by Jade Kuzma
Dorian kept pleading even though there was no sign the man was even listening.
“People’s lives are at stake!”
“Go away!”
“Shit…”
Dorian looked at me and widened his eyes like he was trying to ask me for answers. I shrugged my shoulders because I was just as clueless as he was.
“Maybe there’s someone else,” I said. “Maybe Petey knows somebody who can get more information.”
“We’re running out of time. The Cobras’ storage facility just went up in flames. If we wait any longer, something else will blow up. A clubhouse. The police station. Who knows what’s next?”
Seeing Dorian’s frustration didn’t make me feel any better about an already bad situation. His head was down with his hands on his hips. I figured if he asked for my help, I had to do what I could.
“Hey,” I said as I slapped the door. “Warlock! You listening to me?”
There was no response.
“We’re from Ivory,” I said. “There are federal agents in our town. They’re trying to figure out who’s responsible for some explosions.”
“Gina, what the fuck are you doing?” Dorian said.
“Relax. I got this.”
I smiled at Dorian and continued slapping the door.
“You hear me?” I said. “Federal agents. If you don’t open the door and talk to us, we’re gonna talk. They’re gonna come looking for you. Now… You can either talk to us now and let us be on our way once we’ve got our information. Or you can be stubborn and wait until the feds come knocking on your door. I’ll tell you one thing. They won’t be as nice as me. Believe me, I’ve met them.”
Dorian and I stared at one another as we waited for a response. It was completely silent in the alleyway.
Come on…
I was just about to give up when I heard a sound coming from the door. The lock was undone and the door slowly creaked open. I got a better look at the man attached to the eyes I just saw.
Warlock was balding with the little hair that he had long and stringy. His beard was unkempt and he looked like he stopped shaving his mustache halfway through.
He was in nothing but an undershirt and a pair of striped boxer shorts. A bathrobe did little to make him more modest.
“I’ll give you five minutes,” he said. “Make it quick.”
“That’s all we need,” Dorian replied.
We stepped into the darkened room. But as soon as Warlock flipped a switch, the lights shined on my surroundings.
“What the hell?”
It was a small white room without much inside of it. The walls were barren. The glass display cases were strangely empty.
I immediately began to wonder if this were the right place.
“Warlock?” I said. “You’re Warlock?”
“I said make it quick,” he responded.
Warlock reached for a bowl of cereal that was resting on one of the display cases and started eating it with his eyes locked on Dorian.
“Right…” Dorian said. “Do you know a Tommy Graham?”
“I don’t recall.”
“He might have been one of your customers.”
“If he’s one of my customers, I can’t disclose that information.”
“Look,” Dorian said. “A guy just blew up a storage facility in Ivory—”
“Ivory? That small hick town down south? Why the fuck would I care about Ivory?”
“Because,” Dorian said as he took a step toward Warlock. “The storage facility that blew up was destroyed by something you sold.”
“You can’t prove that.”
“Maybe I can’t. But like I said, it doesn’t matter what you can or can’t prove. The feds will come knocking sooner or later. They can trace it back to you. Unless you help me.”
“What the fuck do you want me to do then?”
“I just need to know if you sold to Tommy Graham and anybody with him, all right?”
Warlock begrudgingly put his bowl of cereal down. He moved behind the counter and pulled out a binder. Inside of it, there were sheets of paper with unintelligible scribbles on it.
“He bought some composition C4,” Dorian said.
“How much of it?”
“A lot. Enough to take down multiple buildings.”
Warlock fumbled through the messy binder until he found the page he was looking for.
“Right. That was a few weeks ago when he picked up the last shipment.”
“The last shipment?”
“Hey, it’s not like I have that shit in the back. You see how small this place is? That shit takes months to put together.”
“Graham was working with someone. Do you have any information on who the other man was?”
“I told you, I don’t document customer information. People dealing with me prefer a certain level of anonymity. Especially because of nosy punks like you.”
Warlock picked his bowl of cereal back up. Even though we’d found the man that Graham apparently purchased everything from, there was still another man out there and we didn’t know who he was.
I looked at Dorian and shrugged because I was all out of ideas.
“You can’t just deal with anybody,” Dorian said. “How do you know you’re not dealing with somebody who’s undercover?”
“Do I look like a smart man? Shit, I let some punk ass posing as a biker and his girlfriend in because they threatened me with going to the feds.”
“We’re not going to the feds. Not unless you help us out.”
“And what the fuck do you want me to do? They’re customers. They’re not my friends.”
“But you have to have some documentation on who they are. You don’t just sell to anybody.”
Warlock put his bowl of cereal back down and wiped his mustache with his palm.
“What a story,” he said as he shook his head. “Some building in Ivory blew up and you’re coming to me telling me I’m responsible.”
“You know what kind of business you’re in,” Dorian said. “I’m not judging you. But if you don’t want the feds coming down on you hard, then you’re gonna have to tell me who else was with Graham when he bought that shit.”
Warlock shook his head. He was clearly frustrated.
“You can check the security tapes,” he said. “That’s all I got. I don’t have any names or anything. Take it or leave it.”
“Okay,” Dorian said with a nod.
“This way.”
We made our way through a door on the side. We walked until we got into a small room with a computer in the corner. Warlock booted up the computer and started sorting through the files.
“Let’s see… That was a few weeks ago… Should be right around here.”
A video of the small room we were just in loaded up. Warlock was there at the counter talking to a man.
“That’s him,” Dorian said as he pointed. “That’s Graham.”
“Oh, right… I remember him,” Warlock said. “Twitchy motherfucker…”
“He was with somebody else.”
“Okay. Now I remember the guy he was with.”
“You remember him?”
“Big motherfucker. Scary, too. Serious look on his face. Never seen him smile once. Like he was constantly pissed off or something.”
“Did he come inside? Is he in the video?”
“He should be… There he is.”
I saw the figure of the other man come into view. I didn’t recognize him but he appeared to be as big as Warlock said he was.
“That’s him,” I said. “That’s the guy who did it.”
I turned to Dorian.
“Dorian?”
He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.
“Dorian, what’s wrong?”
There was a strange look in his eyes. He wasn’t blinking, his mouth half-open.
“It can’t be,” he whispered.
“Dorian?”
“It’s… It’s impossible.”
; “Dorian—”
“It’s Logan.”
“Logan? You mean Logan your friend? From high school?”
“Yeah…”
“I thought you said when you were on tour he got shot and—”
“I thought so, too. It’s impossible…”
“Didn’t you say you had to leave him behind? Isn’t it possible that he somehow… survived?”
Dorian turned to me. He looked like he had seen a Ghost. If Logan were alive, that was apparently the case.
“He didn’t say what his name was?” Dorian asked Warlock.
“My customers prefer anonymity. I don’t ask their names. I only ask for the money.”
“But there had to be something. A credit card transaction. A bank statement. Something to verify his identity.”
“He paid me in cash.”
Dorian continued to stare at the video in disbelief.
“It doesn’t make sense…”
“Time’s up,” Warlock said. “You got what you came for.”
“Come on,” I said to Dorian, putting an arm around his. “Let’s go.”
Warlock led us back out of the small room.
“You didn’t hear nothing from me,” Warlock said.
He slammed the door shut, leaving us out in the alley by ourselves.
“That man is a menace to society,” I sighed. “They should lock him up, too, when this is all over.”
Dorian didn’t look like he was listening to me. He just kept staring at the ground in disbelief.
“Dorian…”
What the hell could I say to him? A friend he thought was dead was back. And apparently, he was blowing up buildings in the town we lived in.
I felt a sudden raindrop fall down on me. I stuck my hand out and felt the rain on my palm.
“Figures,” I sighed. “Dorian, please… I don’t know what you’re thinking right now. But can we at least get out of the rain.”
He turned his head up and nodded.
When we got back to my car, I wasn’t sure about what to do or where to go with the new information. The only thing I cared about at the moment was helping Dorian deal with whatever it was he was thinking.
Chapter 20
DORIAN
Bars in the city weren’t like the ones in Ivory. Back in Ivory, people were just looking to kick back and enjoy a drink. Maybe they were looking to start shit and prove how big their dicks were. Maybe they were looking for some slut to use like a hole. Clubhouse bars were home to guys you just didn’t want to fuck with.
But here?
Things were different. It was like being in a different world. The guys wore dress shirts and skinny jeans. They looked like they spent as much time on their hair as the women. The women wore too much makeup. I guess they needed it for all of the fucking selfies they took.
It took longer than I wanted before Gina and I found a normal bar I could get a drink in.
She sat across the table in front of me but I wasn’t looking at her. My focus was on the small shot glass with the whiskey in it.
“Fuck…”
I sighed to myself as I pounded the shot down. The sting of the alcohol brought back memories of so many years ago.
“It’s been a long time since you drank,” she said.
“Too long.”
I sighed a deep breath and looked up at her. The concern on her face hurt me. I knew she cared about me. She was the only person there for me when I needed her the most.
But right now, even she couldn’t help me with all of the shit running through my head.
“What’s going on?” she said. “Talk to me.”
“Why don’t you have a drink?” I said, changing the subject.
“I have to drive. Somebody has to be the responsible one.”
“Yeah… It’s definitely not me.”
I held the empty shot glass up and stared into it.
“Are you sure it was him?” she asked.
“I’m sure. I’ve known the guy since he was a teenager.”
“The footage on the camera was a little grainy…”
“It was him. It makes sense.”
“It does?”
I was trying to get over it. It didn’t make much sense. But when I put the pieces together in my head, everything fit.
“I’m the only one connected to everything,” I said. “I’m a Reaper. It would make sense to pin the explosion of the Cobras’ warehouse on me.”
“What about Amy’s?”
“You,” I said as I pointed at her. “You’re here with me now. You were there with me at the clubhouse when Graham was spying on you. Logan is following me.”
“But why? Why would he try to frame you for all of this? I thought he was your friend.”
“I thought so, too. But the last time I ever saw him, I left him bloody on the battlefield. I… I left him…”
“Dorian… That’s not your fault. You said that you were following orders—”
“That’s the fucking problem!”
I raised my voice enough to draw the attention from some of the other patrons in the bar. But I regained my focus and calmed down when I saw the worry on Gina’s face.
“What are you gonna do?” she asked.
“What else can I do? We’re heading back to Ivory.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “You can’t do that. That’s exactly what he wants. He’s going to pin it on you.”
“I have to go back eventually. There’s something he wants. I don’t know what he’s up to. But I know this has everything to do with me. I’m the only one connected to everything that happened so far.”
“I don’t know if I like this plan, Dorian.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
Gina looked at me with that innocent look on her face. She was so fucking gorgeous. It hurt me to see how worried she was.
I put the shot glass back down on the table and stood up.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go back. If I keep drinking, I’m just gonna do something else stupid.”
“You haven’t done anything stupid, Dorian. Your friend… Logan… If he’s the one behind all of this, then he’s the one to blame. Don’t you see—”
I’d already had enough.
I stormed out of the bar as fast as I could.
“Dorian!”
She called out to me but I ignored her.
As soon as I got outside, the rain poured down on me. It only took a second before I was soaking wet. I didn’t give a shit though.
“Dorian! Wait!”
I kept walking toward her car in the parking lot as she followed behind me. Even with Gina, I was still distracted. She wasn’t enough to get my mind off of everything that happened.
“Dorian… Please…”
I stood next to her car. She caught up to me and stood by my side. Her hand against my arm, Gina slowly made me turn toward her.
“I let him down,” I said, trying to hold back everything building up inside of me. “I should have stayed there with him. I should have tried to save him.”
“You couldn’t have saved him. You know that. You’re only a man. You’re not some invincible hero who can save everybody.”
“I could have done something, Gina… I…”
“Dorian…”
She put her hand up to my cheek. Her rain-soaked palm was so soft despite the downpour. I closed my eyes and dropped my head, trying to deal with all of the emotions that I’d been holding back this whole time.
“I let him down,” I said. “I let him down. And now he’s gone crazy.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“He was my friend. He was my friend and I gave up on him. He was the only one who cared about me after high school was over.”
“I care about you, Dorian. I care.”
I looked into her eyes. Even with the rain on her face, I could still see the tears coming from the corners of her eyes.
My head wasn’t on right. I wasn’t thinking straight. Gina wa
s the only thing that seemed to make any sense.
“I can’t,” I said. “I can’t do this to you. You were right. Let’s head back to Ivory and I’ll turn myself in. If I do that, Logan will leave you out of this.”
“No. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you. I’m here with you until the end.”
“Gina—”
She put her hands on my face and pulled me close. Her lips pressed to mine. Her kiss was so soft and so wet… It was enough to make me forget about everything.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “I’m here…”
I put my arms around her and pulled her close. My tongue moved into her mouth as our kiss got deeper.
Nothing mattered anymore. There was nothing I could do to save Logan. All I wanted now was to enjoy this moment with Gina.
We stumbled into the backseat of her car. I fell on my back. Our clothes soaked, we fumbled with our jeans until we managed to lower them down enough. My cock was rock hard. Her pussy was soaking wet. In the darkness of her cramped backseat, Gina climbed on top of me and positioned my shaft near her folds.
I grunted as she lowered herself down on me. I was cold from the rain but her pussy was warm. I started throbbing from how tight she wrapped herself around me.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m here… I’m here for you…”
She started rocking her hips back and forth. The way she grinded on me was like something out of a dream. The car shook underneath us. Anybody passing us by would have seen but I didn’t give a shit. I wanted this moment now more than anything.
I reached my hands up her waist and cupped her breasts. She peeled her wet shirt off of herself and lowered her bra so I could touch her bare skin.
“Squeeze them,” she said as she continued to ride me. “Squeeze my tits…”
I firmed my grip on her breasts as she started to increase her pace on me.
“Harder…” she sighed. “It’s okay… Do it…”
I tightened my palms on her tits as she rode me. I squeezed her like I didn’t want to let go. One of my hands instinctively moved up to her throat. I wrapped my fingers around her neck and pulled her close. She gasped and started choking as I tightened my grip on her.
She gritted her teeth. Her eyes were shut tight. But Gina rode me with the same eager enthusiasm she had this entire time.
“Come… Come inside of me…”