Page 46 of Tooth and Nail

“And it’s one of the things I like best about you but you’re in the real world now and the gangs do look at color. Black folk and brown folk might get along in other places but in street gangs, especially L.A. street gangs, those two rarely mix. Jesus, Ari, watch a prison movie sometime. You’ll see what I mean.”

“In the prison movies I watch, everyone gets along…very well,” Ari said.

Eoghan turned to him, noticing his smirk. “And the prisoners and guards probably don’t have any clothes in the movies you watch, right?”

Ari grinned. “Right.”

“Very funny,” Eoghan said with a laugh. “But seriously, you have to listen to me. You need to be more cautious. You can’t always look for the cheapest rent you can find when moving around in L.A. I’m sad to say this but there are real dangers about living in the wrong neighborhood just because it might be less expensive than another neighborhood. You need to be careful. Come on. Let’s get you home. We’re stopping at the weapon’s cage first, though.”

“Why?”

“We’re going to load up on ammo and in case you forgot, your Glock is in an evidence bag,” Eoghan said emphatically.

“And here I thought giant alien bat motherfuckers were the scariest things I’d see all day.”

Chapter Twelve

By the time they got to the house where Ari was renting a room, it was dusk and just beginning to get dark. They’d passed a couple of lowriders on their way into the neighborhood but so far, they hadn’t spotted any thugs hanging around. They’d had to pass one young boy on a bike when they’d turned onto Hunter Street. He’d been turning lazy circles in the middle of the street one moment and then ridden off at a fast clip the moment he’d gotten a good look at the two of them. Eoghan knew they needed to move fast. The boy was no doubt some sort of lookout and he’d just ridden off to notifyEl Jefe.

As soon as they pulled up in front of the house, Ari groaned and pointed to the skeletal remains of his car. What was left was pretty gruesome. The doors, roof, trunk, hood, all of the car’s innards with the exception of the engine—which was too heavy to lift—were absent. The radiator, hoses, and even the seats, both front and rear, were gone. It was a slightly shocking sight to see.

“Well, at least they left the gas cap,” Ari said, pointing to the shiny round object laying in the gutter in front of the house.

Eoghan looked up, startled, when he heard a door open, his hand automatically going to his weapon. He covered it as he looked around, only to find a small, round Hispanic woman coming down the front steps. She was dragging a very large suitcase along behind her. Ari broke away from him and jogged to catch up with her at the halfway point on the frontwalk. Eoghan glanced around, keeping his partner’s back in sight at all times and his head on a swivel as he followed him up the path. He was bent toward the woman, speaking to her in low tones. When he saw Ari reach out and give her shoulder a squeeze, it was more proof of what a very nice man his partner was. She smiled up at him and then reached up, patting him on the cheek.

“I’m sorry, Aristotle. You’re a good boy. I’m sorry about your car.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Campos.” He turned and looked behind him and then held out his hand. “This is my partner, Eoghan Sapphire.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sapphire,” she said in thickly accented English.

“You too, ma’am.” A volley of automatic gunfire went off nearby. It couldn’t have come from more than a couple of blocks away. Mrs. Campos didn’t flinch. “Come on, Ari. It’s time to go now.” The sun was disappearing behind the roofs of houses, blanketing the whole street in darkness. He glanced at the skeletal car before looking back at Ari. “Do you want to tow what’s left? We’ll need to call for a flatbed trailer.”

Ari contemplated it for a few moments before shaking his head. “No. There’s no need to.”

After several single gunshots rang out, Ari finally turned away from Mrs. Campos and quickly walked down to meet him on the sidewalk. They got into Eoghan’s brand new yellow Prius, and he instantly started the car, pulling silently away from the curb. He drove away from the battered remains of Ari’s car in the rearview mirror. He was relieved as hell that Ari was sitting beside him, safe. As soon as they were out of the neighborhood and headed back to his place in the Valley, he felt a whole lot better.

“Why did Mrs. Campos have all your things packed?”

Ari turned to look at him before sighing and looking away. “When I took the room, she tried to tell me that the place was in a bad neighborhood just like you said, but I was too stubborn to listen. I told her I could handle things…that no one would mess with a U.S. Marshal. She knew better than me and when she saw the car, she knew I’d be back to collect my things. Fortunately, all I had in the room were clothes and shoes. I left everything I owned back in Lexington. It was mostly secondhand stuff anyway. The room came furnished with a TV although I prefer to read. I admit. I feel really stupid about it all now.”

“What kind of car was that?” Eoghan asked. He glanced over as Ari turned to look at him.

“Mine?”

“Yeah, I hate to say it, but I really couldn’t tell.” He almost wanted to laugh but it was the truth.

Ari’s lips twitched as he tried to hold back a smile. “You’re an ass.”

Eoghan laughed. “No, I’m serious. What was it?”

“A very boring Chevy that I bought specially for the drive to L.A. I was serious about not moving here with a whole lot of anything. The idea was to make a fresh start. At least I have great insurance on the car.” Ari sighed again, leaning back against the headrest with a bit of a smile on his face. “Actually, it wasn’t anything nearly as beautiful as this bumblebee.” He ran his fingers along the dash. His voice was thick with amusement.

“This isn’t a bumblebee,” Eoghan protested. “Seriously, don’t you like my car?”

“I love your car. I’ve just never met anyone who’s ever thought of driving a yellow and black car.” He chuckled. “Were you channeling Derwin when you bought it?”

“Oh, haha. That’s a knee slapper.” He slapped his knee to drive home his point. “Anyway, it’s not black. It’s yellow with a black roof.”

---