Because it was Saturday, Chance didn't have to go into the office. Also, since he'd been stuck inside for the past couple of days, he really wanted to go out somewhere. Having Koty around to protect him meant he could do whatever he wanted, right?
"Did Roy introduce you to Lola?"
"Nope, who's that?"
"My driver."
Koty's eyes lit up as he jumped to a very wrong conclusion. One glance at him and Chance knew what he was thinking.
"I'm going to call Lola over so I can run some errands. This will also give you an opportunity to get acquainted."
Koty was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the devious look that flashed across Chance's face.
...
The look on Koty's face was way better than anything Chance could have imagined. When he saw Lola get out of the Bentley, he practically turned to stone. As always, the older man was well dressed and looked strict as ever.
"Afternoon, Lola." Chance greeted him and proceeded to introduce the two. "Dakota, this is Lola, Jack Lola." He made sure to put emphasis on 'Jack.'
Koty snapped out of it quicker than Chance expected.
"Hello sir. I'm Dakota Flynn. Everyone calls me Koty." He spoke respectfully and offered his hand to the austere gentleman.
Lola firmly shook Koty's hand. "Mr. Flynn, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please take good care of Mr. Addison."
If it had been said by anyone else, Koty probably would have scoffed and rolled his eyes. But the way Lola said it made it sound like there was no nobler cause on earth. Be it his voice or his presence or something else entirely; there was something about Lola that made people listen and take him seriously.
Koty could only reply with a subdued, "Yes sir."
After an awkward pause, Chance suggested that they get moving. The three of them finally climbed into the car. Lola and Koty sat in the front and Chance sat in his usual spot in the back.
Forty minutes later, they reached their destination. Chance had chosen to patronize a regular shopping mall out in the suburbs. He figured fewer people out there would have connections with the underworld or with anyone else trying to kill him.
It wasn't that he didn't trust in Koty's abilities. He always, or at least normally, did what he could to minimize risk to himself and others. All such caution was thrown out the window when it came to his car. He missed it so much he could almost hear it.
Chance whipped his head to the left and sure enough, across the parking lot there was a LeMans blue 1969 Camaro Z28 with white stripes. It was pulling into a parking space at the bottom of the lot.
'That looks an awful lot like my Camaro.' What were the odds of someone else having the same car with the same paint and the same trim in the same area?
"Hey Koty, does that car down there look familiar to you?"
"Sure, looks a lot like yours... Wait! They took your car too! Man, that just ain't right."
"Go check the VIN for me and text it to me."
Chance had Lola park a few rows away and they watched the driver get out of the car.
The door popped open and a delicate leg appeared, followed by a second. The woman bent down and put on a pair of black stilettos. Her long curly bottle-blonde hair fell loosely past her shoulders, obstructing their view of her face.
She stood up, revealing her yellow body hugging mini-dress, grabbed her matching purse, and locked the door. Not even once, did she glance in their direction as she turned toward the mall and started walking.
Once she had disappeared from view, Koty walked over to the car and quickly took a picture of the VIN and the license plate. As he walked back, he sent the picture to Chance.
Chance opened the images as soon as he got them. The VIN was a complete match but it had dealer tags on it. That meant his car was listed for sale some where nearby.
He forwarded the pictures to Fait and asked her to check every dealership and auction house within a fifty mile radius. He also forwarded them to Nevada and asked her to see if there were any shady backroom auctions advertising a Camaro.
Even if he had to buy back his own car, he didn't care. He was tempted to go straight up to the woman and ask her how much she wanted for it.
"I could hot-wire it." Koty had boosted plenty of cars before. They could just take it.
"Not if it's an underground auction. I don't want more people after me. That woman is either someone's pampered mistress or someone's spoiled daughter. Until we know who is selling, we wait." Chance had in fact considered just taking it too.
"If I might interrupt." Lola surprisingly spoke up. "That young lady is Miss Thea Romero. She is the only daughter of Mr. Theodore Romero. He is the president of a distasteful construction company with known ties to the violent gangs in the area."