Page 41 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
“Boss,” he breathed, standing quickly. “Thank God.”
“Are you okay?” Malik asked, scanning the young man for injuries.
“Yeah, just freaked out.” Ian glanced nervously toward the window. “They followed me for six blocks. One of them pointed at me and said, ‘That’s Cooper’s kid.’”
Malik frowned. “Cooper’s kid? As in Hayley Cooper?”
“I don’t know.” Ian shook his head. “But they definitely knew my actual name. Asked if I was enjoying playing detective.”
Outside, a commotion erupted. The two men who had been watching the bakery were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of pigeons - dozens of them, diving and pecking aggressively. The men swatted at the air, stumbling backward and cursing loudly.
Malik couldn’t help but grin. Tynan’s “distraction” was effective if unconventional. “Let’s go,” he said, guiding Ian toward the door. “While they’re busy.”
They slipped out of the bakery and hurried toward the car. Tynan emerged from the alley moments later, looking innocently puzzled by the bird attack happening across the street. Sparky flew lazy circles above, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
“Pigeons?” Malik asked as they reached the car.
Tynan shrugged, the picture of innocence. “They were just sitting on the roof. I merely suggested they might find those men interesting.”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Ian said with a nervous laugh as they piled into the car.
Malik drove quickly but carefully, taking a circuitous route back to the workshop. In the rearview mirror, he could see Ian’s face, pale but composed.
“Want to tell us exactly what happened?” Malik asked once they were safely on their way.
Ian took a deep breath. “I was walking to work like normal. About two blocks from home, I noticed those guys behind me. Didn’t think much of it until I made that turn on Cedar - you know, where no one goes unless they live there - and they followed. That’s when I got suspicious.”
“Did they say anything else?” Tynan asked from the front seat. “Besides knowing your name?”
“They talked about how I should ‘mind my own business’ and ‘stop poking around where I don’t belong.’” Ian’s voice shook slightly. “One of them said something weird, too. Said I was ‘hanging out with the wrong kind.’”
Malik and Tynan exchanged a glance.
“The wrong kind?” Tynan repeated carefully.
“Yeah. Like…” Ian hesitated. “Like they meant you guys. Which is ridiculous. You’re the best people I know.”
The sincerity in Ian’s voice made something in Malik’s chest ache. This kid, this innocent human kid who had no idea what Malik and Tynan really were, was being threatened because of his association with them.
“We’ll sort this out,” Malik promised, his voice hard. “No one’s going to hurt you.”
“I know.” Ian’s trust was absolute. “But what do they want? Is this about Hayley?”
“Partly,” Tynan said. “But there’s more to it. Things have been complicated lately.”
As they pulled up to the workshop, Malik scanned the street carefully before allowing anyone out of the truck. The area seemed clear, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
Inside, with the doors locked and security system armed, Malik finally allowed himself to relax marginally. Ian made coffee while Tynan booted up the laptop.
“So what now?” Ian asked, handing mugs around. “Do we call the police?”
Malik and Tynan exchanged another look. The police weren’t going to be a lot of help. “It’s probably not the best idea,” Tynan said hesitantly. “At the moment, from what you said, all we could report is that a couple of men were following you and trying to warn you to stop working here, for whatever reason. That’s hardly a crime.”
“We need to be more careful,” Malik said finally. “All of us. No one goes anywhere alone. Ian, I’m driving you home tonight and picking you up tomorrow morning.”
“And we need to accelerate our search for Hayley,” Tynan added. “That Instagram post from last night might be the key. If we can trace where it came from...”
“I can do that,” Ian offered eagerly. “There are tools online that can help narrow down the location.”
