Page 27 of Hell and High Water

“Something like that. This is more, though. Worse.” Sloane flicks his cigarette away.

“You heard anything out of the Block?” I toss out, wanting to keep him talking.

“Why, you wanna buy a motorcycle all of a sudden?” He sniffs. “I’d stay clear of those thugs if I were you.”

“Nah, just used to get the odd job outta them too, and I ain’t heard anything in a while. Same with the Ghosts. Like I told you, I seen a few of them shaking down regular folk for chump change, but not much else. That’s some scary shit, you know? Where’s the old order, the Sanctum I grew up in?”

“You want my honest advice, Vinny? Get the hell out of Sanctum Harbor before it burns. Half of our squads are just not showing up for work. The mayor needs to call in the National Guard if he knows what’s good for us.”

I bite my tongue, almost remarking that Sanctum has always resisted that sort of government influence. He might be right, though.

My dad should be calling for help.

Or doing anything at all.

“Except…” He cuts off, shaking his head.

“Except what?”

“Nothing. Just a rumor. Probably just dramatic, scare tactic trash.” He looks around like someone might hear us. “Some people are saying Mayor Vanderberg is gone. Or missing or something.”

A little thrill of panic rushes through me. I might hate the guy, but he’s important. And he’s still my father.

More than that, if something happened to him, it could mean something bad happened to my mother, my sister.

“Look, Vinny, take this.” He hands me a fifty, shrugging. “It’s not much, but it’s the last I can offer. Thanks for the intel on the petty thefts. I’ll send some guys to look into what’s bringing the “less desirables” to this side of town. But you shouldn’t bother coming back. Not for a while, maybe at all. Take care of yourself.”

“Hey, you gotta do whatcha gotta do, Boss Man. Appreciate you.” I bump his fist.

Sloane huffs off.

Not as useful as I would have liked, but now I know what state the cops are in. And before things get too hot or the whole system shuts down, I needed to get a link installed in a few of their computers so I can monitor everything moving forward.

Eyes and ears are going to be everything in the days to come. And communication’s already a problem.

Most troublesome, however, is the rumor about my dad.

My next stop weighs on me, an eagerness to get it over with and a nagging urge to avoid it fighting for dominance in my head. I wish there were a better way than going there, but I need to know, and if they are fine, I can get Dad to let me in on what’s happening with the city council.

A little twitch shivers through me as I hop back in my ratty car. I need to go change, become the version of myself that they’ll expect at home.

And hopefully, Dad will have some answers for Tyler Jr.

I’m pulling around the corner when I slow down, catching a glimpse of a mangy looking kid, no more than fourteen, easing out of the shadows between two buildings. “The fuck…?”

Pulling over, I wave him over, rolling down my window.

“Clarence, what are you doing in the hills? This close to a police station, you trying to get nicked?”

“No sir, mister Vinny. I was lookin’ for you. Hadn’t seen you at the dockside, so I know you come up here sometimes…” I know he’s lying, or at least not telling me the whole truth.

“You need a ride? Hop in.”

He flashes the briefest little grin, never a real smile. Kid’s lived on the streets most of his life. A necessity of growing up in a trailer park with a druggie grandmother. So I throw him a bone whenever I can, put him to work so he can buy food.

It’s one of the things that’s always bothered me about Sanctum. The fact that there is some overlord group and a government to boot, both of them allowing a large portion of the population to live in squalor.

Dad calls it the ‘natural order’.

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