Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Lash shakes his head. “He’s fine. Bonnie texted earlier. He’s already asleep in the pillow fort he and Anne built together, and they’re prepared to stay there all night. I believe her direct message was to tell you, “Everything is good, enjoy getting railed.”
I smile and relax back on the bed. “Well, in that case, who am I to argue?”
28
LASH
I wake up on Stiff’s couch feeling like I got hit by a bus. My arm is a dead weight hanging from my shoulder, and Stiff is snoring like a bull. I feel around numbly for my boots, manage to grab the top, and then sling it across the room.
“Ow! Fuck! What the Jesus Christ was that?”
Jackal?
It all comes back to me. The party, sneaking Dakota into the loft, coming back to Stiff’s room to continue the evening. Where’d Dakota go? My phone buzzes. It’s not her, but there is a message from her in the long list of notifications. Something about her going back to the apartment.
“You both need to shut the fuck up or get out of my room,” Stiff grumbles.
“Check your messages. Poe got the data from Georgia’s phone.”
Fifteen minutes later, we’ve collected Dakota and we're in the tech cave Poe has set up in the old office of the school. A rack of computers hums and blinks against one of the walls, connected to all sorts of shit that I have no idea what is, but keeps us with internet and surveillance cameras and crap like that. Poe's desk is arranged so that no one can walk in on him and what he's doing without him noticing, but he waves us around to watch something on his laptop.
“Alright, first off, fair warning, the most interesting thing I’ve found is a video of someone getting shot. I don’t think it’s anyone we know, but if you don't have the stomach for it, this is your last chance.” Poe looks pointedly at Dakota, who blanches, but shakes her head.
“No.” Her lips straighten in determination. “If it’s on Georgia's phone, I want to see it.”
He gives her a searching look, but nods. “Your choice.”
I put my arm around her shoulder, and notice Jackal’s hand resting on her lower back. She's stiffer than a board. “If you want, we can watch first and tell you if it’s bad.”
“No, I’m not a delicate little flower. I wouldn’t be here if I was,” she snaps.
Jackal nods. “Roll film.”
Poe double clicks a file and a vertical video clip pops up. It's shaky, and the angle’s bad, with something covering a strip on the left. Two men are in view, talking. The one facing us I don't recognize, and the other guy has his back to us. They're obviously not having a good time. The one we can see is fucking pissed. He’s gesturing angrily, and misses when the other guy puts his hand to his back and starts slipping a gun from his belt.
“You're too fucking deep!” The sound's a little muffled, but it's the guy whose face we can see. “If you don’t tell them, then I will. I can't just let this pass, you fucking know it.”
“Jesus, Ross. I'm just making sure they trust me. It's all for the job.” The voice itches a spot in my brain. I’ve heard it before.
“Bullshit. This whole thing is fucked. I’m out, and you should be, too.” The guy shakes his head and starts to walk away.
“You're not gonna do that. Come on, Ross, how long have you known me?” Jay. The guy with his back to us is definitely Jay.
“Sorry, man. It’s for the best. They’ll put you on a year of desk work to give your trail time to cool and then you’ll be right back out there.” Ross pats him on the shoulder and moves to leave again. “Don't make this harder than it has to be.”
When Ross has his back turned, Jay pulls the gun. “Stop.”
Maybe Ross was a good cop, but he must've been a real shitty judge of character, because when he looks behind him, he seems completely shocked that Jay would pull a gun. “What the hell are you doing? Stop fooling around, man.”
“I'm not gonna ask you again.” Jay's voice quavers. Not a hardened killer, for sure, but Poe pretty much spoiled the end for us. “I need this. I’m so close to breaking into the next level.”
“This is what I’m talking about, you’re—”
The gun goes off twice, throwing Ross backwards in a spray of blood. The shots echo off the alley walls and the video spins and goes dark, like she shoved the phone in her pocket or something. Georgia's gasp is just audible under the shuffling, in time with Dakota's right next to me. “Gi-gi, it’s not what it looks like,” Jay shouts. “What the fuck are you—” The video cuts out.