Page 57 of Claymore
“Well, I didn’t think you were here to give me a birthday card. It was yesterday, by the way,” he spat.
“Happy belated birthday.”
“Who’s this?” he asked Tank, pointing at me.
“His name is Claymore. He’s a Rebel, and we’re just here because we need to track someone down, immediately. Do you think you can help me or am I just wasting my time here?”
Tank was fuming, his skin flushed red under the fluorescent kitchen lighting, and I knew he was moments from beating this guy to a pulp. Don wasn’t what I expected when Tank told me about him. I pictured a hulking man in inconspicuous clothes with a strong sense of his surroundings. Instead, I was met with a short man with glasses, his button-down shirt reminiscent of the kind accountants wear.
He trudged over to the kitchen, making himself an evening peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cutting the crusts off like a child.
“It depends, Tank. You know I like a pretty penny. I’ve been trying to get out of this ducking apartment for too damn long. All of my other safe houses just aren’t safe anymore, especially after what happened.”
“What happened?”
“There’s a woman. Tall, jet black hair, canines like a fucking vampire. She had her goons track me down, trying to find someone.”
“Who?” Tank asked.
“You know I can’t answer that.”
“This woman, is her name Fang?”
He stopped mid-bite to stare at me, his eyes wide, his lips pressed together like he didn’t expect that name to come out of my mouth.
“All right, Tank. You and your friend here have piqued my interest. You know about her, so you probably can tell just how fucking scary she is. You double her price, you get answers.”
“I don’t care who she’s interested in finding. I need to find her.”
“Well, match her price,” said Don.
Tank groaned, resting his chin in the palm of his hand while his elbow sunk into the table.
“Fine. You’ve got a dealifyour information is useful.”
Don’s eyes lit up like he could sense just how much money he could make.
“I don’t know where she is right now, but I’ll find her. Last I saw, she was gathering a few fresh faces to add to her growing club of Lions. The Kings have also joined forces with her, but judging from the look on your face, you already knew that.”
“You’ve seen Ray?”
“No, I haven’t. I asked her about him because I saw the Kings’ sigil, but she kept her responses short. He’s out there. Not sure where, but somewhere. Fang was looking for some bitch named Dani. No idea who she is yet. However, like I do with all of my clients, I have a little dossier on Fang you might want. That is, for an additional fee,” Don muttered, smiling.
“Let me see it.”
He walked over to his black carbon-fiber desk, grabbing the red folio and handing it to Tank. He flipped through it, his eyebrows raising like there was some real useful shit in there.
“I’ll take it. Now, find Fang and you’ll get your fucking money.”
“That’s not the deal we—”
Tank picked his gun up, pointing it directly between Don’s eyes, and he looked like he was gonna piss himself.
“Yeah. Yeah, you got it.”
“One more thing, Don.”
“What?”
