Page 13 of Borden 3

“He came outta nowhere and took responsibility over Jason’s death. He won’t talk to me, either. Says he’ll only talk to you.”

“Just a tactic to set him free—”

“No, he knows he’s going to die. Like I said, he took responsibility over Jason’s death. He is ready to pay the price. That’s the fucked up thing about it.” Hector pursed his lips, taking a moment before adding, “This one ain’t scared to die. Sorta welcomes it. Calls himself a lost boy or some shit.”

“Sounds tapped in the fucking head.”

Again, Hector didn’t look like he agreed. “You gotta see him for yourself.”

“You seem shaken for a biker,” Borden noted.

“I’m fucking terrified,” Hector admitted sourly.

Interesting.

“Just see him,” Hector added next, twisting away from him, like he didn’t want Borden to look into his eyes.

Within moments, Borden did.

Within moments, shit took an even darker turn.

And after he left that fucking room, rattled and fuming, he’d pulled Hector aside and demanded, “You’re tailing my woman from now on, you got it?”

Hector didn’t argue.

He didn’t even look surprised.

He said, “I got it.”

???

“There isn’t a place we can’t find you…or your woman…”

Borden’s mind was still reeling from that man’s words when he met Darlene at her door with a scowl on her lined face. With lips pursed, she simply called out Lincoln’s name and they waited.

“You haven’t slept,” she noted.

Borden was passive, distracted. “Only got in late last night.”

“Ah, after you left Emma and your son alone again for days.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you look aged.”

“Noted, Darlene.”

“Get more sleep.”

Borden glanced down at his watch. It was close to 5 now. He needed to focus. To stop thinking about that fucking man in that room, and the things he said.

Oh, the fucking things he said.

“Yeah, you were two hours late,” she said next. “That’s unusual, even for you.”

Darlene needed to stop yapping. Borden barely heard what she was saying. His mind flashed with images of that sick fucking smile on that dead man’s face.

“I’ll pay the price for my boys…for my sweet, lost boys…”

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