Page 11 of Freaks
Zeth and I weren’t just cut from the same cloth. We’d been cast from the same mold, and that mold had cracked asunder and broken once it had finishing forging the two of us. We were the last of a dying breed—not only strong, not only fiercely loyal, but quick-witted and calculating, too. We were as smart as we were lethal with our fists, and that combination made us a force to be reckoned with. I skirted the vehicle and punched in the access code to the door, every part of me wary, my focus homed in on the man standing behind me as I pulled back the slab of steel and stepped to one side, making way for him.
“We’re going all the way up,” I said.
“Of course we are.” He prowled inside. I was following right behind him when the cell in my back pocket began to buzz. I drew out the device and was seconds away from hitting the ‘decline call’ button when I saw the image on the screen: Bugs Bunny, holding a half-gnawed carrot up to his grinning mouth as if it were a cigar.
“Take it if you need to. Loony Tunes characters get a little crazy when you ignore them,” Zeth jibed.
“Yeah. And this particular rabbit’s already fucking insane as it is.” I exhaled a hard, displeased sigh down my nose. “Wait for me at the very top floor. I won’t be a second.”
Zeth’s boots made light scraping, scuffing sounds as he climbed ahead without me, the black duffel bag he was carrying in his right hand swinging as he reached the top of the first flight and turned the corner, disappearing out of sight.
I clenched my jaw, stabbing at the green ‘accept call’ button, and then I held the cell to my ear. “What is it?” I snarled.
Rabbit’s irritatingly smug voice buzzed against my ear drum. “That’s no way to greet a friend.”
“We’re not—” I stopped myself, biting back the words. Somewhere along the road, Rabbit had gotten it into his head that we were going to be best pals. More than anything, I wanted to burst the guy’s bubble, but that would be counterproductive. Once he had the thumb drive and he’d told us who Carver hired to pick up Sera’s job, I’d be putting him over my knee and tanning his ass like the little punk ass piece of shit that he was. Until then, I had to play nice.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s been a really long night, Rabbit. How can I help you?” It almost caused me physical pain to be polite. He had no idea the trouble he’d caused over at The Barrows. He could have just accepted the money and kept things neat and tidy, but no. He’d had to fuck with me and make absurd demands. See, this was the problem with love. It weakened a man. Made him vulnerable. Had him agreeing to stupid requests he would otherwise normally have laughed at.
“Just wanted to make sure you’d survived the night,” Rabbit mused. “Heard reports that there was some crazy shit going down at The Barrows. Apparently, someone riled Oscar Finch so bad, he personally shoved two of his best body guards off the roof. Brothers, I think.”
I almost snorted. Oscarhadbeen boiling mad when Zeth and I walked away from the rooftop like we owned the damn place. No one had been standing watch by the front door—I’d made a mental note of that when we’d jogged across the road and jumped into the Camaro. Sounded like Falco and Foster had borne the brunt of Finch’s notorious wrath. I allowed myself the brief luxury of wondering if their heads had exploded like watermelons as they’d hit the sidewalk. Served ’em right, the bastards.
“I’m just fine. Thanks for checking in,” I drawled. The truth was even the roots of my hair were aching, and every time I tried to draw in a deep breath, it felt like someone was stabbing a rusty screwdriver between my ribs, but I wasn’t going to tell fucking Rabbit that. As far as he was concerned, I hadn’t even broken a sweat while obtaining the thumb drive, and it was staying that way.
“Glad to hear it.” There was a repetitive sound in the background, as if Rabbit was clicking a pen. “So, where are you? What are you doing right now?”
I scowled. The kid was like a needy fucking girlfriend. “I’m home. I actually just found out about this revolutionary thing called sleep. Heard of it? I thought I might try it out for a couple of hours, see what happened.”
Rabbit’s high-pitched, unbalanced rattle of laughter set my teeth on edge. “Ah, yeah. Sleep. I wouldn’t recommend it. You know what happens when men sleep, Fix? The world has this annoying habit of continuing to spin on its axis, hurtling around the sun with complete disregard for the fact that us dreamers are no longer paying any attention. Problems develop. Assassins find their marks. People end up getting killed…”
My hand tightened around the cell. “What are you saying? Is Carver’s guy close?” I’d figured I’d trade off the drive for the information later in the afternoon, once I’d had time to check in with Sera and make sure she was okay. Weirdly, Rabbit hadn’t even asked about the drive. He’d held up his end of the bargain, though. He knew something about Carver. He wouldn’t bait me with such poorly veiled comments, otherwise.
“Yeah. I’d say Carver’s guy’s a lot closer than you think,” Rabbit said, his tone a little too high pitched. “I heard you made yourself a friend at the fights last night? Someone…from out of town?”
A powerful, bleak wave of fear slammed into me, pushing against my chest, refusing to let me breathe.
Oh god.
Oh my fucking god.
Was he serious? He sounded fucking serious.
My head whipped around, my eyes moving up the stairs after Zeth. After the man I’d just allowed access into the Eddison Gas and Electrical Works. Who wouldn’t have been able to get in here otherwise. No. No fucking way…
My heart stood still, but I did not.
I dropped the phone.
I didn’t hear it hit the ground.
I didn’t hear my own ragged breath as I threw myself up the stairs after him.
I didn’t hear a thing, because it was too late.
My ears were ringing with the sound of shotgun a blast.
FOUR
