Page 36 of Dark Side of the Cloth

“I really should wake up Yasmine now,” Dean said.

“Just hold your hot-blooded horses one more second. That girl right there, she is a precious gem, rarest as they come. The poor thing has not had a good ride so far on this train of life, and she certainly hasn’t deserved it. If you’re going to drag her into whatever it is you have going on, just be sure it’s going to be because you plan on sticking around.”

Mabel poked him in the arm with her other hand.

“It’s obvious to see how much you two care for one another. Yasmine has tried to hide it from me, but these old eyes don’t miss a thing.”

“I see that.”

Mabel poked him again. “Consider this a warning. Don’t break her heart, or my wooden spoon is going to find a dark place to be stuck.”

He laughed hard, the visual strong in his mind, and he had no doubt that Mabel would give it the good old college try. When he first got to town, he would’ve killed Mabel for her confession just now, but that was before he met Yasmine and got to know Mabel. His secret was in her hands, and he was shocked that he felt okay with that.

“Mabel?” Yasmine rubbed her eyes and, when she saw that the older woman was awake, she leapt like a gazelle from the seat to grip Mabel in a hug.

“Geez, girl, are you trying to snuff the life out of me?” Mabel said but gripped Yasmine tight.

“I have a few things to take care of, but then I will be back,” Dean said. “Yasmine, would you like me to bring you anything from your house?”

“There will be no need for that. You are not staying here overnight. I will not have it!”

“Don’t you get all saucy with me. If I want to stay here and pamper you, then I’m darn well going to do it,” Yasmine placed her hands on her waist as the two women squared off.

“Fine! Stay if you want to be stubborn. It just means you’ll have to endure my snoring,” Mabel said.

“How about this?” Dean started. “You text me what you need if you decide to stay. Either way, I will be back later.”

“Thanks, Dea—Father O’Sullivan.” Yasmine blushed, the pink spreading across her cheeks as she looked up at him from under her thick lashes.

It was the single prettiest thing he’d ever witnessed.

Dean slipped out of the door, leaving the two women while he went on the hunt. Mabel had asked him not to kill this kid, Jeremy, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t teach him a valuable life lesson.

With the little bit of information that Mabel had provided, Dean had easily tracked down his prey. He sat in the Hummer parked a few alleys down from the shithole Jeremy was currently calling home. According to the receptionist working the homeless shelter, he’d left his bed a week ago, and they had to fill the spot with someone that really wanted it.

A bad move for Jeremy, but a good situation for him.

“Hey Sexy, schematics and heat signatures of building 6969.”

Dean smirked at the address number. He’d definitely preferred to be in the ‘69’ position than the one he was in now. He adjusted his pants at the thought of Yasmine screaming his name as she came on his face but quickly shook his head. He needed it in the game, not daydreaming about a sweet pink pussy.

“There are nine heat signatures spread out over the three floors,” Sexy said. “There is structural deterioration in several key areas, and there are no cameras in the vicinity.”

“Are there any phones with video capability?”

“Thirty-three phones in a two-block radius have video capability.”

“Shut them down.” Dean adjusted the lens over his eye. “Color map and send to my helmet.” He got out of the truck and closed the door. “Initialize lockdown, code word Ginger.”

“Lockdown initialized. Mapping has been sent.”

Dean walked to the end of the alley and peered around the corner. There was a man standing on the same side of the street smoking a cigarette and whacking his cell off the palm on his hand.

I guess the cameras were shut off.

Dean jogged across the road, avoiding the street lights and sticking to the shadows—his black fatigues would be hard to spot. Not that there were very many people around to spot him. He picked up the pace and ran down the alley that had definitely seen its share of piss. The entire length stank of ammonia even with the cold snap. The end of the alley spit him out on a rundown residential street. Fortunately, the houses all faced the other direction and had tall fences, like even the builder didn’t want the houses to be subjected to the things that went on one road over.

A homeless person’s tent set-up slowed Dean’s pace. There was one heat signature inside, but they seemed to be sleeping the way their forms were curled up, so he silently slipped by them. Dean gave the back door a gentle pull and was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked. It made a bit of a squeal as he opened it enough to fit, but as he inspected the dots indicating people, no one seemed to be heading his way.