Page 8 of Ignite
I spot Jakey nestled in a corner by the kitchens, our two backpacks—everything we own—tucked under one arm as he knits another pair of rainbow-colored gloves. A breath of relief rushes through my parted lips.Right where I left him.
Jakey enjoys knitting when he’s in a good mood, which is most of the time. Other times, he’s battling monsters in his head—hallucinations from a past filled with too many drugs.
His head tips up, his floppy knitted hat nearly falling off his silvery locks of hair. He’s wearing fingerless gloves, his stained brown jacket, sweatpants, and sneakers with holes in the toes, showing off dirty socks that I swear were white two weeks ago.
I frown.Need to get Jakey some new clothes soon.
“My precious Ezra is home.” He smiles, and it crinkles the black and blue bruises around his eyes. He’s got a cut along his ear, too, right above the starburst piercing I gave him because he said he wanted to look cool like me. Who was I to deny him his happiness?
When I’d first arrived at this shelter, people warned me to keep my distance. Old Jakey was senile. Jakey saw fairies. Jakey had scratched people. Bit them, too.
But Jakey had recognized me for what I was—shattered on the inside. No better than a feral animal clawing my way through life, failing to pick up on normal human behaviors.
He’d asked for my name, and when I told him I didn’t have one anymore, he gave me one.
Ezra.
I liked it instantly. It was pretty. It was the first gift I’d ever received. More importantly, it had belonged to Jakey’s son, long gone from this world, so I knew it held special meaning.
I had meaning for once.
Plopping down on my butt right in front of him, I rest my hands on his bony shins. I’m not one for touching, but it’s how Jakey knows it’s me and not a monster or a changeling or someone out to beat him down for food or money.
“Damn. I’m worn out, Jakey. I think I need a nap.” I crack my neck and curl my body over his legs like a child in need of affection. “How was your day?”
“It was wonderful, Ezra.” He pats a gloved hand on my hair. “I finished a scarf for you. Now I don’t have to worry about you being so cold when you go out on adventures.”
Fighting back a sting of tears, I rise up to accept the rainbow scarf he holds out for me and snuggle my face into the warm, soft fabric. Sparks of joy light up Jakey’s good eye. The left one has an ever-growing milky sheen. I’ve been keeping watch on it. Not that there’s much I can do for him.
“It’s perfect, Jakey.” I sniffle. “I love it so much.”
Beaming, he gets back to knitting his mittens, his gnarled fingers working at impressive speed.
“Have you eaten today?” I ask, glancing at the kitchens where I spot a worker with a hair net stirring a large, steaming pot of something that smells a bit spicy and rich. Maybe chili.
“Not sure,” Jakey admits, like food isn’t essential to survival. Usually, the workers were better about making sure he ate.
I give his shins a light tap. “I’m gonna clean myself up and get us some food. Then I gotta go out again, okay?”
“Course. You’re such a hardworking boy. I’m so proud of you. My Ezra!” Jakey shouts my name, and the closest table of people shake their heads at him. Senile Jakey, at it again.
My chest tightens. Shit. I really love this old dude. I’d do anything to keep him safe.
Which means I’ll have to find a way inside of Sinro Enterprises, even if my research proved just how truly fucked I am. The company specializesin security consulting, training, intelligence, and combat operations. They were professionals, for god’s sake.
After I retrieve a bowl of chili and cornbread for Jakey, I sprawl out on the floor, using the scarf he made me as a pillow, knowing when I wake up I’ll have to deal with this clusterfuck of a situation I’ve gotten us into.
CHAPTER FOUR
EZRA
This was a suicide mission.
I spend half a day circling the steel and glass wonder of Sinro Enterprises before I come to the disheartening conclusion that there is no way I’m sneaking in anywhere but through the front doors. Heavy gates block off the parking garage entrances, and all the side doors are tucked behind stone walls, locked down with biometric security.
Sometimes you had to walk directly into the fire, and if you put out the right energy, nobody blinked twice in your direction.
Buttoned up in a hunter green dress shirt and black slacks I’d swiped from a tux shop, I stride into the expansive, granite lobby. I permit myself a few seconds to appreciate the grandeur, watching a dual set of glass elevators rise and fall in the center of the proud building.
