Page 11 of Cruel Love

“Why?”

Caleb joins Dani by the wall and crosses her arms. “Because he’s met the Boss before.”

I squint at Boxcar. “You have?”

“Yeah,” he answers.

“When?”

“About three years back.” He nervously cracks his knuckles in his lap. “It’s a long story but I did a little freelance work for her in Afghanistan, so to speak.”

“So, you know what she looks like?”

He nods. “And her name and where she lives... and judging by the looks on your faces right now, I guess I’m a valuable commodity, so… please don’t shoot me again.”

Archer pats his shoulder. “No one’s gonna shoot you, Sparky. Just tell them what you told me.”

“I ran into her a few years ago,” Boxcar says. “I broke into her house. That was kind of my thing back then. Instead of busting and killing me, she made me work for her instead.”

I nod. “We used to bring in freelance intelligence,” I say. “They were usually a bit on the morally-gray side.”

“An apt description,” Boxcar says. “Anyway, I did some work for her. At the end of it, her men nearly killed me, but I got away. That’s how I met Fox and Caleb. They saved my life.”

I glance at Fox and he gives a quick nod. Not that I have any reason to doubt what the kid says. That’s just always how we’ve done things. Strange how even the smallest of habits come rushing back.

“After Fox was recruited, Caleb and I were sent home to the States,” Boxcar says, pausing. “But I went back to Europe.”

“Why?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I’m not really sure. Just had a name, a face, a few dead dudes with the same snake tattoo, and a whole lot of missing pieces to a puzzle. I became obsessed.”

Lilah leans forward. “What name?” she asks.

Boxcar eyes her and I sense a bit of hatred lingering beneath it. “Marilyn Black,” he answers. “Found it by backtracking the owners of her property all the way back to her father, Marlow. A few super classified government documents later and…”

“Snake Eyes,” I say.

“Your one-stop-shop for murder and mayhem done quick and quietly,” he quips. “Shortly after that, I was sitting at a bar, minding my own business, when this girl walked up and sat beside me.”

“Myra?”

He nods. “Don’t quite remember much about the encounter,” he adds. “I woke up the next day in my hotel room. All my stuff had been taken. My laptop, my notes, and journals… everything. I took the hint, ran back to the States, and I never said a word about it to anyone until now.”

“You got lucky,” I say. “She’s killed for much less.”

“I figured as much. Been living low ever since.”

Lilah squints. “Do you think you can find the house again?” she asks him. “Get us inside?”

He sighs. “Do I have a choice?”

“Yes, you do.” Fox shakes his head at me. “You’re putting guns to my friends’ heads as incentive for me to play along, is that it?”

“No,” I answer. “I’m asking your friends for help because they’re talented. Same reason I came to you. If we all want to come out of this alive, then we have to work together.”

“Okay, Box tracks down the Boss for you. Then, what?” he asks.

Lilah shrugs. “Pretty obvious, I’d say.”

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