AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nothing for you. Move along.” I hear the cocking of a revolver.
“I think you might have my intentions all wrong. I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here on business.”
“That so?” he grunts.
“The name’s Gabriel,” I offer. “And yours?”
“Hank.”
“Look, Hank, I’m not trying to give you shit. I just need to ask you something.” I walk slowly forward, hands splayed away from my body. “And I think you know what’s in store for you if something happens to me.”
“Alright, spit it out.”
“I’m looking for a girl.”
He snorts out a laugh. “Get a freakin’ number. Salem Street is where you wanna go. Look up at the second-story windows, and if you see something you like, be prepared to pay. I hear they’re looking for party favors, cigarettes, high-end booze.”
“Not just any girl. This girl.” I take Brooke’s picture from my wallet and hold it out for him to see.
“What’s in it for me?”
“If I find her, rich rewards. Guns, ammo, and enough coffee to fill an Olympic-sized pool.”
He snatches the picture from me, squinting at the image. Most take one look and hand it back with no recollection of ever meeting her. But this guy, he’s really looking.
“Ah…I don’t want no trouble.”
Panic floods my veins because I’m fucking terrified. Not of the man. Of losing Brooke after coming so close.
“I’m not looking to give you trouble,” I say in an even tone, because broadcasting my distress is the worst fucking move I could make.
“Frank ain’t going to like me chatting about his plaything.”
The restraint I’m using to stifle the urge to grab him by the throat and crush his windpipe cannot be overstated.
“Frank doesn’t have to know. No one does.”
“I’m gonna need more.”
“Name your price.”
“A woman.”
I chuckle dryly. “They aren’t mine to give.”
“Don’t tell me your people don’t have harems full of them.”
“Matter of fact, we don’t, but I’ll tell you what. If I find that girl, I’ll give you enough supplies to buy you several trips to Salem Street.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, how do I know you’ll make good?”
“Right now, my people have a tentative truce with those who roam the streets. You don’t bother us, we don’t bother you. Both sides can’t afford to have that fucked up, so I’m not looking to con you.” I slide my pack off my back, which holds valuable supplies meant to trade for this reason. “This should be a good down payment.”
He snatches the pack and starts sifting through it, pulling out antiseptic, gold bars, cigars, and other goodies. But I grow impatient.
“I’m waiting,” I say tersely.
“Just past Salem, going north, there’s an old club Frank’s set up shop in. He’s named it Tits R’ Us as a joke. It fits. It’s marked by a neon light. You’ll find her there.”
