AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Go on, you piece of shit.Then what?”
“I…”
Rook gave Billy another sharp tug and his eyes bugged out of his skull as bloody foam gathered in the corners of his grimacing mouth.
“I locked her in her room,” Billy blurted, the words overlapping so I wasn’t even certain I heard him correctly. “For two d-d-days.”
“Without any food,” Grey finished for him in a snarl, his body going taut, his hands flexing at his sides.
Corvus stepped forward, but stopped, digging his hand into his back pocket as an audible buzzing broke the tepid silence.
“Hold that thought,” he said, lifting the phone to his ear.
I held my breath as he left the meat cooler and walked toward the front of the shop, tugging off his mask. “Yeah,” he said as he answered the call. “I’m a little busy at the—”
His words cut off as a garbled voice on the other end of the receiver interrupted him. I rushed to check the angle of the camera, to see if I caught him removing the mask, but he was just out of frame. I reached out to tilt the camera, but then he turned sharply toward me, pacing along the bank of refrigerated display cases. Fuck. I couldn’t stick my hand out there without risking him seeing it. I’d have to pray he wandered back in view without that mask on.
“It’s late, what are you doing calling me right...shit. All right. Yeah. Yeah, I have a sec. What is it?”
Corvus paced behind the counter, and I flattened myself against the side of the meat cooler, willing myself to be invisible.
“I told you, Max, I’m not interested. I can’t be away that long.”
The voice replied on the other end of the call, distinctly feminine despite the name, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“Well, I’m not most people, am I?” Corvus’ voice was growing more irritated by the second, his steps quickening as he paced the short length of linoleum flooring behind the register.
“Merch? I don’t fucking know. I’ll have him make something.”
Corvus stopped suddenly, and I dared a peek around the edge of the display case to find him pinching the bridge of his nose as he inhaled. “I might have something new. Do you think we could…yeah, all right. I’ll try to make it. Thanks, Max.”
He hung up, and I whipped my head back around and closed my eyes as he lifted his gaze, praying I was fast enough. That the shadows were thick enough to keep me concealed.
Shit.
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He cleared his throat, and I almost cracked a tooth for how hard I was clenching my damned teeth.
“All right,” he said, sighing, and his heavy footfalls retreated, heading back to the cooler. Mask back in place. “Where were we?”
I blew out a breath, tucking my blade slowly back into the strap at my ankle.
“I think we were just about to show Billy here what happens when he doesn’t heed our warnings,” Grey replied, and I heard a sharp intake of air and looked through the shelves of the trolly to find Rooksmellingthe guy. He shuddered.
“Please…” Billy pleaded again, his voice distant now, heavier.
Corvus slapped Billy hard enough to start to draw him out of his stupor. “Hey. Pay attention.”
Rook licked his lips.
Corvus slapped him again, and Billy slowly came around, his watery eyes widening in surprise like he was waking from a dream to find a nightmare waiting for him in real life.
“Pieces of shit like you aren’t welcome in our town,” Corvus said. “We seeeverything.”
Well, not everything, I preened internally. They didn’t see me barely fifteen feet away from them. Watching.Recording.
