“No guns.” I worried my thumb a second longer, then added, “We can always come back for it if we see something fishy.”
Gretchen’s face hardened in determination.
We left the car on the shoulder a little way past the G-Spot. Bats in hand, we sprinted across the road like foxes into a hen coop and to the back of the building. The back of the building smelled like grease and the rot from the dumpster that sat right outside the back entrance. We crouched low and waited, watching each other with wide eyes. There were no windows to peek in. We’d have to go in.
“Occum’s bike isn’t here.” My voice wasn’t as steady as I wanted it to be.
“Small blessings.”
“I can’t be sure, but that could be Ka-Bar’s.” Made sense. It was the middle of the day—nobody was on staff yet. Wasn’t sure about the other bike. The only car was Ford’s.
“Okay, we go in quietly. See what we can see,” I said. “First sign of trouble, you get the cluck out.”
She gave me a look like I just asked her to sing the alphabet backward.
“Yeah, yeah that’s what I thought you’d say.”
She held up her fist for me to bump. “No ex left behind.”
I bumped her with my free hand, the other wrapped around one of her bats. I held her gaze and sucked in my lip to keep from grinning. “You’re a damn fool.” I took a deep breath in. “I’ll go in first.”
She nodded once, eyes narrowed with determination. “Let’s go get your man.”
The door was unlocked—thank God, because I had not thought of an alternate option—and no noise greeted my ears as it slowly opened. I stilled with just an inch cracked. Though it was dark, there was no movement inside.
I opened it all the way and slipped in. The last time I was here—
No. I pushed the thoughts away. I was Suzie clucking Samuels. I was Short Fuse. The world knocked me down and I got back up. I was making my life choices from here on out.
I crept along the dark hallway, heading toward the bar and away from Occum’s office, slowly until my eyes adjusted. A second later I about peed my pants when Gretch grabbed my hand.
I squeezed it hard. “You scared me.”
She squeezed it back harder. “You literally just told me to follow you. Who the hell else would it be?”
We were whisper yelling when we both shushed each other, fingers to mouths. Voices had reached us.
“Ford,” I mouthed.
She nodded. A second later, her head tilted with confusion. She mouthed back, “Jack?”
It had sounded like Jack’s deep and jovial voice. What was Jack doing here?
I made my way past the backstage and dressing rooms, Gretch’s hand still in mine. When we rounded the corner to the bar up front, three figures came into view. She dropped my hand and sprinted to crouch behind the bar to listen. I followed a second later. The voices hadn’t called out, so we must have made it.
“Just tell me where he is,” Ford demanded.
I smiled because I remembered the first time I’d heard him use that tone. A lifetime ago. I peeked over the counter. Ka-Bar stood with crossed arms and a menacing scowl. I rolled my eyes. Bikers. Ka-Bar was dressed as usual, leather head to toe. Ford and Jack tried to match his body language but it was a little less convincing in khakis and button-ups.
“I don’t know what to tell you—”
“Tell me where Occum is or I’ll call the police.”
My heart stopped. No. Ford couldn’t. The police would just make everything worse. We were still alive and that might be because we hadn’t gone to the police.
I shot up from my hiding place and jumped the bar like I’d done a thousand shifts before.
“Ford. No!”
