Warlock smiled wide. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve already spoken with Sundance. He’s well aware of my proposed terms and seemedexcitedabout what I had to say.”
Something about the way Warlock said ‘excited’ made my flesh crawl.
“What’s on your mind?” Hatch asked.
“I’m so glad you asked, old friend. Because what’s on my mind is what’s on your mind. For example, I’d love to know just how far the president of a non-one-percenter club would go to save one of his own lost sheep.” Warlock panned the camera to show Grip, his wrists bound, and duct tape wrapped around mouth and neck. His eyes were darting back and forth, and he looked terrified. He’d clearly been beaten and was being held up by two Spiders. One on each side.
“Where are you?” Hatch growled.
“Oh, man. I really wish you were here with us now. I’m sure your boy, Grip, does too, you know what I mean?”
“You lay one more finger on him and I’ll gut you like a fish,” Hatch replied.
“You, see! That’s what I’m talking about, my man. You act like you’re above committing acts of violence, but you’re just like me, Hatch. A man who’s willing to kill for what’s his.”
“Where are you?” Hatch asked.
“Not too far from you, actually,” Warlock replied. “Far enough to where you’ll never get to us in time, but close enough for you to get my point.”
Warlock panned the phone’s camera again to reveal they were on a rooftop, somewhere in what looked like the warehouse district near the port.
“This lost sheep of yours is really more of a lamb, isn’t he? What is it that you call your prospects? Recruits, right? Like you’re in the fucking army, right? Well, armies fight wars, don’t they? Armies send young men into battle to face insurmountable odds and certain death, year after year, century after century. You call this boy a recruit into your army, but you expect me to believe that you’re the president of some sort of sewing circle. You can’t fool me, Hatch. I know you, and I know how far you can be pushed before you push back.”
“I hear you and I want to negotiate with you,” Hatch said. “Alright? You have my attention and I’m listening.”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that, and I’m more than sure that your young recruit is happy to hear that as well,” Warlock said, pinching Grip’s cheek, before giving it a slap.
“Tell me where you are,” Hatch said. “I’ll come get Grip and you and I can talk when I get there. We’ll call Sundance together and work something out between the three of us, alright?
“It’s really beautiful up here at this time of the evening,” Warlock replied before nodding to the two Spiders who were holding Grip. We then watched inhorror as they threw Grip from the top of the building. Warlock filming as he plummeted at least ten stories before hitting the pavement below.
“Oh, look, there’s that blood on the street you were worried about, Hatch. Well, I guess, now that it’s spilled, my terms are this,” Warlock said, turning the camera back to face him. “You have forty-eight hours to turn over your grow operation or I start tossing people you actually care about off this roof.”
Warlock ended the call.
Hatch turned his back to us and fell to his knees.
Flea went to him, but Hatch growled, “Back off,” before falling silent for what felt like an eternity.
I could see his shoulders shuddering but heard no audible cries. Hatch’s lament for Grip was silent.
He wouldn’t be silent for much longer.
Waverly
IPROMISED GIO I’d pick him up from his place right after work, but I was running a little late. I hated being late. I rushed up the stairs and knocked on his door, but he didn’t respond right away, so I knocked again.
“It’s open!” he bellowed.
I walked inside and stalled.
He was sitting on the edge of his sofa, a bandana pulled up over his mouth and nose, sawing off his cast with a hacksaw.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking this off,” he said, nodding to the cast, an assortment of tools splayed out at his feet.
“Well, stop doing that,” I ordered, closing the door behind me.
