Page 65 of Reckless At Raleigh High
He’s hit the nail on the head. There’s no way Alex can be the one to take down Jake with the cops already watching him like a hawk. He’ll be the first person they suspect, no matter what, and they’ll throw the book at him this time. He’s on very thin ice as far as the law is concerned. It won’t take much for Alex to wind up with a lengthy prison sentence on his hands. His life will effectively be over. Still, he’s absolutely hating this. Like,hatingit.
In an attempt to break the staring contest that’s taking place between Alex and Zeth, I gingerly ask, “How much do you normally get paid for this kind of thing anyway, Mr…uh…Mayfair?”
Zeth’s eyes glide over to me, cool and assessing. “I have no idea whatthis kind of thingis, Miss Parisi. I run a boxing gym in Seattle. If you’re asking how much the monthly membership fee is, then our prices are available on our website.”
“You have awebsite?”
He huffs out a solitary laugh. “No. No, we do not.”
“Why are you even still here?” Alex asks. “You got your bag back. You have a life in Seattle by the sounds of things. Isn’t it time you were thinking about leaving town?”
Zeth’s eyes come alive with interest as he sits up and leans closer to us across the table. “You thinking about running me out of Raleigh, kid? You should make up your mind. One second you want me to kill someone for you. The next, you want me gone. I don’t deal well with mixed signals.”
I look around nervously, hoping to god no one heard him just say that. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about killing people,” I hiss. “No one said anything aboutkillinganyone.”
Zeth casually leans back, slouching in his seat again. “So, you just want me to break a couple of bones? Knock out some of his teeth? Put the fear of god into him?” His tone is mocking.
“We want to know about the deal Jacob’s father made with the DEA,” I say. “We want to figure out a way to make sure Jake’s punished for all the terrible shit he’s done. Legally.”
Zeth pulls the straw out of his milkshake, wiping the pink cream from it on his napkin, then slides it into his mouth. He chews on the end of it thoughtfully. “Could tickle him too, if you like.”
Oh god. This is not going well. “Look, you were the one who said I was better off leaving the Jacob situation to you when you took that gun from my dad earlier.”
I wait, studying his face, watching for some sign of emotion, but none appears. “I did say that, didn’t I.”
“If you’re just gonna be unhelpful and rude then Alex is right. You probably should just go—”
“Easy, sweetheart. Easy now.” Zeth pulls the straw out of his mouth and uses it to point at me. “Would you call in a demolitions expert to knock down a partition wall?”
“Uh…probably not.”
“I’m not the kind of guy you hire to accomplish what you’re looking to accomplish, sweetheart. I’m definitely not the kind of guy you hire to accomplish things legally, either. But that’s all irrelevant, ’cause I didn’t come here to be interviewed. I’m not looking for work. Like I said…I run a boxing gym in Seattle.”
I’m glad we’re in public. If we weren’t, I’m pretty sure Alex would try and kill this guy. He’s turned a threatening shade of purple. “We’re wasting our time,Argento. Come on. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“No need to get bent out of shape,” Zeth quips. “I have a personal interest where the DEA’s concerned. This Lowell guy…what do you know about him?”
Alex sets his jaw. “That he’s an asshole who’s probably gonna wind up dead. The DEA are the ones prosecuting Caleb Weaving, but this guy’s trying to clear Jake’s name. He wants to discredit Silver. I think he has links to my father, too.”
Zeth shrugs a shoulder, turning his head to look out at the unfriendly, wet night on the other side of the window. Down Main Street, the trees, still trussed up with sparkling Christmas lights, sway and shake as the wind howls toward the north. “Wherever Giacomo Moretti goes, trouble soon follows,” he says mildly. “If Jack’s around and there’s a bad smell in the air, it’s a safe bet that he’s causing the stink.” Zeth inhales, abruptly turning back to face us. His eyes flicker first to me, and then to Alex, and then he’s on his feet, pulling a wallet out of his jeans pocket. “All right, then.”
He lays a twenty-dollar bill down on the table and begins to walk away.
“All right, then?” I call after him. “What does that mean,all right, then?”
The guy pauses, closing his wallet and stuffing it into his back pocket. “Means I’ll see what I can do,” he says gruffly. “In the meantime, stay the hell away from Weaving. And Lowell if you can help it. Better for you if you just lock yourself in that big old house and don’t come out ’til spring.”
He goes, and with him goes the tension that’s been leaching the life and color out of the diner. Next to me, Alex grips hold of the teaspoon in his hand so hard he bends the metal. “What’s that saying?” he grumbles through his teeth. “Better the devil you know? Well, I don’t trust any of these shady motherfuckers.”
34
SILVER
“Don’t forget, students. Our ‘James Bond: Spies and Villains’evening is fast approaching. This Friday, dust off your slickest suits and your sparkliest dresses and join in the revelry at Raleigh High’s senior prom! Tickets will be on sale until Wednesday afternoon. Remember, those of you whose academic records prevent them from attending prom, there’s still time to bring up your GPA with some extra credit assignments. Visit your counselor today and—”
I smirk as I head down the hallway toward History. Principal Darhower’s assistant, Karen, is usually as quiet as a mouse. She has a hard time making eye contact with you when she speaks to you, and any time she has to deal with a student’s parents, she blushes furiously. She sounds like aGood Morning Americapresenter when she voices the announcements over the new PA system, though. You can practically hear her Hollywood smile being transmitted through the shitty, crackling speakers.
A group of guys hover outside Jacob Weaving’s locker, even though their hallowed leader is still banished from school grounds, thanks to my father’s recent hysterics; all of them members of the football team, they glare hatefully at Alex, as he approaches from the opposite direction. He stands almost a foot taller than the other students in the vicinity, who are all bustling, jamming presentation folders and books into their backpacks as they hurry to make it to their first class.
