Page 48 of All Your Hate

It’s still relatively early so I grab another coffee and check on Wynter before I leave. She’s still passed out asleep in bed. I’m reluctant to leave her. I always am, but this is for her.

When I arrive at Kai’s coordinates I have to double check I’ve got it right.

Of all the places to meet, he chose a pet store.

Heading inside I scan the store for him, but the only person in here is the clerk behind the desk who hasn’t bothered to look up from his magazine. When I spot the sign for the reptile room I know that’s where Kai will be. The guy’s always loved his unusual pets.

There’s only one person in the dark room, bent over looking inside a tank. I recognize them as Kai straight away thanks to the baggy clothes and dirty blond hair with frosted tips.

“Did you know a group of tortoises is called a creep?” he asks without looking up. “I was listening to Radiohead last night and when Creep came on I knew I needed to buy one.”

“You need to buy a tortoise? I’ve had plenty of weird things I’ve needed to buy before, but a tortoise has never been one of them.”

Kai straightens up and stares at me like I’m the crazy one. His eyes are bloodshot, but I can’t be sure if it’s because he’s on something or if it’s because he spends so long staring at computer screens.

I swear the guy rarely leaves the house these days. The last time I went to see him was a couple months back to buy some pills. He had about eight different screens set up in his room, all playing surveillance footage of someone’s house. He’s been into tech since he was a little kid and made a name for himself in our world before he was even sixteen.

“I think she’ll like this one. I’m going to let her name him.”

“Who?”

“My girlfriend. She’s training to be a veterinarian.”

“You have a girlfriend? Good for you man.” I give him a friendly punch on the shoulder and he rubs it as he frowns. He’s a bit of a skinny kid, well I assume he is, it’s hard to tell when his clothes are four sizes too big.

“For a while now, but we’re not official since she doesn’t know I exist. Hence the tortoise.”

After everything that’s happened in my life recently, I’m not the slightest bit surprised by this revelation.

“Right,” I say slowly. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

He gives me a shy smile as he ruffles his hair. “Yeah. I’m definitely getting this little guy. Oh, almost forgot. I’ve got these new pills in that give you the nicest trip. Seriously, just lie back and you’ll fucking ascend. They give you this whole out-of-body experience. Make you see all sorts of shit.”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Kai laughs and reaches into his pocket. “Sure. I’d suggest one at a time because believe me you don’t want to take too many of these, but you’ll probably be able to handle more.”

He holds out a small pill bottle and I quickly take it in case someone walks in and sees us.

“Seriously, Kai, I don’t need them.” I try to give them back, but he ignores me.

“You overpaid me last time and I don’t like being in debt to anyone so you can have those for free.”

I did? It’s starting to dawn on me how much of my life I’ve missed by being constantly drunk or high. I stuff the pills into the inside pocket of my bomber jacket. I’ll get rid of them later. “I’m not actually here for that. I need a favor.”

Kai cocks his head as he ponders something. “So you’d be in debt to me?”

“Yeah, that’s how favors usually work.”

He nods slowly, his eyes back on the tortoise. “I may or may not need you in the future. Depends how everything goes.”

“Cryptic, but sure. Just get in touch when you’re ready. I need you to find out who placed the contract for the last job I took from Jax.”

“You know I don’t get involved in that stuff. My brother would kill me.”

“He’s back in the country?” I ask and Kai nods.

Last I heard Aaron was in Italy expanding his tech business.

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