Page 25 of Roses Are Dead
He shook his head but took the bag from me. Then hissed, “What the fuck, man? That’s Carl’s woman?”
“Yeah.”
He stared at me with the oddest expression on his face.
“What?”
He glanced around as if checking for an audience. Seeing none, he blasted me. “What in holy God’s name are you doing? You were supposed to talk to him, not kidnap his girlfriend.”
I knew that. “I did both, sue me.”
Skinner’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me how it went down.”
I straightened. Times were, I outranked him. Now I didn’t. Which meant I probably should try to appease him. “I go in there, Carl claims he’s alone. There’s fucking signs he ain’t, right?”
Skinner nodded, encouraging me to continue. Meanwhile, he slipped the computer out of its compartment and did a quick swipe through the pocket to feel for anything else in there.
“So, I’m in the middle of negotiations?—”
Skinner’s snort interrupted me. “Negotiation isn’t your strong suit, Bear.”
“Shut up and let me talk.”
Coming up empty in that pocket, he moved to the others.
“And I hear this squeak come from behind the couch. It’s her. I throw a fit and Carl…” I tried to play the scene back in my mind. Even in the memories, it seemed just a bit fuzzy, like there was something in the air that made it all not make sense.
“Carl what?” Skinner piled her clothes and other shit on a bench. “This receipt is a month old. Women, I swear…” He pocketed it. Strange man.
His tangent gave me time to really think about the scene. “Carl offered to sell her to me.”
Skinner froze. His head turned to the room where Rose hid. The stare he gave that door was loaded with apprehension, then he turned back to me and said, “Do not tell me you bought her.”
“I didn’t.”
He relaxed for a moment. “Then, why is she with you?” The squint he narrowed at me tried to make sense of things before I could defend myself.
“I told you it got weird.”
“How weird?” His voice was steeped in sarcasm.
This was going to look bad no matter which way I said it. “Apparently, she knows about that little scene with Sketch and Whoosh. Carl offered her to me for a month to keep her silent, and?—”
“You fucking moron.” Skinner checked his volume before continuing in what was obviously supposed to be loud, but wasn’t. “He set you up.”
“He tried.”
There was a pause in the conversation that went on for too long.
“Keep your mouth open for any longer and something’s gonna crawl in it.” I pointed at his gaping face.
“Apparently, he succeeded because you got her, and he doesn’t. Or am I reading this wrong?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
He rolled his eyes at me and dug through her bag with more fervor.
“What are you doing?” Roishin stood in the doorway, the book in hand.
