Fictional story, et al. Any misspellings and or grammatical errors are solely mine (I wish they weren't but there you have it).
*****
Don had had a tension filled week. Since he had spoken to Pete about being followed, the idea of being monitored, had slowly eaten away at him. Pete had fairly ordered him to continue on as he had before, to act ignorant of the monitoring. Pete promised as soon as it could be verified, Don would know whether his house and truck were bugged.
Don, busy with running his jobs, had spoken to Pete frequently, strictly about their construction business. Pete gave no indication that anything was amiss and continued to be his usual self each time Don had spoken to him. Which grated on Don's nerves. Don knew part of his unease was due to his impatience, he wanted to know everything yesterday, and to do something about it. Donna wasn't too far from his mind, either, but he felt helpless in that regard.
It was Friday afternoon, Don's crew had just knocked off work, and the last of the men had left, when Pete drove up. Pete drove a raggedly looking older Chevy truck with darkly tinted windows, a couple of dents, some scratches and badly peeling paint, but upon closer inspection, the truck rode on new tires, the engine purred with power, the steering was tight, it could stop on a dime and every dash instrument worked, including the radio.
Don stepped out of his small job trailer to greet Pete, but he hadn't exited the truck. Don saw his partner waving him over.
"What's up?" Don asked, somewhat apprehensive.
"Stow the long face, mi amigo! Get in. I think we might have another job, but I want you to look at it before we bid on it. You can ride with me. Shake a leg, hombre!" cheerfully hollered Pete out the truck window as he shown Don a large note held just below the window's edge. The note read, 'Leave your cell phone in the trailer. Don't ask questions, just do it. Don't react.'
Don eyes widened as he read the note. He had expected something else from Pete, but shrugged his shoulder's and said, "Sure. I just need to lock up."
In the truck, Pete discreetly waved some sort of electronic wand over Don. As Don started to protest, Pete shook his head slightly to negate any response. Once on the road, Pete drove slowly and with utmost care. The route was a new one to Don, but then they usually picked up jobs all over town, so it wasn't unusual.
"There is no job. Is there?" asked Don as he idly stared at the passing scenery.
"Nope. We got some info on the bozos that have been watching you."
At Pete's words, Don perked up. "Really? There's no job?" Not stopping to allow his friend to answer, Don plunged ahead. "Do you know who they are? Why are they doing it?" he asked impatiently.
"Whoa, there, partner. One thing at a time. First, we are going to see the guy who's been on top of that. He'll explain what he's discovered. Two, I don't know anything myself, other than what I've told you. Three, don't expect too much at this time. If the guys watching you are pros then we have to move very cautiously, otherwise, they'll know they've been made and get spooked. Okay?"
"Yeah. I get it. I'm just so frustrated. You know? I've been thinking that whomever is behind this got to Donna somehow, using faked proof. If that's the case, then I have to find Donna and explain it to her. But, I need some sort of evidence to support what I suspect happened. Dammit! This is so fucked up!"
"I hear you, man. I really do. We'll do what we can to get to the bottom of this. I promise you that." replied Pete, feelingly.
They rode another twenty minutes when Pete abruptly pulled in between two buildings and into a dark alley, putting a finger to his lips, he motioned Don to exit the truck. In front of Pete's truck was parked another vehicle, a late model dark blue Dodge Charger. Pete fairly ran to it, waving Don over.
"Get in! Hurry!" hissed Pete as he himself climbed into the car.
Right before Don got in, he looked back and saw two men entering Pete's truck. One man had the same build and complexion as Pete, the other guy could have passed for Don in a police line-up. Wonder momentarily filled Don, but quickly dissipated as understanding set in. Pete had thought of everything, including how to ditch Don's tail.
Once under way and back on the road, Don turned to Pete, saying, "Smooth move."
A grinning Pete, barked a harsh laugh in response.
They drove in relative silence until they arrived at a gated dirt drive that disappeared into a thickly wooded forest. Pete had taken them out to what was basically, wilderness. A lush line of various trees edged the main roadway, with towering hills surrounding the area.
Pete opened the gate and drove in, stopped and relocked the gate before driving further along the narrow road. They drove for a couple of miles before coming to the base of a hill, surrounded by another heavily wooded area. There stood a small house, a shack really, nestled between some large trees and the bottom of a hill. There was nothing obvious indicating anyone lived out here. Yet, Pete drove right up to the trees and stopped, shutting down the engine.
Pete hadn't made a move to exit the car. "Aren't we going to-" began Don.
"No. We stay inside the car until we get a signal. And, it's best we don't talk." broke in Pete before Don could finish his question.
Darkness hadn't quite set in, but already, with the heater off, the approaching night's frost was beginning to seep into the car's interior.
As the minutes passed, night closed in, and soon, it was too dark to see beyond even the sedan's hood.
Don, now shivering from the frigid cold, whispered to Pete, "How much longer? I'm fucking freezing!"
"Hang on a little longer. Hopefully, the wait won't be too much longer." Don heard and sensed Pete rummaging around a bit then he felt Pete pushing something at him.. "Here, mi amigo, a blanket I brought just for you. It's old, but it's wool. It'll help keep you warm."
Don hadn't seen Pete carrying anything when they changed vehicles, but gratefully accepted the blanket, quickly wrapping it around him. The stiff heavy blanket smelled old and musty, but mostly it retained the odor of old oil. His body heat, now further trapped by the added insulation, began to warm him enough to calm his shivering.
"Ah, here he is." said Pete,.
Don squinted through the fogged windshield but failed to see anyone. "Where?" asked Don curtly, annoyed at being unable to see anything. "Are you sure, I don't see-"
"Shh! Don't talk so loud. Yes, I'm sure. Soon, he'll be waiting for us at the shack. He'll signal us when he's ready. Have patience, my friend, the wait is almost over." replied Pete in a loud whisper. "When we get in there let me do the talking. I know you have questions, but these people don't know you yet, and they are less likely to be cooperative."
"Yeah. Whatever." said Don, curtly.
Don's patience was at a end. He was cold and hungry, and mostly tired. Right at the moment, Don didn't care about knowing whether his place and his truck were bugged. All he concerned himself with was to go home and sleep. If anyone wanted to watch him sleep and hear him snore, then it was their good fortune, because Don was ready to aid them in their endeavor.
Don sat sullenly, as he waited on Pete's friend to signal them. A few minutes passed, and Don was ready to tell Pete to call it a night, when he saw a quick flash of a dim red light.
"Okay, let's go." ordered Pete.
As the two men approached the shack, a large shadowy figure separated itself from the small building and approached them.
"Stop!" said the figure in a low harsh male voice.
Without replying, Pete came to a sudden stop, while grasping Don's arm and pulling him to a stop, too.
"Wha-" began Don in sore indignation.
"Be quiet. Just do what he says." whispered Pete, harshly.
Don couldn't see beyond the darkness, yet, up close he could vaguely sense the mysterious figure running something up and done their bodies.
"You're both clean." grunted the man.
"Thanks." said Pete simply.
"Enter." invited the unknown man.
Without a word, Pete moved forward toward the building. Don followed along.
The interior of the shack was even darker than being outside. Don sensed another person in the room and for some inexplicable reason that had him feeling far more concern than he had a had so far, and as his concern escalated he felt a sudden urge to bolt,
The sound of the door closing snapped Don out of his growing dread. After all, he was here with Pete and Pete wouldn't let anything happen to him. Would he?
"Each of us is going to place our hand on each of your shoulders. We are going to guide you to another location. Remain calm and do what you are told." explained the harsh voiced man. "Okay, let's move out."
Each of us? How many were there? Don thought as felt a gloved hand land on his shoulder and with a gentle squeeze and a slight push, directed him to start walking.
They walked in the darkness for what seemed like hours, but were only a few minutes. Don's spine had begun tingling from the minute he walked into the shack, and as they walked in complete darkness, with each second that passed, the tingling began to feel like an electric shock. To offset this feeling, Don began to count his steps and note the turns they took.
