“Wait! What? Aaron!” Her eyes were wide and frightened, I nodded at her as I headed out.
“Trust me, hit him hard. I’ll be back in two, I have to get his friend before he wakes up.”
I heard her screech as I left. Stranger number one was coming around as I got there. I gave him a sharp punch, knocking him out. Then bending, I picked him up over my shoulder and headed in through the back door. Lela stood where I’d left her, numbly holding the bat and looking dumbfounded.
I dragged them both to the centre of the lounge and stood back, slightly out of breath. “Lela, get my phone from the nightstand.” Lela looked at me. “C’mon babe, run and get my phone. I need it.” She turned and hurried up the hall. I stood there looking at the two strangers. I didn’t know who they were, I was hoping she didn’t but – I’d ask her when she came back.
“Here,” she said. I turned and took my phone. I quickly pulled up Shadow’s number, I couldn’t do this alone. I ran my eyes over Lela, she was shaking.
“Do you know them?” I asked her softly. Her startled eyes met mine, before flicking back to the two guys on the floor, she shook her head. My hand cupped her jaw and I forced her to look only at me. “Lela?” I asked her again as I watched her.
“No.” Her voice was croaky, like she needed a drink. She held my gaze. “I promise Aaron, I don’t know them.”
Strangely, I believed her. “Go get more clothes on, I don’t want them seeing you like that.” She looked down at herself in surprise and then frowned, she nodded and ran up the hall again. I pressed call on my phone.
Shadow answered in a few rings. “What’s wrong?” He sounded groggy, he’d been sleeping.
“Got two racoons inside the house. Quiet just now, but not for much longer.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
I hung up. I stood back and assessed the two guys.
Who in the fuck were they?
I took a couple photos of them on my phone while they were unconscious. I quickly checked them both for weapons – the taller of the two had a knife tucked in the back of his jeans. I removed it along with the small knife in his boot. His friend had nothing, which alarmed me more than the guy with the knives.
Lela came back from her room as I was tucking the weapons away in my own clothing. She was in her jeans and sweater. I nodded at her as she approached. She stood close to me and I flicked my eyes at her.
“What?” I asked her. She shook her head, biting her bottom lip. “Lela, you ok?” She shook her head again and I saw a tear slip over. I brought an arm around her and she immediately turned into my chest as her arms went around me. She let out a shaky sob. With nowhere else to put my arms, I gave her a hug. I did not need a hysterical female just now.
I heard a car door and knew Shadow had arrived. He let himself in, his eyes widening in surprise at me with my arms around Lela and then he focused on the two unconscious men in my lounge.
“What happened?” he asked me quietly. I withdrew my arms from Lela; she made a small noise of protest but stepped away.
“Lela, you want to go to your room?” She looked at me and I knew she was about to be difficult. “Please, I don’t want them to see you.” I ran my hand up and down her arm in reassurance. Lela looked at me and then at the two guys, finally looking at Shadow. Her eyes widened fractionally but she recovered well.
“You’ll be careful?” Lela asked me softly. She was worrying at her bottom lip again.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. We’ll ask them a few questions, that’s all.” I smiled at her and she frowned.
“Why aren’t you calling the police?”
“Because at the moment, the only crime committed is the one where I knocked two guys out and dragged them into my house,” I answered with a smirk. Yeah, the police were not going to help me tonight.
“Oh.” Yeah ‘oh’, I thought to myself. Lela stood still in front of me, unsure. I quickly took her hand and squeezed.
“C’mon, I’ll take you back to the room. I’ll come get you when I’m ready ok?” I glanced at Shadow quickly and he nodded to assure me he was on alert. I led Lela from the room and walked her up the hall to the bedroom.
“I’m scared,” she admitted to me. “I don’t know what to do.” I sat her on the bed. She didn’t let go of my hand, so I sat beside her.
“You don’t need to do anything ok? Stay in here and lie down. I’ll sort it out.” I squeezed her hand quickly and stood. She nodded once and I left her sitting there as I closed the bedroom door behind me.
I headed swiftly back to the lounge where Shadow still stood over the two prone figures.
“So that’s the houseguest?”
“Yeah, that’s the houseguest.” I gave him a quick grin before turning my attention to the two men. “Ok, this one’s awake.” I kicked his leg and his eyes snapped open as he glared at me.
“Who the fuck are you and why are you watching my house?” I demanded. He stared up at me and then turned to his companion. He kicked him in the leg. The other guy didn’t even flinch. “I asked you a question!” I snapped.
“I don’t have to tell you shit.” He glared up at us both and then turned his head away. I glanced at Shadow quickly and then darted forward and kicked him in the face. His head snapped back and he caught himself from falling over completely. He shook his head and rubbed his jaw as he glared at me.
“I can do this all night man, you may as well tell me who you are and what you are doing?” I squatted down beside him and pulled his knife from the back of my pants. His eyes widened slightly but he kept his surly attitude. Just then his friend started coming round. I quickly knocked into the one I had been questioning and pinned him to the floor. I grabbed a handful of his coat and pushed the knife to his throat. “Now before sleeping beauty comes to and can rat out your ass out to your boss for spilling the beans, tell me, who the fuck are you and why are you here?” His eyes widened fractionally before I pressed the tip of the knife in a little deeper. Blood beaded where the blade broke the skin and I knew he felt it.
“You fucking psycho, they told me you were, but I didn’t believe them.” He tried to struggle. His companion groaned. I nodded at Shadow who gave him a swift hit to the head and knocked him out again.
“You’re pissing me off, you want me to cut you?” I demanded.
“Two-Bit sent us,” he spat out. I almost dropped the knife. Two-Bit?
“Why?” I asked. He glared at me. I knocked his head against the wooden floor. “I said, why?”
“He heard your sister was back in town. He sent us to check it was her.”
I sat back up and rose to my feet. He scrambled into a sitting position and tentatively touched his neck, grimacing at the blood. I looked at Shadow who was studying them both with a heavy gaze.
“Why the hell would he be interested in my sister?” I demanded. I could bluff with the best of them.
“I don’t know, and I didn’t ask. I can’t believe you cut me.” I was going to cut him again at this rate.
“Who did you say you work for?” Shadow asked him. He glared at Shadow and continued to rub his neck. I kicked his leg and he glared at me as he swore.
“Two-Bit Tommy.”
I nodded. I put the knife away. I kicked the other one in the side to make him wake up. “Get up and take this one with you. Tell Tommy I’m coming to see him.”
“That it? You’re letting me go?”
“What the fuck do you think I am going to do with you? Get the fuck out my house and stay away from me, or next time it will be more than a nick in the neck you get.”
“But…”
I looked at him and took a step towards him. “What? You wanna stay?” He scrambled to his feet and kicked at his friend, trying to rouse him. “Pick him up and get out.”
We watched him struggle and then with a furtive look over his shoulder he left. I watched from the window as they got into the van.
“I’ll follow,” Shadow offered. I nodded.
“Shut up, she’s my family too.” He headed out the door to follow my night-time visitors.
I jogged into my room and quickly changed into jeans, t-shirt and hoody. When I turned, Lela was in the doorway.
“I’m getting you a bell,” I muttered.
“What happened? Are they gone?”
“Yeah, I’m going out to sort it, I need you to stay here. Lock the door, but you’ll be fine. I’m away to take care of this. It’s a misunderstanding.” I walked past her to the front door to put my boots and jacket on.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
“I know, but I can’t take you with me. I need you to stay here.” I looked at her, she was pale and shaking still. “You want to go to a hotel?”
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I won’t feel safe, I want to be where you are.” That was surprising.
“Lock the door, I’ll let you know when I am outside before coming in.”
I didn’t wait for her to nod as I left and headed to my truck. I pulled my cell out as I turned the ignition and called Shadow.
“Where?”
“His bar, they haven’t gone in yet, think they are arguing from the looks of it. Smaller one keeps rubbing his head? How many times did you knock him out?” Shadow asked casually.
“Three? I think. Probably gave him a concussion. I’ll be there in five.”
I drove to South Broadway and the bar that Two-Bit called home. He’d bought it a few years back, but it wasn’t widely known he owned it, it would have tarnished the reputation too much. It was in a nice area, popular with tourists and locals alike. Pity the undesirables hung around after regular hours. I pulled up the truck behind Shadow’s Sierra.
“They went in five minutes ago. No one’s come out since.” Shadow looked at me. “You ok?”
“Yeah, this is fucked up.” I nodded, he nodded in agreement. “I can’t believe the timing of this. It has to have been Jay,” I muttered.
“Looks likely. Look, Aaron, what’re you planning on doing?”
“Gonna find out what he thinks he knows and take it from there.” I shrugged as I looked up and down the street.
“So, we’re winging it?” Shadow asked. His tone was only slightly disbelieving.
“We’re winging it, it’s what I’m best at.” I clapped him on the shoulder as I crossed the road and entered the bar.
It was a nice bar, there was a lot of oak panelling and high polished glass. The bar had a lot of customers during regular opening times; however, it was way past normal opening times and at this time of night, only Tommy and his crew were in here. I walked in with a confidence I wasn’t exactly feeling and immediately grinned.
My two creepers were standing in front of a booth. Well, one of them was standing – the other one was half lying over a table and looked like he had just received a punch.
Two-Bit was sitting at the table with his shadow beside him, Johnny Carmichael. Tommy and Johnny, it was like a bad eighties mafia film. Only this wasn’t the eighties and they weren’t the mafia. Just a jumped-up drug dealer and his old – his now very old, I noticed – friend.
“Tommy,” I greeted. I nodded at Johnny and then glanced at the two creepers. Tommy was a lanky streak of nothing, always had been – he must be no more than 120 soaking wet. He was painfully thin, which I believe was achieved from his dependence on his substance of choice. He was medium height, black greasy hair, with a scar that ran halfway round his neck, where someone hadn’t quite managed to finish the job. He was wearing a dark shirt and pants; a gold hoop earring adorned his right ear. He had a thin face, with eyes that were small and set deep in their sockets, and a nose that had been broken too many times to even resemble straight.
“Met your guys earlier, creeping about my house.” I sighed as I put my hands in my leather jacket pockets and shrugged. “What’s going on?”
“Aaron.” He sat back as he ran his eyes over me. “You filled out since I last saw you.” He flicked his eyes to Shadow and nodded.
“It’s been a few years,” I acknowledged.
“First, these two idiots weren’t supposed to be at your house at night.” He glared at both of them. “That wasn’t what they were told to do.”
“And what were they told to do…and why?” I asked him quietly.
“Aaron, you know I like you, always have. You keep yourself to yourself. I know you used to run with Skinner and that, but you were never with them and I liked that about you.” He was nodding as he rambled. “You kept yourself separate and only got involved when the money was right.”
I stood quietly. I looked at Johnny who was sitting and smoking. I pulled out my own cigarettes and lit one up. I needed a smoke.
Tommy smirked as he watched me. “Always on the edge but never actually on the wrong side.” He leaned back as he continued to assess me.
“Tommy, why were your guys at my house?” I asked. He grinned at me. He had a gold incisor and honestly, if he tried any harder to look like a drug dealer, he would hurt himself.
“A few years ago, a group of thugs stole my drugs.” I felt my stomach sink. “I thought I had all the bastards, they took my drugs and I never got paid. They owe me.” Tommy stopped and took a drink. “There were four of them that I got Aaron, but you know more about this than I do.” He watched me.
“I had nothing to do with your drugs. Don’t touch them, never have. You know this, since you seem to know me so well.” I kept myself contained, controlled.
“You have a sister.”
“I do, got a brother too, but you know that.” I took a draw of my cigarette. He directed a lifeless smile at me. “Let’s cut the bullshit, why you sending people to my house?”
Tommy laughed. He clapped Johnny on the shoulder as he rocked back on his seat. I didn’t laugh.
“Aaron. A little bird told me that the night my drugs were sold, there were five teenagers. Not four. Five.” He watched me like a hawk. “A little bird told me, number five was a girl. Your girl.”
I snorted. “Your little bird sounds like maybe they smoked some of your drugs.”
“Alicia is her name, and my stolen drugs are her game,” he rhymed as he mocked me. He leaned forward, placing his chin on his hands. “Where’s my money Aaron?”
I exhaled smoke as I looked at the ceiling. “Tommy. My sister doesn’t have your money. She wasn’t involved with any of your drugs. Your little bird is twittering shit to you.” I wasn’t technically lying, Alicia didn’t have his money and she hadn’t had any involvement with the drugs.
“Why she run?”
“My mom had an accident and is paralysed. Took a hard time rehabilitating, wanted a change in scenery to start fresh. My sister went with her. No one ran anywhere. You got the wrong girl and nothing but a huge fucking coincidence.” I stepped forward and extinguished my cigarette in the ashtray. “None of this explains why you’re at my house.”
“Little bird told me there’s a woman in your house, woman who matches your sister’s description. I want to talk to your sister.” Tommy’s eyes were hard and all pretence had disappeared.
I laughed out loud and shook my head. “Fuck me. This is bullshit. I have Skinner’s step brat in my house. She’s about five eight, skinny as a rail and blonde.”
“What?”
“Phone him, he’s in Hawaii with his wife. Stepbrat’s mom. Skinner is paying me to let her stay in my house until they get back from vacation. She arrived Monday night.”
“You’re lying.”
“Got no reason to lie to you Tommy. My sister had nothing to do with your drugs and the woman in my house is Skinner’s stepdaughter.” I held his gaze and didn’t blink.
“Johnny,” Tommy bit out. Johnny nodded and rose from the table and walked past us both.
I loo
ked at Shadow who was standing solidly beside me with his arms crossed. He was watching the others in the bar, always checking, always alert.
A few minutes later Johnny came back, he nodded at Tommy.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Tommy muttered.
“We good?” I asked as I put my smokes in my jacket pocket.
“No.” I tensed slightly but regarded him carefully. “I was told your sister was the lookout the night they stole my motherfucking drugs. I want my money!” All pretend friendliness was gone – the atmosphere had shifted and I was ready to fight my way out if I needed to.
“And I told you, Alicia had nothing to do with your drugs. I don’t give a fuck who told you shit, I’m telling you, this is bullshit.”
“Jay.”
“What about Jay?” I asked. Don’t say it, don’t say it, I prayed quietly to myself.
“Jay told my little bird that his sister had to leave here because she was there the night my fucking drugs were taken!” he screamed at me and I watched spittle fly from his mouth as he lost his composure.
“Your brother has also gone.” It was the first time Johnny had spoken. I switched my attention from Tommy to Johnny. I shrugged.
“So?”
“Your brother sings like a canary when he’s stoned.” Johnny smirked at me. He was bluffing. If he wasn’t bluffing, I was going to have to lie my ass off to get out of here.
“My brother’s a liability,” I said instead. Johnny shook his head at me and sighed.
“Look, we know. You understand? We’ve checked the information, we have confirmation that your sister was there. Now, it may be that she didn’t take the drugs and she hasn’t got the money.” Johnny paused, “But you see Aaron, we just don’t care.”
Tommy started laughing. Johnny smiled. I felt the walls closing in.
“Two hundred grand. That’s what she owes me, and another hundred for interest. I want my money,” Tommy sang from his seat.
“There wasn’t two hundred grand in coke there that night.” I glared at him.
“Fifty percent interest?” Shadow asked at the same time.
Dark Heart Page 13