Chapter 61: The Last Ride

Vance Security received Elias Navarro’s call at eight seventeen that evening.

Alexander received one five minutes later.

He’d barely finished changing when his phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Vance, this is Security. Mr. Navarro reported an anonymous contact."

Alexander stopped.

"What kind?"

"A photograph and several messages."

"Of?"

"Maribel Ortega."

That got his full attention.

Alexander sat on the edge of the bed.

"What did the messages say?"

The security officer read them.

By the time he reached Tell Vance nothing, Alexander’s expression had gone completely still.

"Did Elias respond?"

"No."

"Delete anything?"

"No. He preserved everything and contacted us."

That mattered.

More than Elias probably realized.

"Have him forward the originals. Don’t contact the number yet."

"It’s already disconnected."

Of course it was.

"And Maribel?"

"We’re confirming her current location."

"Quietly."

"Yes, sir."

Alexander ended the call.

Then he stared at the darkened screen.

Someone had wanted Elias silent.

Instead, he’d reported the threat within minutes.

Five months had just become considerably more interesting.

The following week, Joe Suarez’s final official day arrived.

Alexander pretended it was an ordinary workday until nearly five in the afternoon.

Joe pretended to believe him.

Neither was convincing.

They didn’t hold the despedida at Vance Holdings.

Joe had insisted on that.

"No conference room."

Alexander had looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because I don’t want someone from Accounting giving a speech about my years of service while checking their watch."

"That’s very specific."

"I’ve attended retirements."

So the farewell took place at a private restaurant several blocks away.

Joe’s family came.

Alejandro and Rosalie came.

Several longtime Vance employees came.

Elias did too.

Officially, because he would be taking over driving duties.

Unofficially, because Joe apparently believed retirement didn’t prevent him from supervising his replacement until the final possible second.

"You parked too close to the wall," Joe informed him as they entered.

"I left enough clearance."

"For you."

"It’s a parking space."

"You’ll learn."

Elias stared at him.

Alexander walked between them.

"I’m suddenly reconsidering whether retirement creates enough distance."

Joe laughed.

The dinner remained warm without becoming excessively sentimental.

That lasted until Joe’s eldest daughter stood.

"My father spent most of our childhood driving other people around."

Joe groaned.

"Dad, let me finish."

Everyone laughed.

"But somehow, he was still there when it mattered. Graduations. Birthdays. Flat tires. Broken appliances. Emergencies we probably should’ve learned to handle ourselves."

Joe lowered his gaze.

"And the Vance family gave him work that allowed him to provide for us when he was still figuring out how. So to Mr. Alejandro, Mr. Alexander, and everyone who treated him well over the years..."

She raised her glass.

"Thank you for bringing our father home to us every night."

The words hit Alexander unexpectedly hard.

Alejandro raised his glass first.

"The pleasure was ours."

Alexander followed.

Later, it was his turn.

He hadn’t prepared anything.

Joe noticed immediately.

"You should’ve written something."

"I speak for a living."

"You negotiate for a living."

"Same skill."

"No."

Several people laughed.

Alexander looked toward him.

Then gave up trying to be clever.

"You’ve worked for my family longer than I’ve been running the company."

"That makes me sound ancient."

"You are retiring."

"Continue."

Alexander shook his head.

"You drove for my father before you drove for me. You got us places on time when we had absolutely no business being on time. You waited through meetings that ran three hours late without once actually leaving me there."

"I considered it."

"I know."

Another laugh.

Then Alexander’s voice softened.

"You were also there during years when driving wasn’t particularly easy for me."

Joe’s expression changed.

Nobody needed the explanation.

"You never asked questions I didn’t want to answer. You just drove."

Alexander paused.

"Thank you."

For once, Joe had no joke.

He stood and embraced him instead.

Rosalie wiped at her eyes.

Alejandro pretended not to be doing much the same.

The gifts came afterward.

A watch.

A framed photograph.

A tool set from an old friend.

Then Alexander handed Joe a small box.

Joe opened it.

Keys.

His eyes narrowed immediately.

"No."

"Yes."

"Sir."

"You’re retired. Stop calling me sir."

Joe looked up.

"Alexander."

"Better."

"This is too much."

"You’ve driven my cars for years. You should finally have one you don’t have to return."

Joe shook his head.

His wife calmly took the box from him.

"Thank you, Alexander."

Joe looked betrayed.

"Whose side are you on?"

"The side that’s getting a new car."

That saved everyone from becoming embarrassingly emotional.

Alexander agreed to be taken home first.

Elias drove.

Joe sat in the passenger seat despite technically no longer being on duty.

For nearly twenty minutes, nobody spoke.

Then Joe said:

"You brake well."

Elias glanced toward him.

"That’s your final assessment?"

"It’s important."

"Did I pass?"

"For tonight."

Alexander leaned back.

"Joe."

"I’m retired, not dead."

That silenced the car for approximately thirty seconds.

Then even Alexander laughed.

But when they reached Alexander’s home and Elias stepped out to open the rear door, Joe remained seated.

Alexander paused.

"What?"

Joe looked at Elias.

Then at him.

"Nothing."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed.

"You’ve spent thirty years telling me that means something."

Joe sighed.

Then stepped out.

He waited until Elias had moved several feet away.

"He’s worried."

Alexander’s expression changed.

"I know."

Joe looked at him.

"You know?"

"He received anonymous messages last week."

Alexander told him only what was necessary.

By the end, Joe wasn’t smiling anymore.

"He reported them?"

"Immediately."

"Good."

"You sound surprised."

"I’m relieved."

Joe looked toward Elias.

"He’s good."

"So you’ve repeatedly told me."

"That’s not what I mean."

Alexander waited.

Joe lowered his voice.

"Scared People make mistakes. People hiding something make different ones."

"And?"

"I haven’t seen him make the second kind."

That was perhaps the most useful thing Joe had said about Elias since the process began.

Alexander nodded.

"I’ll remember that."

Joe clapped him on the shoulder once.

"Good."

Then, after thirty years of driving members of the Vance family wherever they needed to go, Joe Suarez got into his own car and drove himself home.

Later that night, Alexander opened Giovanni’s messages.

Are you awake?

The answer came almost immediately.

Yes.

Alexander looked at the time.

Today was Joe’s last official day.

A pause.

How was he?

Happy. Annoying. Emotional. In that order.

Sounds like Joe.

Alexander smiled.

Then typed:

Elias Navarro is officially taking over.

This time, Giovanni took several seconds.

The quiet one?

Alexander frowned.

How do you know which one was quiet?

A longer pause.

Joe talks.

Alexander laughed.

There it was.

Confirmation.

Don’t message Elias when I’m coming to inspect anything.

So you knew.

I suspected.

You still ate the sandwiches.

They were good.

Then I regret nothing.

Alexander shook his head.

Then his expression sobered.

There were things he couldn’t explain by message.

Not while Elias’s connection to Maribel remained unresolved.

Not while somebody had apparently been watching Vance Holdings.

So he typed:

Keep anything sensitive inside the office for now.

Giovanni answered immediately.

Understood.

No demand for an explanation.

No interrogation.

Alexander stared at the response for a moment before adding:

Goodnight, Gio.

Goodnight, Alex.

He set down the phone.

Across the city, Joe Suarez was doing something he hadn’t done in decades.

Going to sleep without setting an alarm for work.

But before he did, he found himself remembering Elias’s face in the car.

Not guilt.

Not quite.

Fear.

Joe picked up his phone one last time.

Then sent Giovanni Mercer a message.

Keep an eye on Alex’s new driver. Something’s bothering him.

Joe stared at it.

Then added:

And if I’m wrong, you can blame retirement.