Chapter Forty-Seven

When Weevil got a call from his cousin's chop shop, he wasn't immediately sure what to make of it. Why would some pretty boy 09er with all of daddy's money at his disposal go to his cousin's place to get a copy job of someone else's wheels? Then his cousin told him whose vehicle the idiot had wanted copied and Weevil knew the intel might be worth some solid gold.

He'd seen the headlines when he was in line at the grocery store with his wife and their four-month-old son, Felix. Apparently, he'd thought, even when he wasn't being such a jackass, Echolls couldn't catch a break.

Pulling out his cell, he pulled up his contact list. Discreetly, he glanced around with just his eyes to make sure no one was paying attention. He and Echolls may be on better terms now than they ever had been, but he still didn't want the whole 02 zip to know who he was willing to deal with.

"Yo," he said when Logan picked up, having gone outside his small rental house to make the call, "Figured you be out on bond," he paused as if listening to the response on the other line before saying, "Listen, I just heard something that I thought might be worth something to you. You know anyone who'd be trying to be you?"

Something in Logan's response caused Eli's eyes to narrow and sharpen. He was clearly annoyed when he spoke again, "Are you fucking kidding me, Echolls? You better damn well make sure she's safe hanging out with you!" There were a few moments of silence on his end before he exhaled in frustration and shook his head, "Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before, 'dude.' Like I said, you keep her safe, you'll keep your cajones. I'll meet you at your place in twenty."

After hanging up, he stormed inside but stopped short when he saw Liliana feeding baby Felix some strained vegetables. Conflicted, he blew out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding and moved more lightly in her direction.

"Hey, Babe, I need to run out for awhile. You gonna be ok getting Felix put down on your own?" he asked, bending to kiss her cheek affectionately before playfully tweaking the baby's nose. The little guy scrunched up his face into a scowl and in spite of the tension Weevil felt, he laughed.

Liliana gave him a questioning look which made him frown as he explained himself as much as he felt he could, "Helping out an old friend."

Nodding, Liliana stood upright and smoothed a couple wrinkles from her blouse before stepping forward to kiss him soundly. Then she stepped back and said with a ghost of a smile and a glint of humor in her eyes, "That's to make sure you come home. Now get out of here so you can hurry back."

Eli grinned and gave her one more peck on the lips, saying boldly, "With a promise like that fresh in my mind? You better count the seconds, Mrs. Navarro," he warned, "Cause when I get back? One of us is goin' down an' if you're lucky, it may just be me!"

Liliana laughed but didn't get a chance to respond before Eli "Weevil" Navarro was out the door.

As he left, an intruder was entering. The child and its mother were ignored. Had the stakes on this game not been quite so high already, the trespasser may have considered using them to up the ante. But for now, the oblivious pair were safe. The interloper had specific instructions regarding the purpose for this visit. The mentor had intricately and explicitly explained what it was that was needed. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When the mission at hand had been precisely and meticulously carried out, the invader silently slipped back out into the night. It was time to prepare for the next step in this production.