Page 160 of The Rust in Her Hair

This is the plan, I remind myself. He’ll pay. Soon.

"Well, gentlemen." Crispin buttons his suit jacket, as he glances at the big glass doors. "Get the fuck out of my building."

In a matter of seconds, we’re back in the elevator, standing next to Rico, watching the floors light up as we go down.

Adrian sends a single text, but no one says a word.

In the lobby, I smile and nod at the receptionist. Adrian and I let the camera over the doors get a clean look at our faces. I keep my expression easy, and I check my watch while the valet brings the truck around. We stand under the lights of the entrance canopy in full view while we wait, letting the whole world see that we aren’t in a rush.

"Take Delancey Avenue," Adrian says as he buckles his seatbelt. "There's a camera on every block from here to the interstate. I want a lens on this truck the whole way out of the city." He glances at the side mirror. "No one will have to ask where we were, because they’ll be able to see us leave."

"Good."

Adrian pulls the burner out of his pocket, the one that he’s been using to talk to Mack all night. He powers it down and works the SIM loose with his thumbnail, then he holds the little chip up between two fingers.

"We can toss it once we get to the river," I say.

"How long do you think it’ll take Mack to meet us there?"

"Forty minutes," I say, repeating the timeline Mack gave me. "He said he could have it all done, and be there in under forty."

Adrian shakes his head, clearly not believing it either. "I know he can run pretty fast for his size, but forty minutes is going to be tight."

I don’t say anything, but I do agree. "We’ll wait longer if we need to. He has to dodge a shit ton of cameras along the way."

"I hate that he has to do this," Adrian whispers at the dark road in front of us.

"Yup,” I say, thinking about the person Mack used to be. The one who had to do horrible things to survive living on the streets.

And I pray, harder than I've prayed for anything, that he still remembers how to be that person.

Waiting for the Dark

Mack

The executive parking level sits three floors underground, and it's quiet as a forgotten graveyard down here.

I’m surrounded by concrete and cold air, and somewhere off in the dark a pipe ticks as it cools. I've wedged myself into the corner past the last row of cars, where the light from the fixtures gives out before it reaches me, and I've been standing still for so long, my knees are starting to creak.

I wish I knew where Crispin parked his damn car. I rest the metal pipe against my shoulder and settle in to wait.

There wasn't time to figure out what kind of car the fucker drives, but I don't think it'll be a problem. There's only one elevator that comes down this far, and only one stairwell does too.

Thankfully, there wasn't a camera on it anywhere.

My only real concern is that this fucker, Crispin, doesn’t have a car parked down here at all. Men like him tend to have town cars that take them everywhere. Right?

If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do about him tonight. We’ll have to figure this out tomorrow.

Fuck. What time is it?

I pull the burner out of the pocket of my coveralls. Nine-sixteen.

Then the phone buzzes in my hand and one word comes in from Adrian.

Now

It’s time.