Page 41 of Live Love Steal
Someone’s house lights went on. We had to make this fast. “Where’s the girl?”
“Dunno. She bailed.”
Way to go, Iron Girl. “Location?” I shoved my gun up his nose, flattening the blobby part against his face.
“By the restaurant.”
“Which one?” Whoosh asked and kicked his side.
The gang banger cried in pain but blurted out a name and a set of cross streets.
I needed to know one more thing. “Why did you take my woman?”
He stared at my shirt, the tattoos on my arms, and swallowed. “I didn’t take anyone. I swear!” Then, quieter, he asked, “She’s yours?”
“Mine. And you do know who I am, right?”
He nodded.
I pressed the gun just a bit harder into his flesh.
“She backed into Victor’s car. He’s pissed. That’s why.”
“When was this?”
“When she came to get her sister, a couple of weeks ago.”
Whoosh whispered, “What the fuck is he talking about?”
“Iz rescued her sister, who was stupid enough to date Victor, the asshole, and while doing so, backed into Victor’s car.” I turned my attention to the kid pissing his pants. “This guy took her.”
“I didn’t!” he protested.
“If we had time, we’d fuck him up,” Whoosh stated.
But we didn’t have time. I needed to find Isobel before Victor did, and before the cops responded to the noise complaints. Although, in this neighborhood, that was not a certainty. I dragged the kid farther into the shadows. If Bear were here, he’d snap his neck. But that took a skill I didn’t have. I flipped him onto his stomach. As I did that, I stripped his coat and wrapped it around the gun in my hand.
“He’s normally the nice one,” Whoosh leaned down to tell him.
“Please, man, I didn’t do it. I swear.”
“You didn’t see us, you don’t know us,” I pressed the fabric and weapon against his skull.
“I didn’t, I don’t. I swear.”
Whoosh kicked him again. “Make sure of that.” He grabbed the kid’s wallet from his pants. “I’m keeping this just in case you forget to forget.”
Keeping the kid alive helped us in two ways. First, it kept us from a murder charge, and second, the kid would eventually blab to someone. Our reputation needed a boost if Victor thought he could take something of ours. But first, we needed Victor.
There was one bright spot. We had a location where Isobel bailed.
And, one block away, we spotted the twin to this car. Victor was in the passenger seat, hanging out of the window like a dog.
“I know I’m driving, but I bet I could pick him off.”
While Whoosh had a good idea, I needed to get information and find Isobel first. Then we could take him.
“Meet me behind the restaurant. I’m going to try to lure him back there.”
