AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gage shakes his head. “Without a picture I’m not sure, but I don’t think so.”
Zacharov nods. “Tell him the rest.”
“I have to climb a fence to get away,” Gage says. “Three blocks later I get grabbed by guys in black suits. They hustle me into a car, and I think I’m done for, but they tell me that if I tell them what happened, they aren’t going to investigate the hit.”
“And did you tell them?” Zacharov asks, although I can tell he’s already heard the story and knows the answer.
Lila pulls away from her father to perch on the edge of the couch.
“Well, at first I tell them no, I’m no snitch, but it turns out that they don’t really care about who ordered me to do the job or even what I did. All they want to know about is the psycho do-gooder. They let me go, just for telling them about some guy I talked to for a couple of seconds. I said he took my gun.”
I feel an odd sense of dizziness. It’s almost like falling.
“They wanted to know if we knew each other. They wanted to know if he identified himself as a federal agent. I said no to both. Then, when they turned me loose, I came to Mr. Z, because I thought maybe he’d know what was going on.”
“That sounds nothing like my brother,” I say, giving them the steadiest look I can manage.
“A man can’t be too careful,” says Zacharov.
“Sorry I couldn’t be more help,” Gage says. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
“I’ve got to get going,” I say, standing up. “That is, if we’re done here?”
Zacharov nods.
I start toward the elevator. My shoes tap a sharp rhythm on the stone tiles. I hear sudden footsteps following mine.
“Wait up,” Gage says. “I’ll ride down with you.”
I look back to see Zacharov and Lila, across the room, watching us. Lila raises a hand in a half wave.
I get into the elevator and close my eyes as the doors shut.
“You going to kill me?” I ask in the silence that follows. “I hate waiting.”
“What?” When I look at him, Gage is frowning. “You’re the psycho who attacked me.”
“You’re a death worker. I figured you lied back there because you wanted some kind of personal revenge.” I sigh. “Why did you do it? Why not tell Zacharov it was me?”
“No big thing. You let me go; I pay my debts.” He’s got sharp, almost delicate features, but he’s muscled under his coat. I can tell from his shoulders. “All I want is my gun. It’s a 1943 Beretta. A family heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother. She got it from some Italian boyfriend after the war—and she gave it to me when my parents kicked me out. I slept the whole bus ride to New York with that thing under what I was using for a pillow. It kept me safe.”
I nod. “I’ll get it to you.”
“Just give the gun to Lila and she’ll pass it along,” he says. “Look, whatever those agents wanted you for, I figure it’s none of my business. It didn’t sound to me like you were one of them, and Lila wouldn’t thank me for getting you in trouble with her father.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the youngest Sharpe brother, right? Cassel. Lila’s been talking about you for forever.” He grins appraisingly, raising both his eyebrows. “I didn’t think you could possibly measure up, but it’s the rare boy who can catch me.”
I laugh. “How long have you known her?”
“I did a job for her father when I was thirteen. I guess she was about twelve at the time. We got along like a house on fire. Used to go into her mother’s room and try on her clothes and sing in front of her big double mirror. We were going to start a band called the Skies over Tokyo, but neither of us could play an instrument and neither of us could sing.”
It takes me a moment to put it together that he means he killed someone for Zacharov when he was just a kid. I’m shocked before I remember that I was doing the same thing for Anton.
Then I realize that I’m going to do it again, for Yulikova this time. Yulikova, who knows I’ve already lied to her once.
My stomach sinks as the elevator doors open. I feel like I am still going down.
