Free Dark Game (Merikh Book 1) by C L Walker

about the young white man and his older black girlfriend. Nothing racist, just a day or two of constant speculation at the edge of perception. Most people had already moved on, but there were enough nosy neighbors that the sheriff would have no trouble tracking them down.
    “Hopefully nobody at the bank puts it together.”
    “You're the geek who fixes their computers. Nobody suspects the IT guy of being a cold-blooded killer. But it does raise the question again: what's the next step? Do we bolt or do we try and complete the job?”
    “What do you think?”
    “I asked first. You're the one getting your ass handed to you so I think you should get a say.”
    I gave it a thought, checking my conclusions before speaking, but I’d made up my mind in the shower. “We stay. We've still got until Friday to complete the job, which we need to do, and we've got some intel to play with now.”
    “Are you focusing on the job, or the puzzle?”
    “I don't know what you mean.”
    “Yes you do,” she said seriously. “There's some weird stuff going on out there, and some weird stuff going on in here. I get why you'd want to explore it and work out what's happening, but I need you to be focused on the job.”
    “Ever the professional.”
    “You'll get there in time. So, which is it?”
    “A little of both, but I know what's at stake with the target.” The world she'd introduced me to was one that relied on results, and though she could use her name to open doors for me, I was the one who had to prove myself if we were ever going to build a name for ourselves. Not to mention getting killed for not repaying the debts we incurred setting up for the job. That didn’t help.
    She watched me, weighing variables in her head and finally coming to a decision. “Alright, so what's the next step?”
    “How long was I out for?” I realized in the shower that I hadn't checked the time – or the day for that matter – and that I might not have as much of it as I thought.
    “Most of the day. The bank tried calling for the first few hours but they're closed now.”
    That was less than I’d expected. “I'd like to speak to the waitress again.”
    “Remember, we're focusing on the job, not the puzzle.”
    “She and Trevor have something going on. He's using her somehow, and that means we can use her, too. If she knows something it can help us put together a new plan of attack. We already know how difficult it will be to take care of him at home, and I don't think storming a government building is the best course of action.”
    Trevor came from old money. Though his job as a councilman didn't pay much, he lived in a mansion patrolled by armed guards, with a state-of-the-art security system monitoring him at all times. It didn't make it impossible to reach him, but it gave us a reason to look for alternatives first.
    “The tracker is still alive on his car,” Mouse said. “He's at home, so except for the distillery this morning he hasn't broken his pattern. You've got an opening at the diner, if you're sure.”
    “Sure is a strong word to use, but it's something.”
    “I'll monitor from here.”
    “No, come with me. Bring the van and hang back. Unless she tells me something truly illuminating, I'd like to swing by Trevor's place afterward and run the perimeter again. Check for alterations.”
    “Aren't we getting bossy?”
    “You told me to make the decision.”
    “Then let's go.”
     
     

Chapter 7
    Patty waved to me as I stepped into the diner. The place wasn't crowded, with half the tables filled with the after work crowd and two waitresses covering everything. Claire was in the back room. I walked to the table Patty shared with two girls I didn't know.
    “You just couldn't take it anymore,” she said as soon as I reached her. “My speech got you thinking about all the adventures you were missing and you had to run, or risk losing yourself in the mindless tedium.”
    “Something like that,” I replied. “I assume