Page 36 of Fixer
My throat tightened, my breath coming short.“I didn’t stand back.They locked me up.”I’d destroyed my fingers on the door, beaten my hands bloody on the walls of my prison, and screamed myself hoarse, throughout the worst hours of my life.
“Yeah, I know, Dustin told me.In my head, I understood.In my gut, it took a few years to get to where I purely missed you.Where all the anger was gone.Zay helped with that.”
“I guess I owe Zay a lot.”
“He’s pretty awesome.”A teasing note entered Shawn’s voice.“Dustin seems like he could be awesome, too.”
“Yeah.Maybe.”
The operator broke in with, “Deposit two dollars for another minute.”
I fumbled out my quarters and dropped them one by one.
Shawn said, “Don’t go broke on this call.”
“Nah.It’s worth it.”
“You’ll have to come back sometime when things settle down for you.Bring Dustin along.We can have time to really get to know each other again.”
“I’d like that.”
“You can taste test my new cider ideas.Apple-ginger.Apple-lemon.Apple-black-licorice”
“You picked that flavor?”
“Nah.Just pulling your leg.”Shawn laughed.“I’ve got to go help Zay with the damned sprayer.Keep in touch.Tell Dustin I said hi.Tell him I said to treat you right or I’ll Challenge him.”
“He’d wipe the floor with your scrawny ass.”
“Okay.Maybe don’t tell him that.”
I didn’t want to hang up.“You’re really happy, right?Life is good?”
Shawn’s tone softened.“Really.I’m great.Money’s tight, but we’re making it work, and if Zay was a girl, I’d be asking him to marry me.You can stop fretting about me.Go get your own man.”
I didn’t have a good answer so I just held the receiver to my ear until Shawn said, “Bye, big brother,” and the line went dead.
I left the booth and headed back to the apartment.I should’ve hustled.I had lots of carving to do, replenishing the pendants, which were small and fiddly work.I needed to ask Mr.Owens what projects he had on his list that I could take off his hands… Instead, I walked, enjoying the sun and the fresh— well city version of fresh— air.The buildings and businesses and small parks were familiar from five years of running these streets.This was my territory, my familiar space, and with Shawn doing well, my last regrets faded.I had a life, one I liked even if it wasn’t what most wolves would choose.And maybe I’d found someone to share that life with.
Dustin didn’t call till late evening.I answered before the first ring died away.“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.How was your day?”
“Fine.The next city meeting is Friday.”
“Mina came through for us again, huh?”
“Yeah.What about you?How’s life in the big city?”Chicago was only an hour away, but it felt like another world, one Dustin had lived in for years, so near and yet so far.Did you miss me today?That was the stupidest question ever, after sixteen hours apart, so I managed not to ask.
“Fine,” he said, hopefully oblivious to my clinginess.“I’ve been digging into the terrible twosome.Quentin is a tough nut— comes from money, good security on his properties, lots of legitimate businesses, wife, three kids.Rosswurn, though.He might be the weak link.”
“How?”
“He scraped his way up, married rich, went into real estate dealing on his wife’s money.He’s not diversified, doesn’t have funds other than the little woman’s millions to fall back on, and there are rumors about other women.I plan to put in some surveillance time, see what I can find there.”
“Why would it matter if he’s cheating, though?”
“Leverage.If he’s cheating, I bet he doesn’t want his wife to find out.”
