Page 85 of Agony

“Hey, handsome.”

“Have you seen Chester?” Justice asked, turning to the big-breasted redhead wearing a tight shirt and skinny jeans. Her stilettos put her at around six feet, which was about five inches shorter than him and Steel.

She rubbed her fingers together and eyed him up and down. Justice shot Steel a look.

“What?” Steel blinked.

“Pay the lady.”

“Why me?”

“I don’t carry cash.”

Steel released an annoyed breath and pulled a twenty from his wallet. The woman snatched it and then pointed down the block.

“The one in the light blue ball cap wearing the checkered shirt,” she said and sashayed her way in the opposite direction.

“Chester?” Justice said when he was close enough.

Of course, the guy took off like a rocket.

“Heel,” he told Axel instead of sending the dog after the guy.

Axel’s bite when he locked on could very well take the man’s arm or hand off. He needed Chester breathing and talking.

Sprinting after the guy, Justice careened around the corner.

“I’ll cut him off!” Steel called out and ran down a small walkway.

Justice gained on the guy enough to call out.

“Chester, stop. You don’t want the dog on you!” he yelled.

The informant’s steps wobbled as if to stop, but then Chester must have changed his mind and sprinted harder.

Steel came out ahead of Chester and kicked a trashcan into the alleyway. The informant toppled over with a crash and lay winded on the pavement.

“Watch ‘em,” Justice told Axel, and the dog sprinted closer, planted himself at Chester’s feet, and barked.

“Call him off! Call him off!” Chester rolled over onto his back and covered his face with his arms.

“Quiet.”

At his command, Axel stopped barking, but his dog didn’t much like the guy and lowered his muzzle to snarl with a flash of teeth.

Steel jerked the punk up to his feet and shoved him against the nearest wall.

“Why you runnin’?” Justice snapped and moved over in front of the sniveling guy.

“Thought you were the cops, man,” Chester sniffled and he could see the ravages of drugs on the man’s face.

“You work for the cops,” Justice reminded the guy.

“Yeah, but I can’t be seen, man.” The guy scratched at one arm through the long-sleeved checkered shirt.

“Well, we aren’t the cops. So just answer our questions and you’re free to go.”

The guy hesitated and Steel fisted the front of Chester’s shirt and pinned him hard to the wall with a forearm.

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