Page 28 of Toy

“Right. So if I offer you fifty grand to take care of this fish, you know I’m good for it?” I said, holding up the container.

His sparse brows wrinkled. “What?”

“This is Jolie’s fish. I need you to take care of it for a while.”

“Jolie?”

I suppressed the urge to shake him. How could he know who I was, but not fucking Jolie? “The blonde girl next door.”

“Oh, Jo.” He nodded slowly. “Didn’t realize it was short for Jolie.”

I held up the container again. “Look, I don’t have the money on me right now, obviously, but you’ll get it as soon as I make it back. Fifty grand.”

Deep creases appeared in the man’s already-wrinkled forehead, making him look even older. “Has something happened to Jo again?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “No time to explain,” I said. Obviously, he hadn’t seen anything, or he wouldn’t have asked. “Can you do it or not?”

His eyes narrowed. “Hmph,” he grumbled. “Well… I suppose so, if you’re serious about the cash.”

“Good. You’ll need to get a proper tank and all the right shit for it, even if it’s just a small one. If you can’t afford it…” I trailed off for a second as I pulled off my watch. “Sell this at a pawn shop. You should get at least ten grand for it.”

His eyes practically lit up at the sight of the watch. He slipped it into his pocket and hastily zipped it shut, as if he thought I’d try and take it back any second.

“I’m serious about this shit,” I said in a warning tone. “Jolie will never forgive me if anything happens to this fish. She probably cares about it more than herself, so you need to research how to take care of it properly. You know how to use the internet?”

The man scoffed. “I might be old, but I’m not an idiot. Of course I know how,” he said, eyes narrowing again. “I used to be a network engineer. I made my connection the fastest in the building, so these other cheap pricks are always trying to leech off it. You know, I actually used to think it was Jolie, but then I found out it was the couple in—”

I cut him off before I had to hear his entire life story. “I have to go. Remember: fifty grand when I get back, but only if you keep the fish alive. Got it?”

“Got it.” He took the container from me and peered over my shoulder. “What happened to him?” he asked, nodding toward the unconscious guard outside Jolie’s apartment.

“Don’t ask any questions, and I’ll make it seventy-five grand.”

He raised his eyebrows, then shrugged nonchalantly. “Deal.”

I began to walk away, but then I thought better of it and turned back. “You didn’t see or hear anything from across the hall, did you?” I asked. “At any point within the last half-hour or so.”

I was already pretty certain he hadn’t, but I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss anything.

He shook his head. “No. I’ve been watching TV.”

I sighed. “Thanks anyway. Take care of Buddy. I’ll be back when I can.” I turned away again.

“Oh, wait. Hold on,” the old man said.

“Yes?” My heart began to thump with anticipation.

“About an hour ago, I looked out one of my windows and saw a guy skulking around the alley that runs around the side and back of the building. I assumed it was one of the security guards you’ve posted up here recently, but it just occurred to me that he was wearing something different to the rest of them.”

“What did he look like?”

“White. Dark blond hair. Tall.”

“Anything else stick out about him?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. Just a generic looking white guy.”

“And there was definitely only one man?”

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