But Evan grabbed him.
"Don't."
Marcus turned.
"Why?"
"Look."
Evan pointed at the motorcycle.
The rear tire was leaking.
Marcus frowned.
"That wasn't damaged before."
Evan crouched.
A tiny puncture.
But beside it was something else.
A small electronic capsule.
Evan picked it up.
Marcus stared.
"What is it?"
"A transmitter."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"Another one?"
Evan nodded.
"But this one is different."
"How?"
"It isn't tracking the motorcycle."
Evan looked toward the road.
"It's tracking us."
The Truth Beneath the Road
By dawn, Marcus had stopped asking questions.
He simply followed Evan.
They drove to an abandoned warehouse outside town.
Inside were old motorcycles, broken tools, rusted parts, and piles of scrap metal.
Marcus locked the door.
Then he placed the tracking device on a workbench.
Evan examined it.
"It's connected to a frequency."
"Can you find who owns it?"
"Not directly."
"Then what can you do?"
Evan smiled.
"Make them think we're somewhere else."
Marcus understood.
They built a false signal.
It took three hours.
When they finished, Evan activated it.
The device began transmitting.
Marcus looked at the screen.
"Where does it say we are?"
"Twenty miles east."
"We're not."
"No."
"Good."
They waited.
Thirty minutes.
Then an hour.
Nothing.
Finally, a message appeared on Marcus's phone.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
WHERE ARE YOU?
Marcus stared.
Evan looked at him.
"They're nervous."
Marcus nodded.
"Good."
The door opened.
A man entered.
He wore a gray jacket.
It was the same man Evan had seen outside the garage.
He raised his hands.
"I'm not here to fight."
Marcus didn't lower his weapon.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Daniel Cross."
"Victor's man?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
Daniel looked at Evan.
"Because you're both in danger."
Marcus laughed.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Daniel reached into his jacket.
Marcus raised his gun.
"Slowly."
Daniel pulled out a photograph.
He placed it on the table.
Marcus looked at it.
His face changed.
The photograph showed Victor.
Standing beside several men.
One of them was a local businessman.
Another was a police officer.
Another was a city official.
And another was a man Marcus recognized immediately.
His former partner.
Daniel spoke quietly.
"They've been stealing motorcycles and shipping them across state lines."
Marcus frowned.
"Why mine?"
"Because yours contains something valuable."
"What?"
Daniel looked at Evan.
"The previous owner."
Marcus went still.
"My motorcycle belonged to my brother."
Daniel nodded.
"Before he died."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"My brother died in an accident."
Daniel shook his head.
"That's what everyone was told."
Silence.
Evan looked at Marcus.
Marcus couldn't speak.
Daniel continued.
"Your brother discovered a financial operation involving stolen motorcycles, illegal parts, and money laundering."
Marcus stared at the photograph.
"He kept records."
"Where?"
Daniel pointed toward the motorcycle.
"Inside it."
Evan immediately understood.
"The hidden compartment."
Daniel nodded.
"Exactly."
Marcus looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know who I could trust."
"Why trust me now?"
Daniel looked at Evan.
"I don't."
Evan frowned.
Daniel continued.
"I trust the kid."
Marcus almost smiled.
"Why?"
"Because he had five thousand dollars offered to him and didn't take it."
Evan looked uncomfortable.
Daniel nodded toward the motorcycle.
"That told me something."
"What?"
"People who can't be bought are dangerous."
The Race
The records were hidden inside a second compartment.
Evan found them after examining the motorcycle's frame.
There was a sealed metal cylinder.
Inside were documents.
Names.
Bank accounts.
Shipment numbers.
Dates.
Locations.
Enough evidence to destroy an entire criminal network.
Marcus stared at the papers.
"My brother died for this."
Daniel nodded.
"He knew they were coming."
Marcus closed his eyes.
For years, he had believed his brother had died because of a reckless mistake.
Now he understood.
It had been murder.
Victor had been involved.
Marcus wanted revenge.
Evan could see it.
"Don't."
Marcus looked at him.
"You don't understand."
"I understand."
"My brother is dead because of them."
"Yes."
"Then why shouldn't I kill Victor?"
Evan paused.
"Because that's what he wants."
Marcus frowned.
"Who?"
"Victor."
Evan pointed at the documents.
"They need you angry."