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“Not too far,” Iago says, raising his shot glass in the air.
We all take the shots. Caroline too. I keep my hand around her waist, hoping she doesn’t freak out too much.
The stakes are high in here. The tension is palpable.
“How far?” He presses us, pouring us more shots.
“We only needed the four drinks,” Iago says.
“These are on the house.”
“Fifty miles south,” I butt in.
“Hm. Gang territory,” he mutters. “I see where you’re from, just by looking at you. The looks on your faces spell trouble. What’s your deal?”
“No deal,” Iago says. “We’re just passing through. We don’t want any trouble.”
The bartender puts his hands under the bar. “Bullshit. What are you doing in a ghost town like this?”
Iago looks at me and sighs. I speak up. “We’re looking for some people,” I say. “Maybe you can help us.”
“What kind of people are you looking for? I’m not too good at identifying names or faces,” he says, squinting his eyes.
“The Hell Squadron,” I say, placing my palms on the table, so he knows I’m not pulling any fast ones on him. “You seen them?”
He pulls out a sawed off shotgun from underneath the table. “Why the hell would you need the Hell Squadron? You out for blood, sir?”
“Not out for anything of the sort,” I say. “Put the gun down. Let’s talk.”
“Come in the back.” He motions for us to follow him, and we do just that.
Inside the back room, there’s a couch and six men. The bartender keeps his gun on us, and I keep my hands visible.
“Go ahead,” he says. “Tell them who you’re trying to find.”
“The Hell Squadron,” Jeffco says. “Where they at?”
All six men look at each other and get off of the couch. They put out their cigarettes, and the guy who looks most in charge pulls out a blade.
He presses it against my throat, withholding himself. I don’t move. I don’t react. I let him do his thing.
“Now, why would you and a little girl like her be looking for the Hell Squadron?” he asks, steadily showing his teeth.
These kinds of threats mean nothing to me. Still, I have to act carefully if I want to keep my jugular intact.
Out of nowhere, Caroline speaks up. “We need their help,” she says. “The Hunters have gone insane. They broke the pact.”
The man takes his blade off my throat and starts laughing. The rest of the men do the same. “The Hunters,” he repeats. “And who the fuck are you, little girl?”
“I’m with him. He’s with the High Priests,” she says.
The man nods. “Four corner gangs, huh?”
She nods back with ferocity. “You can ask the rest of the guys who they are. I’m not speaking for everyone,” she says. “Kaine is on a killing spree and now we need their help. Do you know where they are or not?”
I’m impressed. When she wants to get something done, she gets it done.
The leader turns to me again. “Is this true?”
