“Wait, wait. But my contact will know where they are. He operates out of a place in Baton Rouge. We get there, and he can tell you where they are.”
“Good,” Kinzer said. “Now, you gonna be cooperative and tell us where the fuck this place is?”
Hayde nodded, his gaze sinking to the floor. He looked tired, defeated.
Kinzer almost felt bad for the little asshole, but considering the mind game Hayde had played on him, he had a hard time sympathizing. Maybe it was appropriate that Hayde and Janka had been together. They were both good at deceiving. Maybe they were perfect for each other.
As sad as that thought was, it was even worse knowing he would never get to have such a frisky, exciting encounter with Hayde again.
***
“Do you want me to get you anything?” Maggie asked as she stepped out of the passenger seat and onto the pavement of the gas station they’d stopped at.
She had her hair back in a ponytail. Her face was worn from the day’s drive. Neither she nor Kinzer had gotten much sleep.
Kinzer handed Maggie cash for the gas and anything she might want.
“Naw, I’m good,” he replied.
He looked through Maggie’s open window at Hayde, who sat in the back seat, his arms bound behind his back. He was like an errant child who’d been punished and reluctantly went along with his parents’ demands.
“Need anything, Hayde?” he asked in the most condescending tone possible.
Hayde threw him a nasty glare. It evoked a smile from Kinzer, who was pleased he was able to irritate the bastard.
Maggie headed to the gas station. Kinzer grabbed the gas pump, and as he turned to head to the tank, he saw Hayde in Maggie’s seat.
This kid was fast. He was going to have to keep a better eye on him.
“You guys are fighting the inevitable,” Hayde said.
Kinzer ignored the comment and headed to the tank.
“You really think,” Hayde continued, “a clipped and a mortal will be the downfall of a plan being orchestrated by the Almighty and His most prized creations?”
“What would a flit know about the Almighty’s most prized creations?” It was a mean-spirited dig, but considering Hayde was just trying to get to him, he thought it was appropriate.
Kinzer shoved the pump nozzle into the tank.
Hayde snickered. “You can hunt down Veylo all you want, but what exactly do you think you’re gonna do when you find him? Or the Christ for that matter? Kill them?”
“That’s the plan.” Kinzer eyed the screen on the pump as his total steadily rose.
“They’re not the war, Kinzer. This war is far bigger than those weapons.”
“It’s one thing to battle a war out with swords. It’s another thing to decimate all life by using the sorts of weapons Veylo creates.”
“This world will be destroyed. The Almighty desires it, and so it will be. You can delay it all you want, but that’s how it must end.”
“And why is that?”
“Because that’s how we’ll return to paradise.”
“So easy for a flit to say.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Because a flit doesn’t realize what paradise really was… or who it was for. Do you really think that wordparadisewould mean anything for a flit? Do you think you would have any place in Heaven other than to wait on the greedy needs of higherlings? I’ve seen what you call paradise, and I know the real horrors of what it’s about. So daydream about your fantasy kingdom all you want, but keep in mind that the reason such a place sounds so fantastic and divine is because the only place it exists is in your mind.”
