“Yeah, the guys must be in the back or something. We were supposed to be here a little early so we can take care of business before a bunch of people show up.”
“Gotcha,” he says, but I sense the nervousness creeping through him.
Nantes is calm in the back seat, with his hands folded in his lap. He looks so completely harmless that there’s no way he’d raise any concerns. Me, on the other hand…
I pull to a stop in front of massive wood and iron doors. I bet back in the day this place was pretty nice. Hints of its former glory cling to its crumbling facade, as if trying to remember their own existence.
Nantes exits first and Fetterman follows cautiously. I grab the stun gun and stuff it into my waistband, smiling as I walk behind him. Fortunately, we’re able to push the door open, given it’s barely hanging on by the hinges.
Inside, it’s dark and dusty, the putrid scent of animal waste and mold permeating the air. It smells like the graveyard it’s about to become.
“What is this?” Fetterman asks, now completely on edge. “Where is everyone?”
“Huh.” I pull my phone from my pocket. “I wonder if I got the address wrong.”
Pretending to tap the screen, I focus on my phone but see Fetterman twitching in my peripheral vision. Nantes looks calm as he glances around the empty space. After a minute, I turn on the flashlight of my phone and wave it around.
“Nope. This is the address.”
“No one’s fucking here. Are you dicking me around, man?”
“Me? Why would I do that?”
My eyes meet Nantes’s behind Fetterman’s and he nods. Guess it’s time to get things started.
“Oh, you know what?” I set my phone on the ground to give us a little bit of light. “This is a private party tonight. For just the three of us. And you’re the guest of honor.”
“What? I don’t fuck men. If you lured me out here for some gay shit, you’re way off.”
“I’m sorry. Molesting kids makes you think you’re above ‘gay shit’? That’s rich.”
“The fuck are you talking about?”
“Regardless of the gender of your victims, they’re still kids, and you’re a goddamn pedophile.”
Fetterman seems to realize his situation at that point and takes off running for the door, but I’ve got the stun gun and I gladly use it, sending him to the ground in mere seconds.
He screams out, “You motherfucker! Son of a bitch!”
I laugh as he rolls on the ground, holding his lower back.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” he growls.
“Will you though?” I produce my favorite knife from my back pocket and unsheathe it. “I think you might be confused about who’s getting killed tonight.”
Fetterman freezes, focusing on the knife. “This is a fucking setup.”
“You finally caught on, you sick piece of shit.” Kneeling so I’m at his level, I continue. “You were so easy. Easy to find. Easy to lure. Maybe the easiest one I’ve had to date.”
“What?”
“That’s right,Alex. I’m not a victim. Not the family member or friend of a victim. I have no personal vendetta against you at all.” I hold the knife under his chin, smiling when his breathcatches and sweat beads on his forehead. “My vendetta is larger than just your miserable life. People like you disgust me and make the world a scary place for kids. The justice system failed your victims, but I won’t.”
He backs away, clumsily scrambling to his feet on shaky legs and trying to run for the door again.
“Where do you think you’re going? There’s nothing out there. Nothing and no one. You can scream, run, cry, anything, but you won’t get away. We made sure of it.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” Fetterman spits.
