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“This is a small shotgun round, Pete. .410 is for squirrels.”
“Imagine you’re in a car, and a guy is trying to kill you through your window.”
Genius. That close of range, this thing would take anyone’s head off. I get close to one of the dummies and shoot like I would out of my window. The head explodes, throwing debris all over me.
“Yep. I’d say that works.”
The girl from earlier brings me a towel and the beer I ordered. Doing my best to clean off my face, I take a deep draw from the beer. I load the gun up with six bear rounds and decide to make Pete earn his paycheck today.
There are now six more headless dummies, and I feel a million times better.
“Thanks for the gun, Pete,” I say in passing.
“You could have at least cleaned up after yourself,” he quips.
“I could have.” I give him a grin as the door closes. Pete is the kind of employee who needs to be reminded who’s in charge every now and again.
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s a living encyclopedia on guns, I would have fired him long ago. He knows that. It is what it is.
Phone buzzing, I take it out of my pocket.
Griffin: The package you wanted was delivered to the basement.
This day just keeps getting better and better. A smile creeps on my face at the thought of getting him to talk. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to crack someone. I’m going to let him stew a little.
Me: Put him in the white room. Leave him there until I see him.
The white room is a special type of torture. It is devoid of all colors. Everything is white. Down to the spoons you eat with, and the toothpaste you brush your teeth with.
I’m going to leave him there for a bit while I go to the gym and take a long shower. I wouldn’t want to be sweaty before the interrogation even starts.
TEAGAN
“Thanks for driving me.” I smile at Ainsley as she pulls out of the parking spot in front of our apartment building. I just can’t sit at home anymore. My obsession over what happened three days ago as well as the hotel I should forget about is driving me to distraction.
“I don’t like when you take the bus to your brother’s house. This part of the city is bad news.” I want to point out that we live in the same neighborhood, but I decided not to start that discussion. It’s only a five-minute drive, and I’d rather spend it thinking about how I’ll get my brother to take me seriously. Knowing him, he’ll brush me off.
As if Ainsley can read my mind, she says, “Don’t let your brother push you around. Your concerns are valid, and if he doesn’t take you seriously, I’ll punch him right in the nose.”
A burst of laughter bubbles up my throat. Ainsley is all bark and no bite. She likes talking about punching people all the time, but in reality, she’s never hit anyone. Still, my chest warms at her protective manner. She always has my back.
Not long after, we pull into the driveway of my brother’s home. I try not to frown at the way he’s let the front yard get overgrown, the windows are dirty, and the storm door dangles on one hinge. I know he doesn’t have a lot of money, but it doesn’t take cash to take pride in your home.
This is one of the few instances I’m almost glad we didn’t get to keep the house we grew up in. I don’t think I could’ve handled seeing Mom’s beautiful garden withering away due to neglect.
“Are you coming inside?” I ask my best friend as she shuts off the engine.
Ainsley answers with a snort. “As if I’ll let you deal with this cock waffle by yourself.”
Giggling, I open the car door and climb out. “Hey, that’s my brother you’re talking about. Only I get to call him names.”
“I’ll stop calling him a cock waffle when he stops being a cock waffle.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.” I shake my head, my laughter dying out. Ainsley locks up the car, and together we walk to the front door.
I knock twice, but no one opens the door. There isn’t any noise coming from the inside either, which has me a little worried. Reaching for the doorknob, I twist it, and then push the door open with ease.
Why would he leave his door unlocked?
An eerie feeling spreads through my veins as I slowly step into the house. Ainsley is right behind me, her body pressed against mine like she’s using me as a shield. Together, we tiptoe into the house.
“I think I heard something coming from the kitchen,” Ainsley whispers in my ear. I nod and steer our connected bodies toward the kitchen.
