Page 6 of Hidden Ascent

It had already been a long day, and seeing the fear in Benny’s eyes made Jay reckless. “Nothing. Sorry. I’m not trying to make things worse. My job here is done. Let me take this kid home, and we can both get out of your hair and let you get on with your work.”

“Your job’s done when I say it is.”

“No. Your uncle hired me to clean up after Ezra. I’ve done that. You got Benny as extra into the deal, but only for what information he could supply. I did your uncle a favor because I know how badly he wants Ezra. But it’s a dead end. You’ll have to find some other way.”

Spider had a twitch in his eye that suggested he’d kill Jay for nothing more than annoyance. Whatever came next, Jay would have to tread carefully.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Spider said.

“I never said you were.”

“I heard you once killed a man with a pencil.”

“I already told you, I don’t care about what you heard.”

Spider stepped closer. “You stabbed him with it twenty-two times and liked it.”

“So?” It had been twenty-four, but the guy had deserved every one of those holes. Jay wasn’t that man anymore. “Spider, I’m telling you, if you hurt this kid, you’re only going to make things harder for yourself. It’s more to clean up. You really want your uncle to pay for that?”

“My uncle trusts me. He knows I’ll do whatever it takes, unlike you. And when the kid tells us where his dad is, I’m going to make a little mess of my own with his face.” Spider smiled, and the diamond attached to his tooth gave off an obnoxious sparkle. “Then you can come in and clean that up too.”

“I know you’re new to this, so I’m going to give it to you straight. If Benny knew where his dad was hiding, he would have told you already. Ezra is a hardened criminal who’s not going to tell his kid where he’s going.”

“Says you. But I think you’re holding out on us. I think you know what’s inside this kid’s head but you want to get it out yourself. ’Cause you like it. You like watching the fear in their eyes.”

Jay swallowed. He hadn’t thought Spider could get under his skin, but now his skin was crawling. Being reminded of the things he had done set him on edge.

“I know about you, Jay Parker. I know who you really are, and I’ll keep digging until I find the button that pushes you so hard you crack.”

Jay pulled his gun and grabbed the kid by the neck, forcing him backward and the chair up on two legs. He shoved his gun into his mouth. “You gonna tell us where your dad is?”

Benny was crying now and shaking his head as he choked, unable to get a word out.

The last thing Jay wanted was to hurt the kid, but he knew Spider wouldn’t listen to him, and he wouldn’t let up until he was satisfied. And somehow, Jay’s past had snuck up on him, or maybe it was closer to the surface than he realized. He hadn’t been challenged in a long time. Jay’s reputation was taken for granted, but now, Spider was squeezing, so Jay squeezed Benny’s windpipe harder.

He was angry with himself, and he was angry that this kid had put him in this position.

When Benny’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, Jay released him and stepped back.

He squeezed his hand into a fist as he watched Benny struggle to get his breath back. He had to get out of here.

“See?” he said. “He knows nothing. I’ve been in this game a long time, and I know when—” Jay saw the change in Spider’s eyes too late.

Spider swung his gun sideways while keeping eye contact with Jay and shot Benny in the chest.

“When you’re right, you’re right,” Spider said with a smile. “The kid’s of no use. Now, you going to keep arguing with me? Or are we going to find Ezra?”

Jay focused on Benny, who had fallen backward in the chair with the force of the gunshot and now lay still, staring at the ceiling.

Spider had finished what Jay had been too close to. He turned back to Spider and stared at him. All he saw in the other man’s eyes was evil. But he may as well have been looking in the mirror.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Jay could barely recognize his own voice.

“Says who? Maybe you should focus on doing your job properly and let me do mine. If you don’t want to do it anymore, fine. You’ve used up your usefulness like this punk kid.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Jay closed the space between them. “I quit,” he said quietly. “And you can tell your uncle I won’t ever work for him again. Not after what you just did.”

Spider growled and lifted his gun to shoot Jay, but Jay had anticipated it. It was why he had moved closer.

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