Page 62 of A Breath of Life
Buren barely spared Tallus a glance as he extended his hand to collect his due.
I palmed the two fifties I’d taken out earlier and shook, refusing to let go once I’d clasped the clammy offering. Tugging Buren toward me, I hissed, “How do I know you’re not going to fuck off with my money and leave me dry?”
Buren’s grin displayed teeth in desperate need of a dentist. “You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I’ve never trusted you.”
“What choice do you have, Krause? You got someone else to do your dirty work?”
A low rumble grew inside my chest. “The guy I’m looking for was transferred to a hospital by ambulance on Wednesday, September seventeenth, from behind the Niagara apartments. I don’t know which hospital. He was badly beaten and stabbed in the stomach. Neck injuries, severe enough to compromise his breathing. They inserted a trach on the scene. His first name is Clarence. That’s all I’ve got.”
“Mid-thirties,” Tallus added. “White. Roughly a hundred and eighty or a hundred and ninety pounds.”
Buren eyed Tallus before returning his attention to our clutched hands.
“No problem.” He tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t releasehim.
“When?”
“Meet me here tomorrow. Same time.”
“Not good enough. Tonight, or I report your ass.”
Buren huffed. “You can’t threaten me, Krause. This is extortion. You’re just as guilty.”
“You have no proof I asked anything of you, but a blood tox screen would leave you unemployed. All it would take is a phone call. Care to test how serious I am?”
“He’s had a rough couple of days,” Tallus added. “Don’t take it personally.”
As though noticing my banged-up face for the first time, Buren lost his cocky attitude. Wetting his lips, he scanned the street. “Full name?”
“And an address.”
“Two hours.”
“You have my number?”
“Yeah.”
“Text me.”
I released his hand and the money. Buren double-checked the amount before stuffing it into a pocket and shooting off down the street.
“Will he do it?” Tallus asked.
“If he knows what’s good for him.”
Buren vanished around a far corner. I took a minute to scan the street, unable to shake the feeling of being watched, yet unable to find the culprit.
“We need to get home,” I said, jittery and jumping at my own shadow.
“What about dinner?” Tallus motioned to the Mediterranean restaurant. “I’m starving, and your stomach says you are too. Gotta feed that bear, D.” He smirked, the old Tallus returning. “Besides,Buren needs a couple of hours, so we might as well kill time. Unless,” he eyed the pouch around my wrist, “you’ve got other things to do.”
God, I wanted to explain, if only to alleviate his worry, but I bit my tongue and considered his offer.
The idea of sitting in public coiled my intestines. I would never be able to relax. Before I could say no, the challenging look on Tallus’s face stopped me. I couldn’t keep shutting him down. Not without a reason.
Tallus was rarely needy or clingy. He had confidence in reserve. Not once had he questioned the longevity of our relationship. He waded through my shit day after day and kept right on going. I was the one with insecurities coming out of my ass. I was the one who constantly sought reassurance and walked a razor’s edge, convinced we were ten seconds from over.
