Shadow's Hoax by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-19T16:00:00+00:00

21

Keeping my head down, I tried to stop my hands from shaking as I walked out of the small convenience store. I unboxed my new burner phone and went through the quick setup routine.

It was a bit shocking that a town this small would have so many places that sold burners. The dude behind the counter hadn’t batted an eye when I’d paid cash.

This island was full of high-class criminals needing untraceable phones, I supposed.

The phone finally chimed, letting me know it was finished booting up. I’d memorized the number I needed to call, a requirement of this job. I opened the texting app and shot off a quick message, telling Albert his safe house had been compromised but not to worry, I’d gotten away clean.

Maybe not as clean as he’d like, but I could ponder that later.

The whole situation was fucked up.

All I cared about was that I hadn’t been caught. I’d barely had the time to grab my money before cutting and running. I’d had to hold my breath against the after-stink of the pepper spray that woman had used.

Who the hell was she?

And who the hell was the guy downstairs?

Whoever it was had been long gone by the time I hit the backyard, shifting through the junipers back the way I’d come. After grabbing my things from the master bedroom, I hadn’t stuck around. Hopefully, there was nothing left behind to incriminate me. Part of the job was to always prepare for the worst. That was why I’d already packed my clothes and the cash in my go bag.

This island was crawling with bad people. Or maybe there was something to the old witch curse stories. It was a miracle the safe house, so full of treasures, hadn’t been robbed earlier.

Maybe the woman was a maid they forgot to cancel, or a ride they didn’t remember to tell me about, or just a nosy neighbor. It didn’t matter. Without a message from Albert telling me to expect someone, anyone who approached me was a threat.

I knew Albert would be slow to respond.

Just because I was young didn’t mean I was stupid. I wasn’t carrying any identification and hadn’t been since I got the rental car. That license, with the false information I needed to rent the car, had been given to me by Albert at a dead drop.

Apparently, I was a dead ringer for the guy whose identity I’d borrowed. As soon as I was done using the ID, I’d tossed it into the garbage. It was an adequate forgery but wouldn’t stand up to police scrutiny. Hell, I wouldn’t even have trusted it against an experienced bartender.

I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing right now, so I made it up as I went along.

Adjusting the black backpack, I headed away from the convenience store toward the place I would blend in the best.

The beach, where everyone on the coast went if they weren’t tied to a desk. The location wasn’t ideal, but I could still make it work.

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