Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Leo scowled at the door, but he must have realized Zolt was right, because he huffed and stayed put even when Zolt closed the backroom door in his face. Just in time, because the Jackals’ prez, Trowley, walked in as if he had an appointment.
“You guys are up early,” Zolt said, leaning against the counter. His invisible armor was on now, going rigid underneath his skin with every step of Trowley’s, but he noted that the other Jackals congregated outside, casually lighting cigarettes and not at all alert. They weren’t here because of Leo.
The sun played in the frizz around the long matted dreadlocks. Zolt didn’t want to stare, and reached for his coffee, but hit the cup with his fingers, and some of the beverage drizzled out, leaving dark stains on the sides of the cup.
Trowley’s bushy eyebrows lowered. “Early bird gets the worm, huh?” He pointed to the ladder and shelves. “Never took you for a DIY kind of guy.”
The icy cockroach was back, treading up Zolt’s back, with its long antennae swiping his skin over and over while he had to stand his ground. “I’m not, but I refuse to pay anyone to mount a single shelf.”
Trowley tapped his fingers against the counter. “My old lady liked the crow, but I’ve been waiting for you to call me about guns. It’s been a while. What’s the holdup?”
Shit.
Leo’s presence tickled the back of Zolt’s mind, as if his lover was hiding right behind him and listening to every word, ready to burst through the door, and cause both their deaths. “Oh, you know, there hasn’t been any new cargo recently. And you didn’t ask for anything specific so—”
“Spare me the bullshit, Zolt. I know you’re no wholesaler, but you always have something on the go. My cousin’s dead because of those Smoke fuckers, and if we’re to take them on, we have to upgrade our arsenal!” Trowley slammed his palm on the counter.
It took all of Zolt’s self-control not to flinch. He did have unregistered weapons in his apartment, but it wasn’t as if he could offer this remaining stock to get Trowley out of his hair when Leo was on the premises.
“Joe was your cousin? Sorry, he was a good guy.”
Trowley’s eyes narrowed, and he inched close enough for Zolt to smell the stench of dirt and cigarettes radiating off him through the funk of sweat. “If you didn’t know he was my cousin, how do you know he’s the one dead?”
Ice sank into Zolt’s gut, razor-sharp and already nearing his arteries. If he didn’t get his story straight, he’d bleed out before he could assure Trowley he had nothing to do with his cousin’s death. “I—haven’t you told me last time?”
His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it, focused on appeasing the trigger-happy bastard, who stood just inches away, waiting for a sign of weakness.
“No, I wasn’t even sure if he was dead, so I kept it quiet. You know something, Zolt.”
They stood in the exact spot where Joe had bled out all over the floor, and the phantom scent of copper stabbed Zolt’s nostrils, triggering a sense of nausea. Leo was behind the door, armed, but with so many Jackals present, they’d both be toast if he stepped out. Zolt needed to deal with this mess on his own, even though Leo wouldn’t like his methods.
“Maybe it was the Smokeys then? I overheard them mentioning the name, and that was after you told me one of your men was gone. I must have just made the connection without thinking, you know. My brain does that sometimes,” Zolt said, struggling to keep his expression neutral in the face of Trowley’s scrutiny. He could sense the man’s grimy fingernails biting into his flesh already.
Zolt’s phone buzzed several times, and he itched to check it, just in case, but he feared Trowley might shoot him as a precaution the moment he reached into his pocket.
“Didn’t you assure me we have an exclusive partnership, huh?”
Zolt took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders when the muscle tension turned into a huge, painful cramp. He tried to keep his gaze on Trowley, so it wouldn’t drift to his hidden stashes and reveal their locations. “We do, but I didn’t think them buying a digital piano off me might in any way interfere with your business,” he lied hoping the pinch of boldness in the face of danger might make his words more believable.
Still, he could feel his back getting damp despite the air-con.
Trowley nodded, pursing his lips. “I’ve had my suspicions, but I can’t believe their balls to just walk around and boast about killing my fucking cousin!” He took a deep breath and looked to the wall where Leo had hung several guitars yesterday.
Zolt took the five second opportunity to glance at his phone, and when he saw the screen, his head erupted with heat like a volcano.