Page 14 of Salvation

“Safe,” I said with a shrug, pulling Vicky up my lap that little bit more, making her body flush with mine. She twisted her head and grinned up at me, her smile almost victorious.

“No. Hewassafe. Now he’s God knows where, with God knows who. Try again. Answer incorrectly, and I’ll empty the rest of these bullets into your thick, useless skull.”

“I see motherhood hasn’t made you any sweeter. Last time you shot me, it was only my leg that paid the price.”

“Motherhood has made me more aware of potential dangers,” she said without missing a beat. “Actually… I’ve changed my mind. I won’t use all these bullets on you.”

“No?” I raised one of my eyebrows at her.

“No. I’ll be saving one for that useless vice president of yours. Where is he hiding, anyway? He put a hole in my neck. It’s only right I return the favour.”

“Hey!” Vienna snapped, poking his head up from behind the bar. “My hole was the size of a pinprick. That bullet would take my entire neck out.”

“Was that supposed to dissuade me?” She replied, turning the gun on him.

“You’d ruin my lovely beard if you went and shot me in the neck.”

She did her best to fight the smile that twitched at her lips, but she was failing miserably. I sent a silent prayer to whatever God was listening that she had actually made friends here. That would make my job much easier.

“Your beard is fucking hideous,” she replied, making Vienna stumble backwards, clutching his chest as though he was in pain.

“Right, that’s it. Shoot her, Dante. She’s a liar of the highest order.” Rachel bit down on her inner cheeks, her lips pursing as she fought the laughter Vienna always brought out of her. And with her distracted, I decided to strike.

She twisted on me, as I knew she would.

“Sit back down,” she hissed as I pushed Vicky off my knee, ignoring her gasps of protest, and made a step towards Rachel.

“I think we need to talk. Would you rather we did it in front of the entire club, or am I permitted to ask you to follow me into the back so we can continue this in private?”

“I only want to know where my son is. You can give his location in front of everyone here. After all,someof them have been privy to much more private situations. Eh, Hacksaw?” She glared at him, finally noticing him in the crowd.

“Hey… How err… How you doing, Rachel?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck, a sheepish expression on his face.

“Rachel, come on,” I said softly, gesturing to the back of the bar where the house began. “You can bring the gun with you if it makes you feel any better.”

“And you’ll tell me where my son is?”

“The exact co-ordinates.”

“And what possible reason could I have to doubt you? You’ve been nothing but honest in the past. A real, upstanding citizen.”

“I’m not telling you whereourson is until we’ve talked. The choice is yours. But I do have somewhere to be today, so if we could hurry this up…”

“Fine,” she sighed, pushing her way through the crowd. As she approached Vicky, she swung to the side and shoulder barged her, sending her backwards into the bar.

“Excuse you,” Vicky hissed.

Rachel didn’t miss a beat. She spun around and aimed her gun at Vicky’s feet, firing a shot on the floor next to them.

See? There was never any danger of Rachel shooting me. She acts without thinking.

Vicky screamed in response and scrambled onto a barstool, looking at Rachel in shock, her breathing heavy.

“No. Excuseyou,” Rachel laughed before following me through the archway into the house.

I heard Vienna laugh before he started taking the piss out of Vicky’s “stupid, scared face.”

Those two definitely did not get along like he and Rachel had.

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