Page 26 of Gator: One Love


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Who the hell could it be?

11

Gator watchedas the ambulance raced away, its siren cutting through the eerie quiet that had descended on the neighborhood.

“I’m going to the hospital to see June,” Sylvie said quietly.

He could see the worry in her eyes, and he knew she needed to be there for her friend. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked, hoping to offer some support.

Sylvie shook her head. “No, Gator. I need you to find out who did this to her. June didn’t deserve it.” Her voice was filled with a mixture of fear and anger now.

He nodded. “I’ll do my best, Sylvie. Take care of June.”

After talking to the cops and giving them what little information he had, Gator headed back to the club. The blaring music when he walked inside was already getting on his nerves.

“Hey, man,” Gator said when he found Baptiste at the bar. “We need to talk.”

Baptiste’s eyes narrowed when he saw the change in Gator’s expression. “What's going on?” he asked, concerned.

“Can we talk outside?” They walked out into the late afternoon sun and Baptiste sat back against his Harley. Gator filled him in on the details. Baptiste pulled out his phone and texted Bruno. He needed to talk to his cop friend about it, and he was also curious about a message that Bruno had left him earlier asking if Baptiste had heard from Gator.

Bruno. Need to talk urgently. With Gator now. Call me.

Baptiste's face darkened as Gator finished explaining the attack and what had happened to June. “Fucker…I could kill the asshole.” Just as he finished speaking, his phone vibrated in his hand. It was a text from Bruno.

On my way. Talk soon.

* * *

Gator and Baptistewere still sitting outside when Bruno pulled up beside them in a sleek, black Dodge Charger. Gator couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting Bruno to be driving.

As Bruno stepped out of the car, Baptiste whistled. “New car?” he asked, his tone playful.

Bruno's response was casual, almost dismissive. “Yeah,” he said, before quickly changing the subject. “So, what’s going on?”

Gator didn’t think about the exchange, his mind preoccupied with the day's events. He launched into an explanation of what had happened, mentioning the Crown Victoria that had been at the scene.

Baptiste’s eyes flicked between Gator and Bruno, and he seemed on the verge of saying something about the car again. Bruno, however, was quick to redirect the conversation. “There are a lot of those old Fords in the hood now,” he said dismissively, before turning to Gator. “What were you doing at Sylvie’s?”

Gator raised his eyebrows. It was an unexpected question. What did it matter what he was doing there? What about getting shot at? “What?” he asked.

“Can I have a moment alone with Gator?” Bruno asked Baptiste. “I need to get all the details so I can investigate properly.”

“Ah…OK…” Baptiste said, a little reluctantly. “Catch you later at the bar?”

“Yeah, sure, man,” Bruno replied.

Once Baptiste had left them alone, Bruno asked Gator, “Tell me everything you saw.”

Gator recounted the events, mentioning the 2010 Ford Crown Victoria in detail. Bruno, however, seemed nonchalant about the car, jotting down the information without any visible reaction.

After they’d discussed the attack and June, Gator remembered that Bruno had wanted to talk to him before this had all happened. “Why did you want to see me?” he asked.

Bruno's demeanor shifted, growing serious. “I need you to watch what you say in public, Gator. Word’s gotten around that you threatened Marvin at the Cops Corner.”

Gator winced. “I’m sorry, Bruno. It won’t happen again.”

Bruno nodded, but he was still curious about the confrontation. “Tell me why it happened in the first place.”

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