IN TOO DEEP
Chapter 1
Steve's thoughts turned to his father as he drove the battered pick up through the industrial area. He hadn't spoken to him for three days now, and hoped everything was okay with him. He also thought about Amanda and Jesse, and wondered what sort of patients they had seen at the hospital recently. He felt a pang of longing for his usual life, spending time with his friends and helping Jesse to run BBQ Bob's. It's only been three days so far, he told himself sternly. There's no good in dwelling on that sort of thing. Concentrate on the task in hand.
It was funny how even though he hadn't left Los Angeles, just being away from familiar people and familiar environments really made him miss home. Especially when the new people and new environments you were experiencing were not the kind you'd choose if the choice was up to you, he thought grimly.
He continued to drive past large warehouses, deeper into the industrial estate.
In the last few months, wealthy people had been targeted by criminals and blackmailed for money. The police had apprehended several people directly related to the crimes, but a couple of weeks later the blackmailing started up with a new victim. It appeared that the gang running the blackmail consisted of more than a couple of people. The methods were varied between victims; sometimes the victim was threatened to have an affair revealed, another was discredited in his job, in another instance the family cat was taken hostage. In all cases the crime was extremely well planned and researched, and the police had so far been unable to capture anyone of importance in the scam. They had only caught the odd person employed to do the dirty work, and usually only when they became careless, as they were well prepped. Not one of those so far apprehended had been able to reveal any information about the main instigator of the blackmailing, and so the crimes continued.
In the last case of blackmail the police had managed to identify one of the general dogsbodies involved, but instead of arresting him, they simply made note of who he was. They wanted to catch the big fish. Steve had drawn the short straw to start an undercover assignment, which began with him making a seemingly chance encounter with this man, one Alan Carter. His job was to infiltrate the group, discover exactly how many people were involved, find the main person in charge and once he had enough evidence, call in the backup and arrest the lot.
So far, however, the assignment was proving to be frustrating. Steve was in contact only with Carter, and another guy called Greg. He hadn't found anything useful – his two new friends were very cagey about who was involved and how. Knowing the intelligence behind this operation, Steve had been instructed to make no contact whatsoever with his father or any friends, and to do nothing that would suggest he wasn't who he said he was. Holed up in a grimy one room apartment in a rough area, he felt lonely in the evenings.
Still, he gave daily updates to Cheryl. She would tell him immediately if anything had happened to his father or friends. But he still wondered what they were up to in their daily lives.
Pegging Steve as intelligent, he had been set the task of researcher. He had been told to go to the library and identify suitable targets for the next sting, although he had the feeling there was one in the pipeline, already researched and soon to start. He hoped he would be a part of it, and suspected that he had to prove himself through this work before he would be let into anything bigger.
I hope they accept me soon though, he reflected. I don't want to be stuck in that apartment a day longer than needs be. And my day time company lacks something too.
Both Carter and Greg were very quiet. Steve had had hardly a word out of Greg. Carter had been giving him his instructions so far, but Steve was sure they were coming from someone else higher up.
At the back of the industrial estate the units were much smaller. Steve negotiated the van around the other trucks parked along the road and pulled up in the parking lot of the last unit, number fifty-three. There was a large storeroom on the ground level, with an office off to the side. A staircase led upstairs which Steve assumed contained more office rooms, but he had never been taken up there.
He grabbed a sheaf of files from the passenger seat beside him and went over to unit 53. There was a large door that a truck could drive through, but a smaller entrance next to it. Steve opened it and went inside.
There was no one in the main room, but Steve could see a light in the office. The storeroom was filled mainly with boxes, the ones that were open showing a varied assortment of equipment and materials. Steve assumed they were things used in the various blackmailings that had occurred already. A couple of cars and a large white van were also parked inside.
Carter was alone in the office. He looked up as Steve came in. "Done?"
"Yeah," Steve said, putting the files down on the desk. "I looked at about twenty names that seemed suitable at first. Then I did more detailed research on the eight most likely targets. There's a file on each."
"All worth more than ten million?" Carter asked, flicking through the names on the front of the files.
"Yes, they're pretty rich."
"Looks great." Carter turned back to whatever he had been working on at the desk.
"I've got all I can from paperwork," Steve said, when it was clear Carter wasn't going to say any more. "So I guess the next move must be observation of the targets. You want me to gather some information that way?"
"That's not your area," Carter said. He looked up. "But I'm glad you're keen. Here." He handed Steve an envelope of cash; he was being paid for his work.
For a moment Steve thought he was being dismissed without the prospect of further work, but then Carter indicated the files and said "I'll take a look at this. If you've done a good job, there's something a bit more interesting coming up. Some delivery work. Stay at the same address, and I'll be in touch."
Steve grunted in acknowledgement and, hiding his relief, walked out.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed, next part coming soon. Please review - I like to know what you think!
