Page 38 of The Bait

Harry was better on the ground, doing the grunt work, doing whatever he was told needed doing. But he could find some stuff easily enough: ZBK names, known locations, info on their new friend Ivan Cosic. Like his known associates, tax records, and his home address.

Which came in handy at four in the morning when they broke into his house and woke him up. Poor guy almost crapped himself when Asher stood at the side of his bed. “Wakey wakey,” he said.

Ivan woke up and shot backwards, bumping into the headboard. “Wh-wh-what the fuck!”

Harry hit the lights and Ivan recoiled from the brightness, but also from the fact that Asher and Harry were in his bedroom at four o’clock in the morning.

Luckily Ivan lived alone. They didn’t need to account for anyone else in the house. No wife and kids, and for that Harry was grateful.

Something that, ten years ago, he wouldn’t have cared too much about. Sometimes it even worked in his favour; it made the target more compliant. But now Harry was happy no one else had to suffer.

Christ, this is bad, Harry thought. Would he hesitate now because he’d somehow grown a conscience in the last two years?

He really wasn’t sure.

“What the fuck are you doing in here? How did you get in?” Ivan said, clutching at his bedding like that would protect him.

“I know I said twenty-four hours,” Asher said cheerfully as he sat on the edge of Ivan’s bed. “But I do like to keep people on their toes. It’s good for business, don’t you think?”

Ivan blinked a few times, still confused. “How did you get in here? How do you know where I live?”

“I know all about the people I do business dealings with, Ivan. Now come on, get up. I have a merchandise order to collect.”

“Y-you said I had twenty-four hours,” he tried. “I don’t even know what time it is.”

Asher patted Ivan’s leg. “Mr Cosic, if you didn’t have everything I’d asked for six hours after I’d asked for it, I’d be very disappointed.”

It was the cheerfulness, the buzzing excited manner with which Asher delivered his threats that made them more unnerving.

“Well it’s not here,” he said, pulling his leg away. “I don’t have it in my house.”

“I should hope not,” Asher said. “You know, your security system is terrible. So easy to disarm. I thought you’d at least have a dog. I love dogs.”

Ivan looked at Asher as if he were insane.

Asher clapped his hands, making Ivan jump. “Come on, time to get up. We’re going for a little drive.”

“D-drive?” He said, eyes wide. “Where to?”

“To wherever my merchandise is.”

Harry picked up the jeans and a sweater that were on the floor and tossed them onto the bed. “Get dressed. And don’t leave your clothes on the floor. What are you? Eight years old?”

He shook his head, pulling the sweater on, mumbling about getting home late, how he only left his club a few hours ago, blah blah blah.

Harry didn’t give one fuck. “Just get fucking dressed.”

Asher stood up. “And we’re going to need the keys to your car.”

Two minutes later, they drove out of the underground car park in Ivan’s Audi. Asher drove, Harry sat in the back with Ivan, and while the car was nice, it wasn’t built for a man Harry’s size to sit in the back. Ivan kept looking up at Harry, their size difference very noticeable, and if he considered for one second trying to escape, Harry could break several of his bones without too much trouble.

Ivan seemed to know this.

The city was dark. Yellow streetlights in the blackness of night, a garbage truck a few blocks over, and the lightson in a bakery they passed were the only signs of life. That’s why they were doing this before dawn.

Harry could remember a time when this was his favourite time of the day. Or days and weeks on end when he never saw daylight, not even once.

It was a different life back then.

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