“Who betrayed us. It was those fucking Numbnuts. They must have been the ones who cut the fencing and disabled the cameras.” The bouncy puppy is no longer with us and has morphed into an attack dog. “Those fuckers.”
He turns to Ghost, jabbing his forefinger in the other man’s face. All his fear is gone now, and his respect for my Sergeant at Arms has ebbed away in the face of his raging fury.
“I told you,” he seethes. “I tried to tell you so many times about those idiots. But no one listens to me. Do they? I’m just stupid Ace, the one who makes people laugh. But Iseepeople, and I observe. I knew in my gutthey were wrong. Maybe if they’d been dealt with before now, for all the other stupid shit they’ve pulled, they wouldn’t have done this.”
I’ve seen Ace get so enraged, and those on the other end of his anger don’t normally fare too well.
“Ace, take a—” I start, but he’s already gone, storming out of the office, the door slamming shut behind him.
I lock my hands in my hair. “Fuck.”
3
ACE
I’m notsure where those idiots will be right now, but I hope they’ll still be in the cafeteria shoveling down food. If they are, I can sit back and watch them from a distance and follow where they go next. I need to somehow get hold of one of their cells. Hell, I could simply take one from them, but then I would have given them a heads up. I don’t want them to know, just yet, that I’m onto them or they might be able to send a warning to whoever has taken Camile.
I’m absolutely convinced they’re behind this.
If only Ghost would have listened to me, or even Jack. Perhaps I shouldn’t have shouted at Ghost the way I did. I lost my temper for sure, but sometimes Ghost pisses me off.
He might be Sergeant at Arms, but I’m the Road Captain. They’ve given me responsibility yet still treat me like I’m a fool. Maybe I don’t help myself, because I try to make light of things, but that’s mostly a coverup for the rage simmering inside me all the time. Anger atthe state of the world, the way it treats the most innocent and the most vulnerable. The way people abuse animals, even the baby ones, like kittens, and puppies, and all other kinds of wildlife. The way other men have behaved toward Camile.
Shaking my head, I force myself not to go there, because if I do, I won’t be able to focus.
When I enter the cafeteria, it’s late into the breakfast run, but the three Numbnuts are still here. They’re sitting in a circle with a few other men around a big table, talking animatedly. I pick up on their words as I get near. They’re discussing the breasts of one of the barmaids and taking bets on whether they’re real or fake.
Part of me wants to march over, haul the one nearest out of his seat, and start punching his face repeatedly until it’s nothing but a bloody, pulpy mess. I can almost feel the tendons and bones crunching under my knuckles and scent the metallic tang of blood on the air. Adrenaline bubbles up inside me.
I realize my hand has balled into a fist. I shake it out and try to relax. I breathe through the anger and ground myself as I amble over to where a couple of the ol’ ladies are starting to clear up the remains of breakfast.
“Mornin’, Ace, honey,” one of them says, flashing me a flirtatious smile. “You’re a bit late for anything hot, but I can go ask in the kitchen if there’s something in particular you’re after.”
“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, Cheryl.” I grab an apple from the fruit basket and bite into it with a hard crunch, the sweet juice flooding over my tongue. The whole time, I’m watching the table out of the corner of my eye, taking note of who they are sitting with.
“Well, sit your sweet ass down, and I’ll bring you over some fresh coffee in a sec.”
I flash her a grin. “Appreciate it.”
Maybe those other guys are in on it, too? I don’t really think so, because the Numbnuts are a law unto themselves. They tend to stick together, and while they might chat and joke with other members, they’re a tightknit group. Probably because no one else is as stupid as them.
For a moment, my brain takes a detour, and I wonder if there’s a noun for a collective group of idiots.
With my half-eaten apple in one hand, I approach them from behind. I see Eddy’s cell phone on the table, slightly to the left of where he is sitting, and hold back a smug grin.
Oh, they really do make it too easy.
Dramatically, I throw myself down next to him on the bench and snake my arm around his shoulder.
Eddy turns to look at me, and his eyes widen a little, his Adam’s apple rolling. I’m glad I make him nervous. If my suspicions are correct, soon I will make himhurt.
“What the hell do you want?” he asks, leaning away from me.
I only lock my arm on him tighter. Doing my best, happy-go-lucky-Ace impression, I shrug and offer a casual smile.
“I came to say sorry for the other day. When I threatened to… you know, divorce you from some of your digits. It wasn’t meant seriously,” I lie. “We’re all new to this club in one way or another, and we need to get along. I admit I was a bit of an asshole, but I’ve been stressed recently.”
From across the table, Eddy’s cousin, Duke sneers. “What the fuck have you got to be stressed about? You bounce around here like fucking Tigger.”
