“We weren’t hurting anyone. We were just talking to Valerie.” I always start off reasonable. At least, I’d tried tosoundreasonable.
Tex smiled. He had shockingly straight white teeth. “Well, little lady, I already said you can certainly speak to our lovely Valerie. But it will cost you a C-note.”
Now Alain stood up and joined me. “Perhaps we can come to an agreement.”
“God damn. I already told you the agreement.” Tex turned his head toward me again and said, “Come up with some cash before I stuff your little frog grandpa in a garbage can.”
Alain shook his head. “That’s twice in two days someone has called me a frog. You know, it’s not really an insult anymore. At least not one to care about.” Alain looked up at the big man and edged away from him slightly. “Perhaps if you traveled more you wouldn’t sound so ignorant.”
Even I was surprised by Alain’s comment. But I had no doubt what was coming our way now.
CHAPTER79
LIZZIE NUNEZ WASstill searching for the tall man who’d offered her a job. At the moment, she was roaming the Tenderloin, looking for him. But she was jumpy.
She’d been a lot more careful since that nightmare with the old lady and the defibrillators. Lizzie had spoken to only two people since the incident. One of them was at a shelter for runaways, where she’d spent the night but couldn’t fall asleep. She kept seeing the lady’s face, and dreaming about the beeping noise the defibrillator made. She couldn’t stop thinking about what might’ve happened if the old lady had been successful.
Lizzie wasn’t used to being spooked. She’d gotten pretty tough living here in San Francisco. But it also made her more determined to find the tall man who’d offered her a job. Sure, she knew it was essentially an escort job. She wasn’t naive. She understood that she’d have to sleep with clients. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, but at this moment she needed stability. She needed somewhere to live. She needed some cash.
Lizzie had gone back and forth, thinking over her best strategyto find the man again. She knew the Tenderloin was the most likely place for someone like him to show up. What she couldn’t figure out was if it was better to stay in one place and let people pass by her or to keep moving and see as many people as possible.
Lizzie had never noticed how many tall men with dark hair lived in the city. She’d had so many false alarms over the last couple of days it wasn’t funny. She’d even walked right up to one man coming out of a Starbucks. She’d stopped short when she realized it wasn’therman.
Walking along a somewhat crowded block of Turk Street, Lizzie caught a glimpse of someone. She stopped and looked across the street as a man slipped into a white SUV. Then she saw his face through the driver’s-side window. It was him! No doubt about it this time.
She felt some energy for the first time in days. She yelled to the man, “Hey, it’s me! Lizzie!” She realized it sounded lame when she didn’t even know his name. The man probably hadn’t even heard her from inside the car. She had to get his attention.
She tried to slip through the pedestrians on the move. No one was letting her through. Finally, Lizzie bolted into the street—just as the car pulled away.
She even tried to slap the rear of the SUV to get the man’s attention. She wasn’t even close. She watched her future disappear as he turned right a block ahead.
Maybe he was headed to another place in the Tenderloin. Maybe he was going over to the Garden Spot. That place was always hopping at night.
Lizzie started walking that way.
CHAPTER80
TEX DIDN’T WASTEany more words on Alain Creasy. He balled his fist and started to take a swing at the Interpol investigator. Somehow I managed to grab his arm to keep it from its trajectory.
The big man turned and shoved me with his left hand. I stumbled back a few feet, then hit the low wall. It made me sit down ungracefully.
Alain shouted at the man in French. I wasn’t sure what he’d said, but it hadn’t been with his usual good humor. Even though I’d seen Alain handle himself well, this fight looked unwinnable. It was time to identify myself. I was hoping it wasn’t time for me to draw my duty weapon.
Tex took a wild swing. Alain ducked the fist easily, then threw two quick punches into the man’s midsection. I could hear Tex grunt from my place on the low wall. It almost looked like Alain was playing with him. The big man never laid a hand on Alain.
I stood up, reached under my shirt collar for my badge, hanging on a chain around my neck. That’s when another wild swing byTex made me take a step back. When the wall hit the backs of my knees, I sat down hard again.
But it caught Tex’s attention. When the big man turned to look at me, Alain dropped down on one knee. He reached up and grabbed the man by the testicles.
Even through jeans, Alain’s grip must’ve been substantial. The pimp groaned and went down onto his own knees.
Alain leaned in and said, “Lay down on the ground and spread your arms out to each side.” He had just enough edge in his voice to show that he wasn’t fooling around.
I was amazed at how well Alain had handled the situation. He had avoided disaster. I was a little worried about the crowd that was starting to notice us. It would only be a moment before they gathered around.
That’s when I heard a gunshot.
CHAPTER81
