The Dangerous Ones [✔️] (#1 in the Chilvati Series)

TWENTY-SIX

The light above them clicked green. Neither one of them moved. They turned to each other with the same self-satisfied grin.

"I'm not getting a ticket. Nice try, though."

She had to laugh.

A car pulled up behind her. The driver honked, politely at first, then a full-blown blare. "Hey, asshole, you color blind?" a male voice yelled into the otherwise calm air.

Virginia watched in her rearview while reaching down and lighting up the flashers. Blue and red beams stabbed into the evening's darkness at a frantic pace.

The bigmouth slunk down in his seat.

She refocused on the man chuckling beside her. "You were saying?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "If you're serious, I know a place we can go."

Her mind raced with the suggestion. Why not? I could use a little fun after the day I've had-let off a little steam. "Sure, but be warned." She pointed at his car. "Desire doesn't have what it takes, Spinelli. I hope you know you're going down."

That did not come out right.

His wide smile looked more like a guarantee than a grin. She kept her yap shut, afraid something worse would come out of it.

"Follow me," he said, jerking his head to the right. The window began to close as he guided the Ferrari into the far lane, a change from the direction he had been originally heading.

Ignoring the heat in her cheeks, she turned the Mustang to follow. Crossing the lanes, she moved into position behind him, turning off her light display once travelling down the new road.

Within ten minutes they merged onto Highway 110, heading south.

Not once did he exceed the speed limit.

"Chicken," she murmured.

He took the Wilmington exit and drove for another five minutes toward the Port of Los Angeles. They were in the warehouse district near the docks. Not exactly the nicest area of town—it was dark, deserted, and creepy at night. "Is this where you bring the people you want to get rid of?" she whispered, peering down the gloomy streets as they weaved their way between the big box warehouses.

He turned left into a short driveway and she followed, coming to a stop behind him. A massive gate blocked their way, its two sections joined together by a chunky chain with a lock that hung down in the front like a hip-hop artist's gaudy necklace. Barbed wire fencing stretched out in both directions, disappearing into darkness.

On the other side of all that keep out, two long rows of warehouses extended away from her as far as the eye could see, a straight road running down the middle. The buildings were well-lit; the monthly electric bill alone had to be more than she made. Looking at the long stretch of blacktop, bordered by all that white light, she was surprised jets weren't coming in overhead. She blew out a soft whistle. "Must have value stored in here," she muttered. Must be a Chilvati property.

That was confirmed when Spinelli stepped out of his car to put a key in the padlock. Giving a shove to both panels, they swung away from him, providing access to the road. He returned to his car and drove inside the lot.

Virginia followed, checking out the large units on each side of her as she passed them. "Man, I'd like to snoop around in those."

When he came to a stop, she pulled up beside him.

His window slid open. "Here we are—a much safer place to play. How about we finish at the overpass down there?" He pointed straight ahead.

She could just barely make out the shadow of a large bridge where the highway traversed the lot, about a half-mile down. Streetlights dotted the edges of the road, their wide beams spread out like bubbles on the pavement.