When Twilight Comes - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,36
to meet her,” Charlene said. “I told her I have a car.”
Lorenzo’s smile faded. “A car?”
“How else could I meet her?”
She was holding out for a car? He thought about driving over to the apartment complex and showing her how he felt about extortion.
Charlene hadn’t been wild about doing his bidding to begin with. But what choice did she have, with her brother in prison? Stan Palmer had worked for Lorenzo until he got caught hijacking a semi load of electronics. Lorenzo had the ability to make Stan’s life in prison even less enjoyable if Charlene didn’t do what Lorenzo wanted.
“A car,” he said again. “What kind of car?”
“A newer model used one,” Charlene said.
“Not a brand-new one?” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
She chuckled. “Now what would a woman like me be doing with a fancy new car?”
“Where is my ex-wife?” he snapped, tired of this.
“She says she has something that she took by mistake and wants to return to you. Some…papers? I’m to pick up the package as soon as I get a car and drive to where she is.”
His money. Jenna wanted to return his money? He shook his head in amazement. She did have a brain. Not that returning his money was going to save her. If she thought that, then she was out of her mind.
And no way was he letting Charlene Palmer within a mile of that duffel bag. He’d never see her or the money or his newer model used car again. “I’ll meet her. Just give me the address.”
“It isn’t going down that way. If anyone else comes, she’ll skip and you can forget whatever it is she took from you,” Charlene said. “You want it back? Then we do this her way.”
Lorenzo gripped the cell phone so hard he heard it crack. “Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?” he demanded.
“Oh, yeah,” Charlene said with another chuckle. “And so does your ex. I have to wonder why she would give you anything back. Must be pretty important.”
Lorenzo swore under his breath. “If I have to come over there—”
“You really think I’d still be here?” There was a sound as if she was starting to hang up.
“Wait!” He gritted his teeth until his jaw ached. “We’ll do it your way. I’ll get you a car. You make the pickup. I’ll have the title signed over in your name as soon as you give me the package and her location.” Silence. “And I give you five thousand dollars to end our business arrangement.”
“Make it twenty thousand, you put the title of the car in my name right away and I give you the location after I make the pickup.”
He would kill her when this was over. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t. Make it a red car. I like red. Something nice. Don’t be cheap. You’ll probably want to have it delivered as soon as possible so I can get going. Jenna isn’t anywhere near Seattle. I’ll call you on my cell phone when I have the package, and we can set up an exchange. I’d like that twenty grand in new bills.”
He cursed the turn his life had taken. Women were now calling the shots? He’d been beaten up and hog-tied by a woman, his ex-wife had stolen his daughter and his money, and now this woman was telling him how things were going to be?
“You do realize the fine line you are walking here?” he asked Charlene in his most calm voice.
She chuckled. “I have nothing to lose. How about you?” She let out a long sigh. “The sooner I get the car, the sooner I get your papers back.” She hung up.
He threw the cell phone across the room and immediately regretted it as the phone shattered in a spray of plastic. He’d have to buy not only a car but also a new cell phone.
Picking up the land line, he first called Alfredo, then a car dealer and ordered a car delivered to Charlene’s address, the title in her name, plus a cash payment to be made from his bank account. The only red car the dealer had was going to set him back over ten grand. Lorenzo swore and told the dealer that the car had to be delivered immediately.
The doorbell rang.
“Screw the paperwork. Put the insurance under my name then. Just get the car to that address now,” he barked into the phone, having to raise his voice because