“You killed your trainer.” The suit is still yapping.
“He wasn’t our trainer. He was our handler. And yes, we killed him. But back to the matter at hand.” Jaeger grips my shoulder and turns to the suit. “You were saying something about a trade?”
The suit signals, and the thugs close around us. “I think we can come to an agreement. Just give us what we want, and we’ll go. Ten million.”
“You know who I am.”
“They call you the Wolf.” The suit shifts from foot to foot. Maybe he’s realizing how dumb it is to shakedown a member of Fraternitas. “You can’t take all of us.”
Jaeger raises a brow. “Are you prepared to wager your life on that?”
In answer, one of the thugs draws his gun.
“All right,” Jaeger says. “You win.” He smiles, and all the thugs take a step back, even the one holding the gun.
Jaeger presses a phone against my chest and slips it into my inner pocket. “Do not stop until you are safe. Call my brother; he will pick you up.”
“Jaeger, I—” I don’t know what I want to say.I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re here. Don’t do this.
“Go.” He pushes me.
“Not so fast,” the suit says.
“Let her go.” Jaeger lifts his arms. “You want me. I’ll give you the money if you can knock me out. All of you against one of me. Should be easy.”
“You’re not armed?” the thug closest to him asks.
“Not with a gun.”
Everyone’s frozen, staring at Jaeger. “What are you waiting for?” Jaeger taunts. “Come take me.”
One of the thugs makes a move toward me, but Jaeger snarls, “Touch her and die,” and the thug stops.
I hustle away, getting into a swinging rhythm with the crutches to take me toward the street.
I don’t want to see the violence that’s about to unfold.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
But at the end of the alley, I hesitate. The wind sends crumbled food wrappers and newspapers tumbling past my feet.
I could go now. Toss Jaeger’s phone and really run away. Leave him. I imagined this moment and the path to escape laid out before me. Now that it’s here, it’s clear to me that I would never choose to run.
I choose Jaeger. I’ll always choose him.
I’d rather die in an alley with him than run and live. Because a life without him is no life at all.
I pull out his phone. It’s locked, but after a moment’s hesitation, I enter the date we met, and it unlocks.
The last number called is to someone named K. I guess that’s Kaiser. I hit redial, and before the first ring, he picks up and grunts, “What?”
“Alley off Daphne Street.” I glance up at the street signs. “Near the shut down spice factory. Ten, maybe eleven men. They’ve cornered Jaeger.”
I don’t wait for him to ask questions. I pocket the phone and whirl.
The thugs are circling Jaeger. What is their stupid plan anyway? Make him withdraw money from an ATM? They’re nuts if they think Fraternitas will allow them to live long.
So these are desperate men. Desperate and stupid. Not a great combination.
