Trickster [Aidan Hunter series book 1]

Chapter 13

HENRY

~~~~~~

It was afternoon. I took a sip of coffee and placed the paper cup in the holder. Figured I might as well have some while we waited.

In the distance, Mary stood near a street light, waiting. The cold breeze blew her brown hair to her face. She gathered it all up and tied it in a bun before pulling her coat together and crossing her arms.

Robert and Louis were across the street from us. Since their Ford Taurus blew up, they had to borrow the chief's Lexus, which Martin allowed after some initial reluctance. That car was his prized possession, and he never usually let anyone touch it. A radio transceiver sat on my dashboard, to communicate with them.

I blew a gust of air, tapping my palms on my thighs. Waiting made me impatient. Aidan, on the other hand, stared at her curiously, observing her with his dark brows pulled together. He looked different, perhaps because this time he made the effort to groom himself. His short, textured side-parted hair suited him well. He had also trimmed his stubble.

"Will you tell me what we're waiting for?" I asked.

"I thought you already figured that out by now," he replied. "From the conversation I had with her yesterday."

"I remember you told her to check on Jacob. God knows what the Trickster might have done since he most likely knows you spoke to her. He might have threatened her or something."

"Maybe, but she would still want to see her kid."

Realization hit me. "That's what you were expecting. You knew she'd be here."

"I didn't know where she'd be. Hence, the tracker. That psycho would've threatened to kill her son. And she would've most likely persuaded him not to do so."

"So, the whole point of meeting her wasn't to get information, it was about getting Jacob into the open."

"Exactly. Told you I know what I'm doing."

He was complicated; I'd give him that.

I shook my head slowly. "It's a risky plan. You realize you're leaving things to chance, right? We're not sure the Trickster would let her see the kid. Even if he does, we can't simply grab Jacob and run. There's a good chance he'll send his accomplices or set a trap. He's been messing with us so far."

"Don't worry, I'm expecting that too," he replied. "It's not over yet. I'm pretty sure my plan's going to work. Speaking of, the show's about to start."

He gestured to Mary with his chin. A white van pulled over near her and two intimidating men in trucker jackets got out. One of them had slick, dark hair, parted at the side, while the other wore a beanie. Both of them had bandages on their foreheads. They looked strangely familiar to me.

"Wait, those guys—" I said. "They were at Mary's apartment."

"There were three of them. One of them must've died in the crash," Aidan replied. "I thought we'd gotten rid of them. They're gonna be real pissed to see us."

The dark-haired man slid open the door at the side of the van and dragged Jacob out by the arm. Mary broke down in tears. pulling the ten-year-old into a hug, and pressing emotional kisses on his cheek.

Aidan's plan was playing out like he expected, so far. He took his gun out.

"You actually remembered to bring one this time," I said.

"Yeah, it's a miracle. That's our cue. Let's go." He picked up the transceiver. "Heads up, you two. We're going there. Don't let anyone get away."

Robert's voice sounded from the radio. "Got it. Don't do anything stupid."