Bounty

Chapter 5
Color me silent
The ride to the headquarters was somewhat eventless, save for of course the spotting of the few Mexican men in tight jeans that met Alexa’s approval. She noted the streets they were walking on into her mental journal and made a mental note to return there once she had the time. She wasn’t sure when that would be though. If there was any it would have to be after she had completed the “mission”, and even then she was sure she would be too tired to even stand up no less go man hunting. But she would cross that bridge when she got to it.
The little vette stopped in front of a little building that was connected to a row of other buildings of the same caliber and make. Red tin roofs spanned the entire length of the top of what seemed to be a plaza of some kind. Rachel exited the car and Alexa took it upon herself to do the same. Rachel stopped her when she reached for her duffle bag.
“You can leave that here. We won’t be here for long.”
Alexa paused for a moment before grabbing it the rest of the way and throwing it up onto her shoulder, “Thanks but no thanks. If you don’t mind I’d much rather keep this with me.” She gave her a smile when she noticed the look the younger woman was giving her. “Got some stuff of sentimental value in here.” She gripped the strap tighter for show.
“So you consider your weapons sentimental.” Rachel shrugged her brows, “I’m not sure that’s entirely wise but to each his own.” She gave the bag on Alexa’s shoulder another half glance and turned towards one of the doors. “Follow me if you please.”
Alexa rose one brow not quite sure if she’d just been called ignorant by this teenager or not. She couldn’t decide whether to be mad or not. After about a second of just standing in the hot Mexican sun she decided to follow, apparently this girl had at least a slight idea of who she was, how else would she know where Alexa kept her weapons?
She passed the sign painted onto the glass beside the door about a moment after Rachel did, and read it to her self. “Rodriguez y hijos painting.” ? She guessed that it was a cover for the actual business that went on here. Either that or she wasn’t about to find Kahil as much as she was going to repaint his shudders.
On the inside the business was just as she’d expected it to be. Fully furnished with waiting chairs a desk and even different colored pieces of drywall displayed at various intervals in the place. They were all about keeping up appearances here. Alexa could respect that. A few people who didn’t look at all the agent type sat in the chairs, one having a closer look at the options of color he could paint his home. This made Alexa think that this was possibly more than a cover but an actual business and that brought the thought of her self painting shudders in an over sized pale blue jumpsuit back to her mind.
Her eyes scanned the place and found Rachel still walking ahead of her. Ms. Martinez was short, about 5’5, and when compared to Alexa’s height of 5’10 the bounty hunter was able to see clear over the teenagers head without little if any hindrances. With that ability she was able to see where Rachel was headed, in the general sense anyway. They moved down a back hallway and the lighting from the large and bright sun on the outside was blocked by the walls and replaced by a few uncovered light bulbs placed regularly on the ceiling. Doors lined the walls on either side of the hallway also each with different names displayed on the brass plates about the size of a ruler. Rachel passed them all without even a side glance, her gaze fixated forward at the door at the end of the hallway.
As she neared the door Alexa prepared for anything. A stocky man with a bad comb over, to a good looking man with a head full of hair, even the thought of an ambush ran through her mind like a bullet, but only for a moment. But she shook that one from her head in the next instant, Berg would have had a full back ground check on this place if he was going to sent her into here, and even if he wouldn’t have Smith surely would have. It helped sometimes to have one of the boss’s top men have the hots for you.
Alexa could see the brass plate on the door at the end of the hall from where she stood at least five doors back down the hall. “Senior Rodriguez.” The door read. She figured that’s where she was headed, both the sign and Rachel had mentioned a Rodriguez and she guessed that he was the head of this organization. With that said, it was more than a little confusing when Rachel avoided the door all together and pulled a hard and sudden right. Alexa could have sworn she hadn’t registered that stairwell to be there, this being a one-story building and all. But it was there, and there was no denying the facts.
Rachel began her decent with Alexa about two steps behind her. This area was almost completely dark, having only one light bulb, this one also bare but hanging from the ceiling on a string that ran from the high ceiling to reach just above Rachel’s head when she approached the middle of the stairs. Alexa had to dodge the bulb from allowing it to smack her in the face.
Once they reached the bottom of the staircase there was another door, this one was marked “Authorized personnel only.” In big black letters in Spanish and English. Someone wanted to make sure that the phrase, “I couldn’t read the sign.” Meant nothing when someone “accidentally” stumbled into here. Rachel pushed through the door like she knew who she was, after of course pulling an ID card from her pocket and pressing her face into a retinal scanner.
“Pretty high-tech, huh? What’s next? Gotta give a piece of your colon for the record?” Alexa asked with a chuckle. She recoiled and retreated back to her vow of silence she’d taken when she was outside when Rae gave her a look like she was the only loud person in a library. “Sorry.” She mouthed with both hands up in mock surrender. What crawled up her tight butt and died?
The door opened and Alexa had to squint to keep from going momentarily blind when the absence of light was suddenly broken by the presence of the same. When her eyes had adjusted she saw that she was in an office much like the one back in Colorado, except without the massive big game heads on display on the walls. This one wasn’t as big either but it could hold it’s own in a competition between the two. The desk wasn’t in the center of the room, but somewhere near the back wall so that the chair behind it had just enough room to swivel all the way around before meeting the wall there.
The man in the chair behind the desk caught Alexa’s attention first and foremost. He was about her height, with black hair and dark eyes, mildly if not moderately handsome with a cleanly shaven face. He looked to be in his late thirties and his suit was white and fit him well enough for Alexa to know he had a tailor on his staff. He stood when the two ladies entered, and black brows rose on Alexa’s head.
A very good tailor at that.
The pants fit him so tightly that she was sure she could she every indention of his legs. It was very evident that he worked out. The blazer itself was tight as well and was buttoned once, an open lime green colored collared shirt could be seen under it, and along with that a few stray chest hairs. Alexa realized he was smiling at her when she brought her eyes back up to look him in the face.
“Ms. Jones.” He said and moved around the desk to stand in front of where Rachel and Alexa had halted, with outstretched hand. “How very nice to meet you.” His accent, unlike Rachel’s was heavy and well noticed but he spoke the English language with as much practice and elegance as any American, actually better than most.
Alexa took his hand in hers and allowed him to give her hand a firm shake before replying. “Same here, sir.” She assured. Ugh. I hate this part.
Authority had never been this twenty year-old’s strong suit; in fact she hated it with a passion. A passion so great she had endured so many run-ins with law when she was younger that the local police force in her hometown knew her by name and would address her like an acquaintance when she would let herself be handcuffed and brought into the department. She even had some contacts with them now; it helped on the rare occasion that she couldn’t find her mark on her own. Which had been yet to happen.
“I’ve heard so much about you.” He said when he’d let her hand go, after having held it for just about a moment or so longer than needed. “Please.” He motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. “Sit.”
Alexa glanced over her shoulder to the chairs and backed into one as she spoke. “Well I’m sorry but I cannot say the same for you.” She placed the bag beside her chair and watched out of the corner of her eye as Rachel sat in the chair next to hers.
“Ah.” He nodded and moved back to his desk to sit on the edge of it. Alexa sometimes wondered why men of power loved to sit that way on the desk. She guessed it something they saw in the movies. He pulled his left leg up to rest his elbow on it and Alexa almost smiled when his bright green socks came into view.
Gotta give it to the man for matching. She mused.
“Well you see Alexa, can I call you Alexa?”
Why do people always ask you that after they call you it?
Alexa had to consciously stop herself from saying no. “Sure.”
“Good, then.” His smile was of genuine appreciation, like he knew how hard it was for her to be nice to him. “We here at “Rodriguez and sons” make it a point to lie low as to avoid certain… setbacks. I’m sure you understand.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you might.” He stood and returned to his seat behind his desk. “Ms. Martinez here has prepped me as to your reason for coming to us today. And believe me when I say, your reputation precedes you. That is why we have asked for you personally. We are pleased to see that you have accepted our offer.” Rodriguez read the look on the young woman’s face as impatience and decided to end the pleasantries and dive right into the matter at hand. “Benjamin Kahil was last seen at the “Las Lapizes” night club yesterday night, where he is believed to be a regular attendee.” He nodded to Rachel who pulled a file from the briefcase she’d been toting around since they exited the car, and handed it to Alexa. She opened it and found pictures of the man she’d seen pictures of back at Berg and Associates walking out of what looked to be a seedy topless bar and another of him going in. “We believe that he will be there tonight as well. Our sources tell us that he has a little relationship going on with one of the…employees there. I suppose that she will be the best place to start in locating Mr. Kahil. A picture of one Cassandra Sanchez is in the file as well. She works shifts that begin at nine and end at two.”
Alexa didn’t need to hear much more. She nodded and eyed the photo of Sanchez, and instantly her brows shot up. “Wow.”
“Yes,” Rodriguez blushed a pretty pink “Unfortunately our personnel were unable to retrieve a better picture of Ms. Sanchez, other than her doing…” he paused and cleared his throat uneasily, “what she does best.”
Alexa cocked her head to the side. “Hm. Looks to me like she’s good at…this.”
He cleared his throat again, “Indeed.”