman calling about her yellow sports car?”
“No, it’s Myla. She said she couldn’t get a hold of you on your cell.”
Concern and a tiny frisson of fear niggled at him, but he pushed it away, refusing to let it take hold. He had to keep a cool head and detach from any emotion.
“I’ll be right there,” he said, throwing the spent rag into a bucket.
As he walked to the office, he glanced at his cell, which showed five missed calls from her. The noise in the work area sometimes made it impossible to hear cell phones going off. Normally, he kept his phone in his pocket so he’d feel the vibration, but that day, he shelved it.
“I’ll transfer the call,” Wheelie said.
Diesel entered his office, closed the door, and picked up the phone on the first ring.
“What’s up?” he said.
“I tried getting a hold of you. You didn’t answer your cell.”
“I was detailing a car and didn’t want it to fall out of my pocket. Phones are hard to hear in the work area. What’s going on?”
“Freddy called me again.”
“When?” he asked, sitting down in the desk chair.
“About a half hour ago.”
“What’d he say?”
“He said he’s scared. He thinks Peter is on to him. I told him to call you.”
“Did he say he was in SD?”
“He said he was in San Diego County but wouldn’t tell me where.”
“So this Cano fucker is there too?”
“I think so, or at least that’s what Freddy thinks. He told me I’m a bitch for not helping him out.”
“What the fuck? How the hell can you or me help him if we don’t know where the fuck he is?”
“He’s just scared and upset. He sounded like he’d been drinking.”
“Did you hear traffic, sirens, or any noise in the background?”
“Yes! I heard several sirens. Does that mean anything?”
“He’s either staying near a hospital or fuzz station. He must be in the city and not in a suburb. What else did he say?”
