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Out the front window, large family houses lined the endless street. They were well kept with immaculate lawns and garden beds. A few kids played outside in the yard.
I focused on the house numbers slowly creeping by. This was taking forever.
A glance at the speedometer told me Mark was going twenty-five, the speed limit. I swore we were only going ten, maybe less.
The GPS chirped, “You have arrived,” and Mark eased us over to the curb and put the car in park.
I peered out my window. The driveway had a few junker cars in it, and weeds grew in all the flower beds and the unkempt yard. The lawn hadn’t been mowed in a while and would probably hit about my ankles.
His neighbors probably hated him, considering everyone else’s yard looked clean and welcoming. If they had a homeowners association, they were probably constantly nagging. This place was atrocious.
My fingers trembled as I put my hand on the door handle. I blew out a breath and exited at the same time Lincoln and Mark got out.
They walked around the car and joined me on my side. Together, we walked up to the small green house. Lincoln went ahead of us, jogging up the stairs and knocking on the door.
Music blared from inside like the guy was either having some sort of midday party or playing a video game. We waited a few seconds, and when no one came, Lincoln pounded on the door hard enough to make it rattle.
The music cut out, and footsteps stomped toward the door. A lock clicked, and the door cracked open. A guy with greasy hair and a five-o’clock shadow stuck his head out. “Can I help you?”
Lincoln stuck his foot in the door and put his hand on it as well. “My father sent me to collect the wolfsbane from you.”
The guy’s brows knitted together into a frown. He shifted his gaze from Lincoln to me and Mark. “Dane told me he’d be here tomorrow morning. I haven’t gotten everything all set up yet. You’ll have to come back then.”
He lifted a cigarette and then puffed the smoke out into Lincoln’s face.
Lincoln blinked slowly but didn’t flinch. “Well, we’re here today to pick it up. It’s been a long drive, and you’ve worked with my dad long enough to know he isn’t someone who takes kindly to being told no. It’d be in your best interest to just get it ready for us now.”
The guy took another draw from his cigarette. “It’s going to take me a few minutes to gather everything up. You can tell your dad I’m not too fond of unannounced visits.”
Lincoln chuckled. “My dad pays you a great amount of money for this stuff. Do you want to get an attitude about it? I’m sure there’s someone else he could find to help us out.”
The guy laughed and held up both hands. “’Course not. My bad. There aren’t a whole lot of people asking for this stuff. Might have a hard time finding another dealer.”
Lincoln growled low in his throat and shoved his foot against the door hard enough to push it open farther.
The guy frowned and took a step back as he held up his hands in surrender. He raked a hand through his hair. “Can’t complain about the money, though.”
Lincoln put his other hand on the doorframe and leaned in so he was almost in the guy’s face. “You’re right. You can’t complain about the money. Now, we’re on a bit of a time crunch, so if we can move things along, I’d really appreciate it. The last thing you want to do is make my dad angry.”
The guy took another puff from his cigarette and then motioned us inside. “Come on in. It’ll be just a few minutes, so you can have a seat on the couch. I have to go down to the basement to get everything put together.”
He swung the door open, letting Lincoln in first. I followed after him, and then Mark pulled up the rear. The house smelled like an ashtray, probably because there were ashtrays all over the place full of cigarette butts.
I did my best to breathe through my mouth, but the stench was making my eyes water and my nose tickle.
The guy motioned to the couch, which was home to an array of empty chip bags and other trash. “Make yourself at home. It’ll be just a few minutes.”
He ducked through a doorway, his footsteps thudding through the house as he made his way down the hall. Another door creaked open and then slammed shut, and it sounded like he was going downstairs.
Lincoln rolled his shoulders and rocked his head from side to side. “This shouldn’t take too long.”
I ran a hand through my hair as I surveyed the room. Music played from the TV where a video game was paused. An open bag of chips and a pop can sat on an end table by a grungy chair that looked like it had been used as a napkin one too many times.
I scrunched my nose up. “Do you think he bought it?”
Mark tapped his foot on the floor. “Why wouldn’t he?”
Lincoln narrowed his eyes and shrugged. “He’s a drug dealer. There’s always a risk when you throw something out of the ordinary at them. What he does is illegal. He’s probably cautious, and no one wants to piss off my dad.”
