Chapter 18

It was nearing midnight but Nick James couldn’t fall asleep. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but it was impossible. He kept tossing and turning until finally he gave up and pulled on a pair of pants and shirt. At the kitchen table, he dropped ice cubes into a large glass and added a generous portion of whiskey.

He nursed the powerful concoction, hoping it would calm his frazzled nerves enough to allow him to get some sleep. His paranoia was driving him nuts. He had the feeling he was being followed everywhere he went, and that the world was closing in on him. It started with the phone call from that female blogger who wanted to question him about the fake coin sale, and grew until it was almost unbearable.

The whiskey failed to calm his frayed nerves. He couldn’t ignore his gut instinct, which told him his paranoia was genuine, that the police were onto his fraudulent activities. They could be coming to arrest him at any time, like tonight. He tried to still the panic moving through his body and negating the effects of the whiskey. He looked outside through the kitchen window to prove to himself his fears were groundless, and when he saw two men get out of a car and head towards his townhouse his heart stopped, paralysing him, but not for long.

He rushed to the bedroom closet and pulled out his Go bag. There was no need to check its contents. It held everything he needed to make a quick get-away, a couple of changes of clothes, a fake set of ID, and a bundle of cash so he wouldn’t have to use a credit card.

When Nick James backed out of the garage he noticed the lights come on in another car parked down the street. It didn’t bother him. Anybody who dared to challenge his Porsche 911 sports car, with its turbo-charged motor, superior suspension and handling would be eating its dust.