He was late, which didn’t surprise me one bit. Carson wasn’t the type to ever be on time and claimed I was far too early.
It wasn’t the first time I was meeting with this man, and unfortunately, not the last. Not until I could get a few more names out of him. I needed the names of who he worked for. Or a hint so I could ask Collin to do some digging on it.
Looking around the dimly lit room, I took note of the five other people, excluding the bartender.Each of them kept to themselves, just like I was. One was well past drunk, or at least appeared to be.
I doubted they were here to drink away their sorrows. They were watching me as much as I was watching them.
No one ever could be trusted in this part of town.
Deals would be done here where others couldn’t track down or see. Drugs, humans, and weapons. Even animals.
If it was on the black market, it was sold here. Or someone would know someone who could get their hands on it.
I had to bide my time. Play my part. Then, I’d get my revenge in the eye of the law.
Sighing, I turned my attention to the front door. I was going to give this guy a few more minutes, and then I was out. I had other things I could do. Like…track Dakota’s GPS status for the millionth time in two days.
The boy hadn’t left the house a single time. Not that I expected him to. But I figured the place he was staying at would at least get him out and aroundpeople right away. Show him that he was a human who had fundamental rights and could have a life.
At least, that’s how it had been with the others. Wherever they were placed, the owners of the house got them out and going places, therapy constantly, and then helped them get a job and rejoin the world.
A part of me worried that Dakota was too far gone, which scared me more than anything, which is why I left the bracelet on. I wanted to make sure the boy was okay.
His well-being was out of my hands. All of the boys before him were out of my control. I took them in for a day or two, got them cleaned and fed, and they were then off to a safe house somewhere in the country so no one could find them. New names, new lives. New hopes.
Rubbing my chest, I pulled out my phone with my other hand from my front pocket. The minutes ticked by slowly. Way too slowly.
Carson should have been here twenty minutes ago. After this time, I was done playing his stupid games. I was tired, irritable, and ready to go homeand drink a stiff drink before figuring out my next steps.
Possibly not in that order.
Finally, as the door I had my eyes glued to for a better part of the time opened, and in came Carson. His black shirt and pants did nothing to hide the vibe of a drug dealer. I knew a tattoo of some sort of a snake ran up the side of his neck and wrapped to the back.
“Allister Gilbert.” He greeted, letting his arms go wide as he walked closer.
I didn’t stand as he reached the table. I just glared, hoping he’d get to the chase for whatever reason he wanted to meet.
“Fine, I won’t tell you the tale of the drug bust I just had to run away from.” He took a seat, placing his elbows on the table and clasping his hands in front of him. “How’s that…toy you purchased? I was hoping you’d bring it with you.”
“It’s just as I expected.” My voice was low, impatient. “How about we get this over with? I have things to do.”
“And things to play with.” He gave me a look like he was thrilled I had a human locked away at home. Well, I didn’t, and I wasn’t going to burst his bubble about that tiny little fact. “Sure, sure. Since you don’t like to play with the big guys.”
“I don’t like sharing.”
“I don’t see why not. Sharing is fun.” He wagged his eyebrows before sitting back and crossing his arms across his chest. “Fine. I have…a situation. I hear you can help.”
“Depends.”
I hadn’t expected my cover-up actually to work so well and for so many years. Some of these wanna-be thugs thought I could help cover up the crime. Most of the time, I’d only do a few little things to keep my appearance up. Covering up bodies was just not my thing.
“I need something taken care of. It’s still….working.” He flipped his hand back and forth sideways. “The trial date has expired.”
“Hmm.” I shifted, hoping my indifference to the situation would come through. “It’ll cost you.”
“Got five in my pocket.”
“That’s not-“
