jaw. My knuckles explode with pain, but he staggers
back and blood spurts out of his mouth. I strike again, a swift punch across his
face. My knuckles are begging for mercy, but Chainy goes down with a gushing
nose.
“Stay,” I
tell him again and shake out my hand.
Bird Brain
watches me cautiously. I reach inside my duster and pull out the Berretta with
silencer affixed. Smart of me to cut those holes in the pockets of my jacket to
accommodate the silencer. The guy’s eyes widen for a moment, but then he takes a
long, slow breath and meets my gaze.
Color me a
tiny bit impressed.
“I don’t like
that one,” I say motioning to Chainy, who tries to catch the blood waterfall in
his hands. “He called me an asshole. Point of fact, I’m actually a pretty nice
guy when you get to know me.”
Bird Brain’s
face is pale. “Are you one of…of…them. An angel?” His voice is soft but steady.
I keep both guys in my line of sight and the gun tucked in front of my body,
shielding it from view of the other cars in the parking lot. I’m pressing my
luck, and I know it. Every second I stay out here is another second someone
could walk out of the Rec center or pull into the parking lot.
“I’ve got the
talking stick,” I tell Penguin and give my gun a little wave. “So, I’m going to
ask you a question. You’re going to answer me, or you’ll be shelling out for a
pine box for your fashion disaster friend over there, capiche?”
Bird Brain
nods slowly. Chainy looks like he wants to take another run at me. “Don’t even
think about it,” I tell him and try to put menace in my voice. Hard to play the
badass when my teeth are audibly chattering, but I do my best. “I’ve got a real
itchy trigger finger. You even fart over there, and it might be the last thing
you ever do.”
Chainy eases
back down, but he doesn’t look scared. Not good. You find a man who isn’t
afraid to die, and you’ve got one dangerous motherfucker on your hands. Luckily,
Bird Brain looks scared enough for the both of them.
“You texted
me on a phone that belongs to my sister,” I tell Bird Brain. “I’m rather fond
of my sister. The first thing you’re going to tell me is whether she’s alive.
The second thing you’re going to tell me is where she is.”
Bird Brains
stares.
“Start
talking,” I bark. Lame, lame, lame, but my heart is jackhammering
waiting for his answer. Please, please, for every drop of blood in my body,
let her be…
“She…she’s
alive,” the guy stutters.
I let out
the breath I didn’t know I was holding. I couldn’t dip those words in gold to
make them any more precious.
“But….she….”
Bird Brain winces, “…she escaped.”
Chapter 13
My new friends introduce themselves
as Penguin and Chain, and the three of us take a little walk across the parking
lot, my gun keeping things pleasant as can be. I invite my captives to take the
front seats of the Bug, while I slide in back. As soon as the doors close, I
immediately feel less conspicuous, and it’s a hell of a lot warmer in here too.
I keep my Berretta tucked in close to my side and trained on the dumbass with the
chain belt.
I order
Chainy to hand me Sir Hopsalot’s carrying case, and once I place it securely
next to me on the seat, we’re ready to begin. Bird Brain and I do a bit of
conversating about my sister. Apparently Zoo Pals was on the trail of a
different angel. They crossed paths with Maya and decided to abduct her
instead. When he mentions cuffing her to a chair for interrogation, my trigger
finger gets itchy.
“Skip ahead,”
I growl for their own safety.
Whatever Bird
Brain hears in my voice makes him swallow and stutter on his next words. They
cut Maya’s questioning short when one of their team members – Bear or Beard or
Burt, whatever – got a hit on another angel. I immediately have a million and
one questions about their angel detection system, but I stay on track with
Maya. I’m proud
back and blood spurts out of his mouth. I strike again, a swift punch across his
face. My knuckles are begging for mercy, but Chainy goes down with a gushing
nose.
“Stay,” I
tell him again and shake out my hand.
Bird Brain
watches me cautiously. I reach inside my duster and pull out the Berretta with
silencer affixed. Smart of me to cut those holes in the pockets of my jacket to
accommodate the silencer. The guy’s eyes widen for a moment, but then he takes a
long, slow breath and meets my gaze.
Color me a
tiny bit impressed.
“I don’t like
that one,” I say motioning to Chainy, who tries to catch the blood waterfall in
his hands. “He called me an asshole. Point of fact, I’m actually a pretty nice
guy when you get to know me.”
Bird Brain’s
face is pale. “Are you one of…of…them. An angel?” His voice is soft but steady.
I keep both guys in my line of sight and the gun tucked in front of my body,
shielding it from view of the other cars in the parking lot. I’m pressing my
luck, and I know it. Every second I stay out here is another second someone
could walk out of the Rec center or pull into the parking lot.
“I’ve got the
talking stick,” I tell Penguin and give my gun a little wave. “So, I’m going to
ask you a question. You’re going to answer me, or you’ll be shelling out for a
pine box for your fashion disaster friend over there, capiche?”
Bird Brain
nods slowly. Chainy looks like he wants to take another run at me. “Don’t even
think about it,” I tell him and try to put menace in my voice. Hard to play the
badass when my teeth are audibly chattering, but I do my best. “I’ve got a real
itchy trigger finger. You even fart over there, and it might be the last thing
you ever do.”
Chainy eases
back down, but he doesn’t look scared. Not good. You find a man who isn’t
afraid to die, and you’ve got one dangerous motherfucker on your hands. Luckily,
Bird Brain looks scared enough for the both of them.
“You texted
me on a phone that belongs to my sister,” I tell Bird Brain. “I’m rather fond
of my sister. The first thing you’re going to tell me is whether she’s alive.
The second thing you’re going to tell me is where she is.”
Bird Brains
stares.
“Start
talking,” I bark. Lame, lame, lame, but my heart is jackhammering
waiting for his answer. Please, please, for every drop of blood in my body,
let her be…
“She…she’s
alive,” the guy stutters.
I let out
the breath I didn’t know I was holding. I couldn’t dip those words in gold to
make them any more precious.
“But….she….”
Bird Brain winces, “…she escaped.”
Chapter 13
My new friends introduce themselves
as Penguin and Chain, and the three of us take a little walk across the parking
lot, my gun keeping things pleasant as can be. I invite my captives to take the
front seats of the Bug, while I slide in back. As soon as the doors close, I
immediately feel less conspicuous, and it’s a hell of a lot warmer in here too.
I keep my Berretta tucked in close to my side and trained on the dumbass with the
chain belt.
I order
Chainy to hand me Sir Hopsalot’s carrying case, and once I place it securely
next to me on the seat, we’re ready to begin. Bird Brain and I do a bit of
conversating about my sister. Apparently Zoo Pals was on the trail of a
different angel. They crossed paths with Maya and decided to abduct her
instead. When he mentions cuffing her to a chair for interrogation, my trigger
finger gets itchy.
“Skip ahead,”
I growl for their own safety.
Whatever Bird
Brain hears in my voice makes him swallow and stutter on his next words. They
cut Maya’s questioning short when one of their team members – Bear or Beard or
Burt, whatever – got a hit on another angel. I immediately have a million and
one questions about their angel detection system, but I stay on track with
Maya. I’m proud
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