Merchants with Evil Intent

Merchants with Evil Intent

Kerrie
DuBrock

Copyright © 2013 Kerrie DuBrock

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1481883453

ISBN-13: 978-1481883450

DEDICATION

For my family who didn’t grouse when dinner was
late ‘
cause
I was writing.

Authors Note:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents
either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Chapter 1

Chicago,
Illinois

      
Under the cover of darkness he watched as
she paced the sidewalk. He glanced at the LED clock on the dashboard and sighed.
He hated to be late for his date. He pulled his cell phone out and placed a
call. She answered immediately. “Hey you,” she answered cheerfully.

      
“I’m running late. I’ll home in an hour.”

      
She laughed, “I suppose another hour
won’t kill me. See you soon!”

      
“Not soon enough!” he murmured.

      
She was something special. He’d known her
for a year and in a short time she stole his heart.

      
His thoughts turned to the task at hand.
He eyed the girl across the street thinking about the chat they had two days
ago.

      
At first she was hesitant to talk to him
but once he removed his standard issued sunglasses and flashed a smile at her,
she was putty in his hands.

      
Sam left home to get away from her
abusive step-father. She laughed when he asked her why she didn’t go to the
police. She told him she tried but didn’t have the cleanest record and was
shooed from the station.

      
He offered to buy her lunch. She eyed him
guardedly and he vowed he only wanted to be sure she had something in her
stomach. He paid for her hot dog and cherry soda, donned his glasses and told
her to take care of herself.

      
She was exactly what Lukov wanted.

*
     
*
     
*

      
Sam started towards the shelter when he
approached. He was handsome with sandy blonde hair and green bedroom eyes. It
was the suit from the other day.

      
“You look different,” she replied.

      
“Must be the jeans and t-shirt,” he
murmured.

      
“Are you slummin’ tonight?” she asked.

      
“I’m checking to see if you’re okay.
Chicago isn’t the safest city.”

      
She ran her hand down her body. “I’m fine.
Hungry, but fine.”

      
He motioned his head towards the street.
“Come on, I’ll buy ya dinner.”

      
Walking to his car she asked, “Why do you
care how I’m doing?”

      
Holding the passenger door open, he glanced
around the sidewalks and street. Luck was with him since she chose a less
traveled street to loiter on.
Fewer witnesses.

      
He smiled, “’Cause that’s the kind of guy
I am.”

      
Pulling away from the curb he asked, “So,
what’s your pleasure?”

      
She eyed him, unsure of his question.

      
He gently laughed, “Food, I mean.”

      
She licked her lips, “Chicken.
Fried.
With French fries.”

      
He didn’t like to get too involved, but
made small talk so she wouldn’t get suspicious.

      
“Busy day?” he asked.

      
She tore her attention away from the
bustling streets and muttered, “No one wants to hire me.”

      
Not that he cared, but asked anyway,
“Sam, why don’t you go back home?”

      
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh I understand where
this is going. Forget this, let me out here.”

      
He sighed, “Calm down, Sam. This isn’t an
easy path you’ve chosen.”

      
She snapped, “I’m not whoring myself!”

      
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume.” A long
silence filled the space between them. Sam stewed over his comment while he was
anxious for this part of his evening to be done.

      
“Is this place okay?” he asked, pulling
into Pop’s Chicken Shack.

      
“Fine,” she hissed, unbuckling her seat
belt.

      
He touched her arm. “You stay here and
I’ll bring the food to you.” She looked confused and he continued, “This place
has the best chicken around, but it’s kind of seedy. We’ll drive to the park
and eat.”

      
When he entered the building she snooped
through the glove compartment looking for anything of value that she could
sell. She lowered the visor on the driver’s side and grinned when a twenty-dollar
bill fell to the seat. She quickly shoved the money in her purse and put the
visor back into place.

      
Her fingers touched something on the
inside of the seat.

      
Sam pulled the lever under the seat and
pushed it back, causing the item to fall to her feet.

      
A
wallet!

      
Inside was a driver’s license and school
ID. Sam stared at the photos and tried to find something wrong with the woman
staring back at her, but couldn’t. Amanda Yates was flawless with blonde hair
and brown eyes.

      
She glanced out the window and saw him
standing at the counter talking with a young kid. She sighed and continued to
examine the contents of Amanda’s wallet. There wasn’t much money inside, so she
put it back and jumped when there was a knock at the window. He grinned and motioned
for her to open the door.

      
“Sorry I spooked ya,” he laughed as he
handed her a drink and a bag.

      
He slid into the driver’s side and
started the car. “You can put your drink in the holder next to mine,” he
offered.

      
When he pulled away he noticed how quiet
she had become.

      
“Sam? You okay?”

      
“You just scared me. Hey, I found this,”
she murmured, handing him the wallet.

      
His eyebrows knitted together as he took
it from her. “Your girlfriend is pretty,” she whispered.

      
He opened the wallet and stared at
Amanda’s picture. “Thanks. I didn’t realize she dropped it.” He opened the
glove compartment, his shaking hand hit Sam’s knee.

      
Her thoughts of Amanda were diverted by
the heavenly aroma wafting from the white paper bag on her lap. She opened the
bag and frowned. “I think they gave you the wrong order. There’s hardly enough
chicken in here for me, let alone you.”

      
“It’s all yours. Now c’mon, eat up.”

      
“What about the park?” she asked.

      
“I’m headed there, but you can start
eating. I know you must be starved.”

      
He turned the air conditioner on high to
diffuse conversation and smiled when she began to eat.

      
She gazed at him as she chewed her food.
He saw her out of the corner of his eye. “What?” he asked, with a lop-sided
grin.

      
She blushed, glad that it was too dark in
the car for him to see. “Your girlfriend is lucky. I’d do anything to have you
as a boyfriend. You’re so kind and handsome. Has anyone ever told you that you
have bedroom eyes?”

      
He laughed, “Nope. Just call me Detective
Bedroom Eyes.”

      
She grinned, “You’re too nice for the
line of work you do. Most people in your profession are dicks.”

      
She went to grab her drink and he stopped
her. “Ah, that’s mine. Yours is the other one.”

      
She gently slapped her head and took a
long pull from her straw. It was cherry flavored, her favorite.

      
She began to put the drink into the
holder when he stopped her. “Drink more. In this weather you need to keep
yourself hydrated,” he warned. She grinned and took several more long pulls
from the straw.

      
She began to feel light-headed and woozy.

      
He caught the drink as it slipped from
her hand and put it into the cup holder.

      
He drove a few miles and stopped in front
of an abandoned building. “Sam?”

      
When she didn’t stir he took out his cell
phone. “Come get her,” he replied coldly into the phone.

*
     
*
     
*

      
After ridding himself of his burden he
headed home to wash off the filth of the day.
 
When he approached a stop light a stream of twenty-something’s walked in
the street with flyers in their hands.

      
He rolled down his window as a lanky
brown-haired kid with cut-off jeans and a University of Chicago shirt
approached his car.

      
“Is something wrong?”

      
The kid nodded, “Yeah, we’re trying to
find our friend.” He showed him a flyer. “Have you seen her? Her name is Amanda
Yates. She’s been missing for five days.”

      
Bedroom
eyes replied, “Nope.” Then hit the accelerator as soon as the traffic light
turned green.