Lose Control (The Jewel Project #5)

1.2|| Secret Assigments

Sam had no idea what Eye Patch was doing. With the information Herrison had provided him, he'd managed to track goon number two down easily. But his meeting with Snitch Gravel's newest supplier had turned into a quick getaway towards Chicago.

So now, after just one day and a half, Sam found himself returning home, led there by his target. Just where the hell was he going? And why wasn't he taking and precautions? Sam had been following him for over a hundred miles without difficulty.

It's a trap! He was such a geek when he was alone. Besides, it could be true. Maybe Eye Patch knew he was there, even if he'd been very careful.

There was one sure way to know for sure. So he plugged in his headphones, exited his traffic app and called the one man who could shed a light on these strange events.

"Hey there, Sam," Ron answered joyfully. "Let me guess. Patchy gave you the slip."

"Hi to you, too, long lost uncle. And no, I'm right on his tail. Except he's going to Chicago and I have no idea why."

"I'm wondering, would you ever even call me if you didn't want dirt on the Henchmen Squad?"

Sam smirked. "Don't be an overdramatic brat. Of course I wouldn't call."

Ron chuckled on the other end of the line. "I know, I know. Eye Patch has been summoned to the mothership. The deal fell through."

"What? Why?"

And how did Ron even know that? Sam always wondered, but his uncle never answered these types of questions. It was rare that he answered his phone on the first try so he Sam was already stretching his luck.

"Thank you dear ole dad. He started snooping around and scared the dubious supplier."

Damn it! Fredier was becoming such a pain in the butt with his snooping. "What were they buying anyway?"

It was getting so frustrating. Sam had always supposed it was weapons, but Von Crooken was taking care of that this time. Hell, half his team were making the bust that very day, maybe at that very moment since it was getting dark.

"Explosives."

Oh. Right. There was that, too. "So people just run around with explosives?"

"People run around with anything if they're subtle enough about it."

Ron was right. Sam just groaned. "So that's it? The deal is off?"

"Yep. Herrison should call any second now and let you know. Their snoop is tailing you."

Yes, he'd noticed he was being followed and he knew they were Agency because it was a poor kid, but it still bothered Sam. Why did the Agency have to send two people to do the same job?

"Misuse of personnel if I ever saw one," he mumbled.

"Maybe they don't trust you," Ron said joyfully, as if the very thought wasn't eating Sam alive.

"Yeah, maybe. How've you been?"

"Decent."

"Can't tell me shit, as usual, huh?"

"Nope. But I might be coming over in a few weeks. You all know how much I love crashing on your couch."

Sam couldn't help a smile. Ron wasn't in town much, but it was always great when he was. "Sure. Many couches at your disposal."

They continued to make small talk for a while, Sam telling him about college and what everyone had been up to, Ron laughing and joking without mentioning anything relevant about himself. It worked. The fact that he was alive was enough. Sam wasn't crazy enough to assume things would ever become normal. With how his life had been for the past years, it was a great achievement to make it to next week.