Dead and Gone by Jack Patterson (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Once he broke out of the crowd, he didn’t stop. He noticed several more officers had arrived and were canvassing a perimeter around the crowd. Before the net closed in, Cal slipped behind a privacy gate and circled back toward the entrance.

Cal called Jessica.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“I’m almost there. I ran into a little trouble.”

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. You relax and don’t get stressed out. Your baby doesn’t need all that.”

“I don’t need all this. And I’m hoping you can put my mind at ease real soon.”

“Just sit tight. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

He hung up and put his phone away.

Cal watched the cars continue to stream in and out of the parking lot. Occasional honks and screams rose above the constant melodies rising from the concert stage a few hundred yards away. Then Cal turned his attention toward RV city, where smoke swirled upward intermittently from the small fires warming fans who remained outside in the cool desert air.

He looked at his screen and started to walk toward the GPS location Jessica had texted him.

Glancing up infrequently to make sure he didn’t wander into the path of a vehicle or a bike taxi, Cal was staring down when he felt a firm hand slam into his chest.

Cal looked up. It was a Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputy.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the deputy asked.

Cal scanned the area, unsure if he’d actually been caught.

“Sir, I was just going to meet some friends in RV city.”

“What’s your name?”

Cal bit his lip. “Jim Waltrip.”

“Jim Waltrip? THE Jim Waltrip?” The deputy gaped at him in disbelief.

While the Waltrip name might be royalty, Cal had no idea that there was a well-known Jim. Or maybe there wasn’t and it just sounded famous to the deputy. Either way, it didn’t matter as long as he let him go and didn’t ask to look at his license.

“I gotta see this for myself,” the deputy said as he chuckled. “Can I see your license?”

Cal put his hands all over his body and patted himself down before morphing his face into a scowl.

“I must’ve left it in the hauler,” Cal said.

The deputy eyed him closely. “Is that so?”

“I can go fetch it for you, if you like.”

The deputy didn’t move and appeared deep in thought for a moment. “Look, just sign this for me and we’ll call it good.”

Cal scratched his first autograph onto the back of the deputy’s citation pad and handed it back to him.

The deputy stepped aside and gestured forward with his left hand. “Have a nice evening, Mr. Waltrip.”

Cal tipped his hat and kept walking. He wanted to look back, still in disbelief that he got away with it.

He was still within earshot when he heard one of the other deputies exclaim, “Jim Waltrip? There’s nobody famous named Jim Waltrip, you idiot.”

Cal quickened his pace as he turned down one of the alleys leading into RV city.

“Hey, wait! Come back here!” the deputy called.

Cal didn’t heed his request, tossing his hat aside instead and weaving his way through RV city and toward Jessica.

CHAPTER 46

NED DAVIS HUFFED as he climbed the steps of the Davis Motorsports Team hauler. He opened the door and cracked his knuckles while he scanned the truck.

He stomped up the stairs and ripped open the door to the meeting room to find Alexa and Owen Burns sitting at the room’s lone table.

Alexa looked up at him and smiled. “Is everything all right, honey?”

Davis slammed his fist on the table. “What the hell is goin’ on here?”

She stood up and never took her gaze off his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I just got a text from the security guard—the guy I pay extra on the side to keep an eye on what happens around here.” Davis pulled out his phone and swiped a few times before hoisting it to eye level. “And this is what he sent me.”

Alexa stared at the screen, a snapshot of her kissing the driver for the Cashman hauler. “It’s not what you think.”

“Oh, it’s not, is it? And what’s this?” He gestured toward Burns. “Are you trying to score with everyone tonight?”

Burns put his hands up. “It’s not like that, Ned. I needed her help.”

“Her help to do what? Piss me off?”

Burns stood up and put his hand on Davis’ shoulder. “Just calm down and let us explain. It’s not like that.”

“Of course, it’s not like that. It’s never like that when you get caught. I can smell a snake a mile away.”

Burns shook his head. “No, you’re reading this all wrong.”

“The only thing that’s wrong here is that you’re still employed by me. But I can fix that right now. You’re fired. Now, get outta here.”

Burns sighed. “Oh, come on, Ned. That’s not what’s going on here, and you know it. I’d never do anything like that to you.”

Davis chuckled and pointed at Alexa. “But she would.” He turned his gaze toward her again. “You little tramp.”

Burns stepped between Davis and Alexa. “Just calm down, Ned. Give us a chance to explain.”

“I’m sorry. Were you talking to me? You’re fired. Now get out of my sight.”

Burns took off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re making a big mistake.”

“The only mistake I ever made was trusting you. Now leave before I go get security.”

Burns snatched the tape and a thumb drive off the table and headed for the door.

“Wait,” Davis said. “What is that in your hand?”

Burns turned around slowly. “I’m sorry. Were you talkin’ to me? Because you’re not my boss anymore and I’ve gotta get outta here before you call security.”

Davis snatched Burns’ access badge from around his neck. “This isn’t funny.”

“I’m not laughing. But good luck tomorrow. You and your two-bit driver are gonna need it.”

“Holmes will do a fine job.”

“At finishing last,” Burns muttered. He slammed the door as he left.

Davis turned and grabbed Alexa’s arm. “How dare you disrespect me like that!