Page 36 of Broken Wheels
The asshole’s cheeks went nuclear. “Get the fuck out of here!” he bellowed. “I don’t want to see your face in Racine again.” He pointed to the door. “Malone is in room two with the government guys.”
Dix grinned. “You’ll see my face wherever it needs to be, Detective. And if you’ve got a problem with that, take it up with the feds.”
With that, Dix turned and strode out of the door. The place was a small maze, but eventually he found room two. Two men stood outside it, looking very anal with their pressed polyester suits, matching ties, and… sunglasses? Really?
Whatever.
He walked up to the door, but neither man paid him any attention. He grabbed the knob and gave it a twist. Inside, he found Doc sitting at the table, a shake and a burger in front of him. Dix recognized Special Agent Chalmers instantly. He’d been involved in the investigation at CrossBow the previous year. He stood with his back to the wall, gazing at Doc with obvious bemusement, then glanced at Dix.
“Mr. Meeks, it’s good to see you again.”
Dix gave a nod. “Special Agent Chalmers. Nice to see you’re taking care of our guy.”
Chalmers snorted. “Do you have any idea how far we had to go to get him a vegan burger and shake? We were almost in Bay View.”
Dix frowned. “I knew you were vegetarian, but I didn’t know you were vegan, Doc—Josh.”
Doc grinned. “I’m not, but I figured if they’re going to be stalking me, the least they could do is put in some real effort and buy me a meal.”
Dix burst out laughing, especially once he caught sight of Chalmers’s open-mouthed stare.
Time to get Doc out of there.
“I take it we’re okay to go now?”
Chalmers nodded. “You were free to do that a while ago.” He inclined his head toward the door. “It seems the local police didn’t want to part company with you.”
“You noticed that, huh?” Dix peered at Doc. “Wanna bring the food with you?”
Doc’s eyes gleamed. “Maybe the detective who interviewed you is hungry by now. He can have it.”
“Then let’s find the others and go breathe clean air.”
His nose wrinkled. “So it’s not just me. That gets my vote.” He pushed his chair back and stood. Dix gave Chalmers another nod, then stood aside to let Doc past him.
It didn’t take long to find Brant and the rest of the team. They sat on chairs near the front desk, all staring at either the ceiling or the floor. The smiles that greeted Dix told him they’d been through pretty much the same rigmarole.
“First dinner, and then we hit the hotel. What does everyone want?” He was starving, so he figured they had to be too.
“Spaghetti!”
“Subs!”
“Steak!”
“Chicken!”
Dix sighed. “Pizza it is.”
Carl let out a whoop. “Thank God.” He was on his feet in a heartbeat, hurrying to the door and holding it open for everyone to file past him. Jazz got on her phone, and Dix knew she was on the hunt for a good pizza place.
Lance stood in the police parking lot and turned his face skyward. “It’s awesome to breathe fresh air as free men.”
Dix shook his head, chuckling.
“I thought we’d never get out of the slammer,” Lance continued. “I could feel myself aging with every passing hour. I was even worried I’d never see my kids again. I had visions of them growing up without their daddy. My wife would have to find a new husband, and that bastard had better treat her right. I have contacts on the outside, and I could make his life effing miserable.”
“Drama queen,” Jazz said with a snort, not glancing up from her phone.