“Can’t say I did,” Leland replies as he kneels down and pulls him out just enough to get a look at his face before stilling.
“Sophia… we might very well be fucked.”
“What do you mean?”
“I recognize him. This guy is a gun for hire… and the problem with that is I don’t see Raul Barlow hiring anyone.”
SIXTEEN
LELAND
“I think that went well,” I say when we reach the car.
“Did it?” Jackson asks, and I have absolutely no idea how he could sound slightly dubious.
“That teamwork you and I showed while we moved that body? Yes, yes, it did. But I’m a bit hung up on the guy,” I say as I put in a call to Tucker.
The man answers right away. “Uh… do you want the bad news or the even worse news?” he asks before I can say anything.
I “hmmm” a bit, like I’m thinking long and hard about this. “Like… is there a third choice of some good news?”
“The good news is you’re both still currently alive.”
“Okay… and maybe some more good news?” I’m fishing here at this point.
“That’s it.”
I sigh. “Hit me.”
“I’d love to hit you. Oh, you mean to tell you. Well… you know Teo Barlow?’
“Quite well, actually,” I say. “We had a rather… uh… unique chat just the other day.”
“Word going around here is that he was killed by the infamous Sandman. That the Sandman came in and slaughtered the whole group of them, including Raul Barlow’s precious son.”
“The son who was hiring me to kill Raul?” I ask, not quite sure how exactly this lines up. “Fuck… so either I was set up or they got wind of me being there, so they assume it was me…”
“Or your ‘biggest fan’ told them it was you,” Jackson says.
“You have to be fucking kidding me,” I growl. “Micah heard my name out and about the other day too. It’s not a coincidence.”
“I don’t think it is,” Tucker agrees. “Many thought the Sandman was dead, since you’ve been quiet for too many years. So the idea of you coming out of retirement has everyone interested. And then when they heard Raul Barlow wants you? You know how many people would be happy to be on Barlow’s good side? Hell, they’re over here with the idea that he’ll welcome them into the family if they deliver your head to him. Things are going to get rough for you real soon.”
“We need to find this guy who really killed Teo,” I say.
“And do what?” Jackson asks as he looks over at me. “Deliver his head to Raul Barlow? Why kill a man who, as far as we know, has only killed bad people and hand him over to a man notorious for hurting good people? WeknowRaul is not a good person. This other guy, though? We only know that he killed a group of people who the police would love to destroy.”
“I wasn’t going to cater to Barlow. I just want this mystery man to pay for fucking me over. Tucker, we were jumped by about fifteen people just today. I assumed they were Barlow’s men but now I’m not certain. They’re in police custody now.”
“I’ll look into it, but I’m going to guess they’re for hire.”
“I think we’re going to be going on a road trip to deal with Raul Barlow,” I say. “If I get him off my back, there’s the possibility I can get the rest of the people off my back, and then we could just… dispose of Barlow Senior.”
“Or we could have Raul arrested,” Jackson suggests.
“They can arrest his deceased body,” I promise him. “I’ll even let you handcuff it.”
Jackson oddly doesn’t look thrilled by this idea. “Ha. Ha.”
