Right Place At The Right Time

Right Place At The Right Time

Author’s Note

This chapter takes us inside Chuck’s thoughts as he makes the drive to the warehouse with Lou. He knows meeting Stavros could be dangerous, and he isn’t entirely sure he’s making the right decision. He considers asking for help, questions who he can trust, and even wonders if walking away would be the smarter choice.

But there is still Sarah. Until Chuck understands why Stavros is looking for her and where those photographs came from, walking away doesn’t feel like an option.

Chuck has a plan. Whether that plan survives what he finds from this meeting is another matter entirely.

I don’t own Chuck.

Chapter 10

Uncertain Thoughts

Once they reached the highway, they started making good time. For such a small woman, Lou had a surprisingly heavy foot. She passed slower cars with ease, weaving through traffic while chatting away as though the drive were nothing out of the ordinary.

Chuck did his best to listen to what she was saying, but his mind kept drifting back to the meeting ahead. He replayed the conversation over and over, trying to decide exactly what he was going to say to Stavros when they finally came face to face.

The miles seemed to disappear beneath them. The faster Lou drove, the faster Chuck’s thoughts raced. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be rushing into this meeting completely unprepared. He had no idea what he was walking into or how Stavros would react once he realized why Chuck was there.

If it was possible that Stavros and his associates had executed four young people in cold blood, then he probably would not hesitate to eliminate someone else who got in the way. That thought alone was enough to make Chuck question whether confronting him alone was the smartest decision he had ever made.

Chuck reached into his bag and pulled out the card Director Graham had given him at the safe house. Graham had told him to call anytime and assured him that he would take Chuck’s calls. Chuck had believed him, or at least he wanted to believe him. He trusted Graham more than he trusted almost anyone else connected to the Bureau, but the thought of making this call still left him uneasy. He wasn’t sure what he could actually tell the man without sounding like he was jumping to conclusions.

He entered the number into his phone and listened as it rang. After six rings, a woman’s professional voice answered.

“Federal Bureau of Investigation, Marsha speaking. How may I direct your call?”

Chuck hesitated before giving her Assistant Director Graham’s name.

“Certainly, sir. What is the nature of your call?”

“It’s a private matter,” Chuck replied, a slight hesitation creeping into his voice. He wasn’t about to explain the situation to a receptionist.

“Of course. May I place you on hold?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

He waited while the call was transferred, but the longer he sat there listening to the faint music playing through the phone, the more uncertain he became. What exactly was he going to tell Graham? Someone had apparently taken photographs of him and Sarah inside the San Diego field office, and those photographs had somehow ended up in the hands of Stavros Demetrios. It was disturbing, but it wasn’t proof of anything. Chuck didn’t know who had taken the pictures, how they had gotten out of the building, or whether anyone inside the Bureau had helped them.

The receptionist returned before he could decide what to say.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Bartowski. Assistant Director Graham left the San Diego office earlier this morning. He returned to Los Angeles, and I’m not sure when he’ll be back here. I can take a message and make sure he receives it.”

Chuck gave her his name and number and explained that he needed to speak with Graham as soon as possible. The woman assured him she would pass along the message, then offered to transfer him to the Los Angeles office to see if someone there could assist him.

“Okay,” Chuck said reluctantly. “I guess that’s worth a try.”

Within thirty seconds, another woman answered and went through much the same routine. Graham’s whereabouts were uncertain, and she couldn’t tell Chuck when he would be back in the office. She offered to take another message.

Chuck repeated himself, then added that he would try calling again later.

The woman thanked him politely before asking if he wanted to speak with another agent who might be able to help.

Chuck almost said yes.

Then he stopped. He had no idea who that agent would be, what that person already knew, or whether anything he said would eventually find its way back to the wrong people. There was another problem, too. Chuck wasn’t sure the FBI considered him important enough to warrant much attention in the first place. As far as he knew, their investigation centered on Sarah and the people hunting her, not on him.

If he suddenly called asking questions and offering theories about a possible leak inside the Bureau, there was a good chance he would be treated as a worried boyfriend who had stumbled into something he didn’t understand rather than someone carrying information the FBI genuinely needed.

“No,” he said. “That’s all right. I’ll try Director Graham again later.”

They ended the call, leaving Chuck with the uncomfortable feeling that he had accomplished nothing except making two phone calls and leaving the same message twice.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and stared through the passenger window as the city moved past them. The problem was bigger than simply finding someone at the FBI who would listen. Chuck still didn’t understand how information moved through the Bureau well enough to know where a report like this was supposed to go. If someone inside the organization was involved, telling the wrong person could accomplish nothing. Worse, it could alert the very person he was trying to identify.

He had no idea who he could trust.

The person responsible might have been one of the agents assigned to watch Sarah. It could have been someone with legitimate access to the field office who had decided to sell information to the Demetrios family. There were too many possibilities, and every answer seemed to create another question.

Even Graham wasn’t completely beyond suspicion.

Chuck didn’t like that thought. He trusted the man, or at least he had every reason to, but trust was becoming a dangerous luxury. If the photographs had truly originated inside the Bureau, Chuck couldn’t simply assume that everyone with access was innocent.

That didn’t mean Graham was involved. Chuck had absolutely no evidence to suggest that he was.

It meant only that Chuck had learned something he hadn’t wanted to learn.

If there really was a leak inside the FBI, then trusting the wrong person could be just as dangerous as trusting no one at all.

He felt his thoughts beginning to spiral and forced himself to slow down. He had no solid answer, no firm conclusion, and certainly not enough information to understand what was really happening. There was one thing he did know, though, Stavros knew something. The photographs proved that much. Whatever his connection to Sarah’s disappearance, he was asking questions for a reason.

The thought made Chuck wonder whether he was about to walk into a den of vipers.

For a moment, he considered abandoning the whole idea. Maybe he should let the FBI do its job and stay out of it. Sarah was already under protective custody, and trained agents were watching over her. Getting involved could put Lou in danger, put himself in danger, and potentially make Sarah’s situation even worse.

But walking away wasn’t something Chuck had ever been particularly good at.

His mother had taught him many things over the years, lessons that had stayed with him long after he had stopped consciously thinking about them. One of those lessons was simple: no matter what situation you found yourself in, always make sure you had a way out. It wasn’t just about physical escape. It was about thinking ahead, understanding the risks, and never allowing yourself to become completely dependent on someone else’s decisions.

He also had to believe that Stavros and the men around him wouldn’t do anything reckless in the middle of a busy warehouse district. There were workers everywhere, vehicles moving through the yard, and too many innocent people nearby. If these were the same men connected to the murders he had heard about, surely they understood the risks of drawing attention to themselves.

Surely.

Chuck knew he was making assumptions, and that bothered him.

Still, he was committed now. He needed information, and until he had something more concrete to work with, there was little point in calling Graham with a collection of suspicions and unanswered questions. Once he knew more about what Stavros wanted, what he believed Sarah had stolen, and where those photographs had come from, Chuck would contact Director Graham and tell him everything.

For now, he needed to learn more.

As he stared through the passenger side window, another thought settled heavily in his mind. Was he actually thinking rationally, or was his concern for Sarah pushing him into something he would never have considered under different circumstances?

If he was completely honest with himself, he barely knew her. They had spent only a couple of days together. There were still gaps in her story, things she hadn’t explained, and moments when Chuck had wondered whether she was keeping something important from him.

Yet none of that changed the way he felt. He cared about her. Maybe more than he should.

Chuck exhaled slowly and watched the city pass beyond the glass.

I’ll get more information first, he told himself. Then I’ll decide what to do.

For the moment, that was the only plan he had.

Yet every instinct he had told him Sarah was a victim. Whatever she had been involved in before they met, Chuck couldn’t shake the feeling that she was running because someone wanted to hurt her, not because she had committed the crimes they were accusing her of. Everything he had learned over the past two days only reinforced that belief. The more he uncovered, the more convinced he became that there was another side to the story, one Sarah either couldn’t or wasn’t ready to tell him.

Until he understood what role Stavros played in all of this, Chuck couldn’t convince himself that Sarah was truly safe. If finding those answers meant putting himself in harm’s way, then so be it. He had spent most of his life trusting his ability to solve problems by thinking his way through them, and right now every instinct he possessed was telling him that walking away would be a mistake.

The greater concern was what might happen if those instincts were wrong.

Chuck had no idea what waited for them inside that warehouse. Stavros might be exactly the kind of arrogant bully Lou had described, or there might be something far more dangerous hiding beneath the attitude. If the Demetrios family was connected to the murders, as Chuck increasingly suspected, then he couldn’t afford to underestimate any of them.

He was reasonably confident he could get himself out of trouble if the meeting turned ugly. He was quick on his feet, he knew how to read people, and he had learned enough over the years to recognize when a situation was beginning to turn dangerous. But none of that gave him much comfort when he thought about Lou.

She wasn’t backup. She wasn’t trained for this. She had come with him because she trusted him and because she wanted to help, and Chuck had no intention of allowing her to pay the price if his decision went wrong. If Stavros or any of his men decided to become violent, Lou would be the first person Chuck needed to get out of harm’s way.

He drew a slow breath and forced himself to think beyond the fear tightening his chest. He needed to stay calm, pay attention, and keep the meeting under control for as long as possible. He didn’t need to win an argument with Stavros. He didn’t need to prove he was smarter than him. He needed information.

Chuck knew he needed a plan.

Chuck’s mind began working through the situation methodically, trying to come up with the safest way to approach Stavros. He was already convinced he was dealing with dangerous men, men who would not hesitate to hurt him if things went sideways. The one advantage he believed he had was Lou. Stavros still had feelings for her, and Chuck doubted he would create a scene in front of her or put her in danger. At least, he hoped that was true.

He let out a quiet breath and began mumbling to himself.

“All right, Chuck… think this through. One step at a time.”

Lou finally paused in the middle of her conversation and glanced over at him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him picking at his fingernails, a nervous habit she remembered whenever he was anxious or deep in thought.

“Chuck… what are you doing?” she asked, her voice carrying a hint of concern.

Chuck stopped picking at his nails and looked over at her.

“I’m thinking,” he admitted. “I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to talk to your ex. How I’m going to get him to give me information without making him angry or turning this into a fight.”

Lou kept her eyes on the road, but she continued watching him from her peripheral vision. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She knew Stavros far better than Chuck did, and she was beginning to wonder if bringing him along had been a mistake.

She had a growing feeling that, before the afternoon was over, Chuck was going to find himself in far more trouble than either of them had anticipated.

She found herself growing more nervous with every mile they traveled. Part of her wanted to tell Chuck they should forget the whole thing, turn the car around, drop him back off at the deli, and pick up the meat herself. The more she thought about it, the less she liked the idea of Chuck coming face to face with Stavros. She knew how unpredictable her ex could be, especially when his pride was involved.

Chuck, however, remained lost inside his own thoughts, carefully building a plan over and over in his mind.

All right, this is how it’s going to go.

I’ll get out of the car. I’ll act like Lou and I are just good friends. I’ll introduce myself, ask him why he’s so interested in Sarah, and listen to what he has to say. Maybe I’ll ask a couple of follow up questions, make it look like I believe everything he’s telling me, then thank him, shake his hand, wish him a good day, and walk back to Lou’s car.

No arguments. No attitude. No trying to prove I’m smarter than he is. Just stay calm, be polite, and make it clear I’m not looking for any kind of fight. I’ll tell him Sarah’s a good person, that she’s my girlfriend, and that I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. If he wants to ask me a few questions, that’s fine. I’ll answer what I can. Then maybe he’ll realize she’s not involved in whatever he’s looking for, tell me this has all been a misunderstanding, and we’ll both walk away.

He repeated the plan over and over in his head, hoping that if he rehearsed it enough, it would keep his nerves under control once he was standing face to face with Stavros.

The twenty minute drive seemed to pass in a heartbeat. Before Chuck had finished working through his plan, Lou was already pulling into a parking space beside a massive warehouse.

Chuck looked around, taking in everything he could see. Stacks upon stacks of cargo containers stretched across the yard as far as his eyes could reach. Workers moved about carrying on with their daily routines while, farther in the distance, a large crane slowly lifted shipping containers high into the air before carefully placing them on top of others. They were parked far enough away from the loading area that he could not make out exactly what was being unloaded, but there was enough activity to tell him the place was constantly busy.

His attention shifted toward the warehouse itself. The main doorway was large enough for transport trucks to drive straight through. Parked beside the entrance was a sleek sports car along with a couple of black SUVs. He found himself wondering which vehicle belonged to Stavros.

Chuck’s quiet observation came to an end when Lou gently placed her hand on his forearm.

“Chuck, are you sure this is what you want to do?” she asked softly. “He can be a very dangerous man, especially if he has some of his people with him. He could decide to start something.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“But if I’m being honest, I don’t think he’d do anything without getting permission from his father first. His father keeps him on a pretty short leash, and Stavros hates it.”

“I know from the times I was with him, whether we were out together or over at his father’s house, that his father controlled almost everything Stavros did or said. He was always the one making the decisions. I’m not sure you’re going to get the answers you’re looking for from him. If anyone is pulling the strings, it’s his father. And if someone is looking for your girlfriend, I have a feeling it’s him, not Stavros.”

Chuck took a slow breath and nodded. “Yeah, I figured that was a possibility. I’m not here to start a fight. I’m just here to talk.” He glanced toward the warehouse, then gave a faint, uncertain smile. “Although, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure this is one of my better ideas. I just need to know what’s going on.”

His expression became more serious as he looked toward the warehouse again. “I need to find out what Stavros wants. I need to know why he’s looking for Sarah and whether I can get any more information from him. Most importantly, I need to find out where he got those pictures of Sarah and me.”

Lou checked the time on her watch. It was still a few minutes before four, so she figured Stavros was probably inside the warehouse getting everything ready before meeting with her. She looked toward the large open doorway, but there was no sign of movement outside.

After a moment, she looked back at Chuck and gave him a small, uncertain nod.

“All right. Let’s get this over with.”

Together, they climbed out of the car and started walking toward the warehouse, each wondering what was waiting for them on the other side of those open doors.

As they reached the edge of the large warehouse doorway, Lou suddenly stopped and placed a hand against Chuck’s chest, preventing him from going any farther. She looked at him for a moment, then glanced inside the warehouse before turning her attention back to him.

“Chuck, stay here,” she said quietly. “I’ll go inside and find Stavros. When I do, I’ll bring him out here and let him know you want to speak with him. Can you do that for me? Just give me a few minutes.”

Chuck nodded.

“Of course I can, Lou. I never had any intention of walking into that warehouse alone with him and his friends. I don’t know Stavros, and I definitely don’t trust him enough to do something like that.” He gave her a nervous smile. “I’ll just stand here and… well… you know. I’ll just stand here.”

Chuck had always intended to speak with Stavros outside the warehouse, surrounded by other people. There were workers moving throughout the shipping yard, trucks coming and going, and enough activity that any sudden aggression would be witnessed. He had no intention of walking into an enclosed building surrounded by Stavros’s people. Whatever happened, Chuck wanted witnesses nearby, and he wanted a clear path back to Lou’s car.

His nervous smile betrayed exactly how anxious he was feeling.

Lou smiled back and gently patted his chest a couple of times.

“Good. I’ll be back shortly. And Chuck…”

“Don’t move,” he finished with a faint grin.

“Exactly.”

“Staying right here, Lou.”

With that, Lou stepped through the wide warehouse entrance, leaving Chuck standing just outside.

The moment she walked inside, she heard the unmistakable sound of raised voices. Stavros’s father appeared to be berating his son over something, although she could only make out fragments of the conversation. Whatever had happened, it was obvious the older man was furious.

Lou raised her hand and called out, “Stavros!”

Both men immediately stopped arguing and turned toward her.

Yari Demetrios stood several inches shorter than his son, but what he lacked in height he more than made up for in presence. He was broader through the shoulders, carried himself with quiet authority, and had the unmistakable demeanor of a man accustomed to giving orders that were never questioned. Even from where she stood, Lou could see him pointing a finger directly into Stavros’s face, making it perfectly clear who was in charge.

As soon as Yari heard Lou’s voice, he stopped speaking. The deep frown on his face disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a broad, welcoming grin as he recognized her approaching across the warehouse floor. Without a second thought, he gently but firmly brushed Stavros aside and walked over to greet her himself.

“Lou! What a wonderful surprise,” he said warmly. “I didn’t realize you and my son were back together. This is excellent news.”

Lou couldn’t help but smile politely as Yari stepped forward and embraced her briefly before placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Ah, Lou, you look as radiant as ever,” he said, looking her over with genuine affection. “You wouldn’t happen to have brought a sandwich for this poor old man, would you?”

She laughed softly and shook her head.

“No, I didn’t, Mr. Demetrios. I only came to pick up some product from Stavros. If I’d known you were going to be here, I would have brought your favorite sandwich. I promise next time I’ll call ahead and be better prepared.”

Yari waved the apology away with a smile.

“No apology is necessary. It’s a pleasure just seeing you again and being greeted by that beautiful smile of yours.”

He glanced over his shoulder toward Stavros before looking back at Lou.

“Has my son been treating you properly? Sometimes I don’t think he recognizes a wonderful thing when it’s standing right in front of him. In fact, I know he doesn’t always think very clearly.”

As he spoke those last words, Yari slowly turned his head toward his son, giving him a pointed look that left no doubt who the remark was meant for.

Behind Yari and Lou, Stavros stood quietly beside a well dressed man in an expensive suit while several of Yari’s men remained nearby. Altogether, six men stood behind them, casually watching the conversation while pretending to keep themselves occupied.

As the brief reunion between Yari and Lou continued, Chuck remained outside the warehouse entrance, rocking nervously back and forth on the heels of his shoes. He whispered his plan to himself one last time, trying to calm his nerves, but curiosity finally got the better of him.

Slowly, he leaned his head around the edge of the doorway and looked inside.

The warehouse was enormous. Shipping containers and wooden crates were stacked on towering shelves while pallets of merchandise filled much of the open floor. His eyes instinctively swept the room from the ceiling to the ground, taking in every detail before finally settling on the group gathered near what appeared to be a small office built into one corner of the warehouse.

He immediately spotted Lou speaking with an older man who looked to be in his early sixties. Judging by how warmly the two greeted one another, Chuck assumed he had to be Stavros’s father.

His gaze drifted past them to the other men standing nearby.

There was nothing particularly unusual about any of them at first glance, but one man immediately caught his attention.

Chuck frowned. He knew that face. He was certain he had seen the man somewhere before. The problem was, he could not remember where.

He continued studying him, searching his memory. It made no sense. Chuck rarely came anywhere near the docks or the warehouse district, so there was no obvious reason he should recognize someone who worked there. Yet the feeling refused to go away. He knew that face, and the harder he thought about it, the more convinced he became that seeing the man here was not a coincidence.

Chuck’s mind began racing through everything he had seen over the past few days. Face after face flashed through his memory until, all at once, it came to him.

The FBI building.

San Diego.

The cafeteria.

He had seen that man sitting several tables away while he and Sarah were having lunch. At the time, the man had been looking down at his phone. Chuck had paid him no attention because he had been completely focused on Sarah.

Then another thought struck him. The photographs. His heart skipped a beat.

It was possible the man had been taking pictures of them that entire time.

Chuck could not be certain, but suddenly everything seemed to fit together. Stavros had somehow ended up with photographs that could only have been taken inside the FBI building. If this man had been there that day, then he could be the leak.

“Oh, shit,” Chuck whispered, barely moving his lips. “Shit, shit, shit.”

His pulse accelerated as the realization settled in. The last thing he wanted was for the man to look up and recognize him standing in the doorway. If that happened, Chuck had no idea what the man’s reaction would be, or what it might reveal about the photographs.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a warning surfaced with absolute clarity.

Chuck, stay in the car.

He didn’t argue with it.