Page 75 of Faded Rhythm

I squeeze the trigger.

The click startles the man so much, he starts trembling.

“Now, let’s try this again,” I say, low and menacing. “Who the fuck sent you here? I promise, you won’t hear the next one.”

“Okay. Okay. Dime.”

I keep my poker face on, but inside, I’m reeling.

Something isn’t adding up.

“Why?”

“You gotta askhim,” the man says. “I was told to watch and report back. That’s it.”

I hit him, too. Not as hard as the first one, but he goes down easy. I drag him over to his partner and cover them with a tarp before I jog back inside, adrenaline coursing through me like water.

The second Sable sees my face, she stands. “Julian?”

“We’re leaving,” I say.

The girls groan in unison.

“But we didn’t do the ferris wheel yet!”

“And we were gonna get snow cones!”

Sable eyes me, then turns to the girls.

“Pack it up,” she says. “It’s time to go.”

They whine for about ten seconds before she gives them The Look. They reluctantly gather their plates and head over to bin to dispose of them.

“What happened?” Sable asks me.

“Not here. Let’s go.”

She nods.

As we move back toward the car, I keep my hand close to my gun and my eyes on the crowd. The music sounds louder now. The carnival lights seem brighter.

I don’t relax until we’re on the road, but I’m not at ease. Something about this is off, and I need to figure it out quick.

30

Sable

The girls are finallydown for their nap, curled up together in the same bed like two little puppies. I close the door quietly and pad down the hallway. The air in Julian’s house is so still, it makes my thoughts feel louder than they are.

I wanna know what happened.

I find him sitting at the kitchen island, thumbing through his phone like he’s digging for something he can’t quite find. He looks up when I enter, but his facial expression remains stoic.

“Well?” I say.

He sets his phone down. “Two men following us. He said Dime sent them.”

“Dime?” I shake my head. “Nowhe’sinvolved in this?”

---