Page 25 of Being Lost

“Does ‘this’ include targeting women?” I shift so Jim can see the glint of the gun tucked into my belt.

His eyes widen.

We don’t normally carry in our territory unless there’s a need. Cops love nothing more than to stop us when riding wearing our colours, and the possession of a gun without a licence is reason enough for us to end up in the tank. Licences are only awarded to people of good moral character in San Diego, and the patch I’m wearing is reason enough to believe I’m not an angel—probably fair enough. But tonight, I’ve come prepared for anything.

“I don’t target women,” Jim says a little more strongly, as if willing me to believe his words.

I straighten and casually fold my arms. “Got reports that you were indeed following someone. See, the thing is, Jim, we don’t like women being hurt. A woman disappeared from this very parking lot the other week.” It’s pure fabrication, but he’s not to know that. “Not having any more women fall out of sight on our watch. There’s a market for women being trafficked, Jim. A market we don’t like.” I’m trying to paint a picture of Devils’ doing their civic duty and having no particular interest in the woman he was following. If he believes me, it might just save his life and spare me from burying his body. While Jim can’t see him, I catch the grin crossing Salem’s face, and Niran coughs to cover what I’m certain is a snort.

“I’m not involved in anything like that,” he spits out. “I’d never hurt a woman.” To his credit, the idea appears to fill him with disgust.

“The thing is,” Dart’s voice sounds beside me, picking up on what I’d said, “you were watched for a while and you were visiting the same shops as she did, and waiting for her to come out of the coffee shop. If that’s not homing in on someone, I don’t know what is.”

“She’s old as fuck.” His eyes have widened. “No one would traffic someone like her unless they were desperate.” As I stiffen, he ignores me and continues, “Look, you’ve got this all ass backward. I’ve done nothing wrong. Now, let me go, please.” He whines as he begs. “I want no trouble with your club.”

“What you want and what you’re going to get are two different things,” I warn him. “As far as I can see, you were following a defenceless woman half of the day inside, and then out into a deserted parking lot as it was growing dark. If you weren’t going to snatch her, what were you following her for? Fancy a bit of older pussy, or did you think she might have money to feed the demon in your head?”

His eyes flick wildly between us, and he doesn’t miss the way Niran flexes his muscular arms, nor that he’s clenched his fists.

Suddenly, his facial expression changes. I recognise the look, it’s sly and calculating. “You’re right, I need cash. She looked like she might have a few dollars. I was going to ask her, that’s all.”

Pennywise tightens the grip on his arms. Jim jerks backwards, realising we’re not going to fall for his lie.

“Want me to soften him up?” Salem drawls.

“No, no. Please. If I tell you the truth, will you let me go?” His gaze again lands on my face, and there’s a hint of desperation in it.

I shrug. “Depends whether I like what I’m hearing. But I tell you this, Jim, man-to-man like, if I don’t like what I hear, you’ll never again have to worry about where your next fix is coming from.”

I’m getting fed up. We’re wasting time when I want to check that Patsy got home safely. The sincerity of my promise clearly shows on my face as the shoulders of the man in front of me slump. “My dealer suggested I could earn some easy money.”

“Doing what?” I prompt.

“Finding a woman. If you let me go, I can give you proof.”

“What are you going to do if I release you?” I ask instead.

“Get out my phone.”

I jerk my head toward Niran, who goes for the pocket where a rectangular shape shows. Gingerly, he pulls out a wallet and the device Jim was after. Another tilt of my chin and Salem and Pennywise release him, and Niran hands him his phone. Dart takes the wallet and starts looking through it.

Jim looks defeated as he eyes Dart, suspecting he’s about to be robbed, but the glare in my eyes has him tapping on the screen. He calls up WhatsApp and turns it to face me. On the screen is a picture of Patsy.

“If I find her and discover where she’s living, I’ll get a thousand bucks. That’s decent dough man. I could do a lot with that.”

He’d buy a fuckload of drugs if I’m not mistaken. “Why were you asked?”

“It’s not just me. The same offer is being made to anyone who buys from my man. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw her today, knew I just had to follow her home. That’s it, man, I swear to you. I wasn’t going to hurt her, just find out where her place was. I couldn’t miss out on the bread. But,” he looks around the parking lot as if hoping to see Patsy waiting there and shakes his head, “she’s long gone now.”

“So you, what?” Dart asks, eerily calmly. “You hang around malls hoping to spot a woman to earn yourself a thousand bucks? Didn’t that request strike you as fuckin’ suspicious? What did you think was going to happen to her?”

Another rise and fall of his shoulders. “Thought it might be she’s run out on her man, and he wants to make sure she’s okay.”

He’d probably just thought of that as an excuse right now. Junkie like him wouldn’t care who he was sacrificing if he got his money. He’d probably sell his mother for the chance to score.

“You could be right.” I send Dart a quick look full of warning. If Jim is going to live out the night, he can’t know our specific interest in the woman he was following. “Or, you could be wrong. Either way, it’s not right.”

“Prez?”

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