Page 83 of Dreaming of Home

“Let me down,” the guy over Roan’s shoulder slurred.

I shut the door and followed Roan to the kitchenette.

“Sure, I’ll let you down.” Roan dumped him onto the floor. The guy had a hard landing, what with his hands and feet tied up and all.

“Where am I?” He sounded a little less slurred, but he was nasally. I was pretty sure I had broken his nose.

“You’re in a place where no one can hear you if you scream. But you won’t need to scream as much if you just give us some answers,” I told him.

Roan gave me a thumbs up. He was the slightest bit of a goof.

The guy tried to push up into a sitting position, but the way he was tied wouldn’t allow it. He dropped back down onto the floor in defeat. “Just ask me what you want to know, and I’ll tell you. I don’t like this bumfuck town. This was a shit assignment.”

“What are you talking about? You’re going down for first degree murder,” I shouted into his face.

“The fuck I am!” he shouted back, his fear palpable. “I was paid to get answers out of the bitch, not kill her.”

“Bullshit. You’re the second person who’s tried to kill her in the last forty-eight hours,” I yelled back. If I didn’t need him to answer questions, I would put my boot through his skull.

“No, man. No. I can prove it. The old man told me himself. I was to get her phone, and I was to find out where she has her shit backed up. I was to find the video. If I had to hurt her to get the information, that was okay. But I needed to make sure all of the copies were gone, and bring him her phone.”

“What in the fuck are you talking about?” Roan interrupted.

“Check the van if you don’t believe me. Her phone was still rolling around in the back when you took me.”

I nodded my head at Roan and he left to go check things out.

“Now what fucking video are you talking about? And who is your client?”

“The senator. He called me in late last night. He said some other guy screwed the pooch and almost killed the teacher, which is not what the senator needed to have happen. Then the senator lays it all out to me. The teacher has a video on her phone that he needs.”

“What kind of video is it?” I was confused.

“I don’t fucking know. It was some asshole kids. Girls. Bullying some other asshole kids. Girls. Anyway, all those snowflakes got their dicks in a ringer, and somebody taped it or something and the senator wants to make sure he has every copy.”

“So he sent you?”

“I used to work at Blockbuster back in the day. I told him, I was an expert at getting things erased.”