No, enough. Whatever he’s doing here, he isn’t exactly boyfriend material.
“Hi. I’m looking for Joe? Joe Bronx?”
The guy looked back at her and his face grew stormy for a second. “He’s not here. But I guess he will be soon.”
The boy that was with her in the hallway looked at both of them. “I’m Cody. I was told he’d be here. He’s supposed to have answers for me.”
“I’m Hunter. Come on in. Whatever he’s got in mind, we’ll know soon enough.”
He stepped out of the way, and as they entered the large room, they saw the others already there, sitting down. A dark-haired girl with deep dark eyes and a stance that said she took shit from exactly no one. Kyrie guessed she outweighed the girl by a good fifteen pounds-which was saying something because she wasn’t exactly fat-but she had no doubt the other girl would kick the crap out of her as soon as look at her.
There was a boy, too. Another boy. Dark haired, again, with an olive complexion and clothes that were obviously high end. He was cute, but like the girl, he looked angry. His posture was perfect. She knew guys like him from the military academy down the road. They were all about discipline. He had that same stance, that same look.
Hunter pointed to the girl and then to the boy. “This is Tina Carlotti, and this is Gene Rothstein.” They both nodded as he pointed to them. “I’m Hunter.”
“Cody Laurel,” the one who’d come up with her volunteered.
“I’m Kyrie Merriwether.” She shrugged. “Anyone know what the hell is going on around here?”
Hunter shook his head. “We’re all waiting. I guess Joe Bronx is the guy that’s been messing with me for a while. Sounds like the same guy. He’s promising answers to questions. So far he hasn’t offered very many to me.” The bitterness in his voice was impossible to miss.
Cody looked around the room and settled himself on one of the plush chairs. “What kind of answers?”
“What’s been happening to us, mostly. From what Hunter and Tina here have told me, we’re all having blackouts.” Gene’s voice had a soft New York accent. He stood up, and Kyrie was taken aback. He was taller than she’d thought when he was sitting down. Cute, but a little awkward.
Kyrie nodded. “I’ve been having a lot of them.” She fought back the tears that wanted to slip from her eyes. “I was in Seattle, and then I was in Nebraska and now I’m in Boston and I don’t know how I got here.” She looked away and got herself under control with several deep, shuddery breaths. She didn’t like crying and sure as hell not in front of people she didn’t even know.
“Yeah.” Cody again. He stood back up, a bundle of nervous energy. “I took a bus here. My mom and dad were ready to have me committed after I woke up in a jail cell.”
“No shit?” Tina spoke, her words clipped and spoken fast. She sounded like a gangster in a bad mob movie. Kyrie looked the girl over again. Hard. That was the only word that came to mind about the other girl.
Before anyone else could speak, the phone rang.
Hunter answered it and listened to the voice on the other end for a moment, his face puzzled. When the call was ended, he shrugged.
“We have a car waiting for us downstairs. We’re supposed to go somewhere else.”
“Bullshit.” Cody shook his head. “This better be the last stop. I’m already gonna get grounded for life.”
Hunter looked at him for a second and then shrugged. “Don’t look at me, man. I don’t have a clue.”
Tina walked past them, waving a dismissive hand. “I ain’t gonna sit here all day waiting. Let’s just get to wherever we’re supposed to be and get this over with.” Without another word she was in the hallway and heading for the elevators. Kyrie looked at the others for a few heartbeats and then followed.
The others were soon joining them.
Kyrie looked at Tina and the other girl looked back. “Wanna get a boy in action, you have to show him the way, that’s all.” Kyrie had no idea exactly what the other girl meant by that, but she smiled anyway. Despite everything, she was already starting to like the smaller girl.
Chapter Twenty-four
Gene Rothstein
A limousine wasn’t exactly what Gene had been expecting. Then again, he hadn’t been prepared for any of this.
His parents had tried calling him a dozen times already, so many times, in fact, that he’d turned the phone off.
The other four people with him climbed in first, and despite himself he admired both of the girls as they entered. Tina, the shorter of the two, reminded him of his cousin Kelly: short and fierce and full of attitude, what his mom always called “full of piss and vinegar.” She was skinny, but he didn’t think she was the sort to starve herself on purpose. Kyrie was a different story. Muscular form, blonde hair-probably a drugstore dye-and a shapely body. She was also scared as a rabbit. He didn’t know what had happened to her, but she had the wide eyes of someone who’d recently been in a car wreck, and her posture said she was being defensive.
Hunter was quiet, and every move he made was careful and deliberate. Gene had no idea what was going through his head. Every expression, every move was thought out first. He was repressing his anger.
Cody? Cody was a geek, pure and simple. He looked at everything at once and at the same time he stared at the girls like he’d never seen one up close before. He was nervous and excited and trying his best to look as detached as Hunter. He might as well have had victim tattooed across his forehead. If asked to make a bet, Gene would pick Cody as the most likely to avoid climbing into the limo.
Still, he waited until everyone else was situated before he nodded to the chauffer and climbed inside the rental. It was definitely a rental. He knew the difference.
The driver climbed back in and started on the way, apparently with a destination already in mind. Gene leaned past Cody and Tina-who were sitting facing the back of the limo and as far apart from each other as possible-and called out to the driver, “Any idea where we’re going?”
Was it possible for a man to look less interested in the people he was hired to drive around? Gene doubted it. “Address I have is 357 Harper Street.”
“Know what’s there?”
The driver frowned as he thought. “Warehouses.”
“Swell.” Gene leaned back in his seat and stared at the small refrigerator. He looked at Hunter. “You think Joe Bronx is paying for all of this?”
Hunter nodded. “Probably.”
Gene opened the refrigerator and studied the contents. After a few seconds he pulled out a Coors beer and opened the tab. “Good. He can pay for this too.”
Hunter, Cody and Kyrie all stared at him like he’d grown a second nose. Tina leaned forward until she was almost rubbing against Gene and pulled out a second beer. “Sweet.”
The two of them looked at each other and lifted their beers in salute before tasting them. It was the first time Gene had ever tasted beer, and as far as he was concerned, it tasted like horse piss. Still, he wanted something to calm his nerves. Tina knocked her beer back like an old pro, downing the can in four fast gulps and then suppressing a volatile burp.
Cody stared at her with an expression of awe mixed with desire.
That boy has probably never met a girl that didn’t terrify him. He knew the thought was true, just as surely as he could have told any one of them that Kyrie had broken a few hearts without ever trying and that Hunter was close to the breaking point. Gene could read people. He’d always been good at it. By the time they’d gone four blocks from the hotel, he felt comfortable enough that he relaxed a little. The people with him were just as uncertain as he was, just as puzzled by everything happening. That was enough for him, for now.
Hunter spoke up as they crossed through an area of heavy construction. “Listen, I don’t know much of what’s going on here, but I’ve been dealing with this Joe Bronx asshole for a while now. It took me a few minutes, but I recognize all of your names. I just had to figure out where from. He had me doin
g research on you. All of you.”
“Come again?” That was Kyrie. She didn’t look at all happy about that idea.
“He had me looking into you, all of you and maybe a dozen more people. I checked on the Internet, did searches and stuff. Nothing huge, but I remember looking into you.” He nodded toward Cody. “Only child, honor student, fifteen years old.” He pointed his chin at Tina. “Only child, dad died ten years ago, mom unemployed, and most decidedly not an honor student.” He made no apology but merely moved on. His eyes locked with Gene’s. “Little brother, little sister, dad is in medicine. Mom’s a lawyer. Lots of money.” Lastly he looked toward Kyrie. “Three brothers and sisters, been in a couple of gymnastics and cheerleading competitions. Your team came in third in the west coast regionals.” Kyrie stared hard at him, but really, no harder than the rest of the group.
Cody shook his head. “Why are you telling us all of this?”
Hunter’s face tensed into an ugly expression. “Because I want you to know what it’s like. This guy you call Joe Bronx? He’s a dick. He’s made me do all sorts of stuff and promised me some answers. You shouldn’t trust him.”
Kyrie sneered at him, her pretty face made ugly by the expression. “What makes you think there’s a choice?”
“Maybe there isn’t.” Hunter stared at her but looked away before she did. “Maybe I just want you to be prepared.”
“Whatever. I think we’re almost there.” As she spoke, the limo slowed down and came to a stop. Gene looked past her to the building they were parked in front of. Two stories tall, it was a warehouse and not in very good shape. The walls were intact, but graffiti, gang slogans and obscene pictures covered the outside of the building. That was the case with most of the structures in the area.
The driver climbed out and opened the back door facing the building, waiting patiently for all of them to climb out. Gene sat where he was until all of the others had left the limo, with one thought going through his mind the entire time. He’s going to leave us here. The man is going to drop us off and go away and we’re going to be stuck here with whatever people live in old abandoned buildings. I should have stayed at home.
But despite his fear that they’d be left behind, Gene was glad they were there. He wanted answers. He needed to know who his real parents were and why he woke up in Brooklyn instead of his bed and And what happened to Uncle Robbie while you were dreaming about him, Gene? Do you want to know, really?
He shook the thought aside and slid across the plush leather seat until he could finally crawl from the vehicle.
While all of them were looking at the building, the chauffer climbed back into his ride and drove away.
None of them chased after it.
Whatever Joe Bronx was up to, he was the only one with any answers. That made this his show, whether or not anyone liked it.
Hunter could have told them that it always had been.
Chapter Twenty-five
Tina Carlotti
Tina didn’t turn around when the limo pulled away. She just kept her poker face in place and played it nice and cool. Victims sweat the small stuff. Camden taught her that. It was okay to be afraid, but you never showed it.
For a second she thought Cody was going to bolt after the limo, but he stopped himself. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
Hunter was cute, quiet and maybe a little bitter. He had a brooding quality she liked. It was what she was used to, after all. But even with his calm demeanor she got the impression he was tired and maybe a bit angry. She decided to give him plenty of space, just in case he decided hitting girls was a good idea.
Kyrie. The other girl? She was stacked and walked like she had ball bearings for hips. Every one of the guys checked out her ass and her walk and she acted like she didn’t care, but Tina had doubts about that. She knew the type: money and everything handed to her on a silver platter. She couldn’t decide if she admired the girl, was just jealous of her or flat out hated her. So for now Tina chose not to think about her. There were more important things to consider.
Mostly, she needed to know what they were heading into. Even as she gave that thought consideration, Gene cleared his throat. He was quiet and he watched everyone, and while he was sort of cute, he had something about him that gave her a bad vibe. Not dangerous exactly, but more like sleazy. If she shook his hand, she’d want to wash hers. Which was weird because he acted all harmless. Maybe that was it. He acted. There was nothing sincere about him.
Gene said, “The door’s over there and I guess we should use it.”
Tina looked around and shook her head. It was a fake. Everything around them looked like it was covered in gang tags, but it was too fresh, too new. The building wasn’t as rough as someone wanted to make it look, and that was sending all sorts of warning signals to her.
“I don’t think this place is abandoned.” Cody looked hard at her, and she could see him stopping himself from saying something. “What?” She threw the single word as a challenge.
Cody blinked. “Nothing. I was just thinking you’d know better than me.”
She bristled. “You think I’m trashy?”
He looked like a mouse facing a very large cat. “What? No! I just, I figured you might be-”
“Just decide if you’re going in or not. Leave the fights for later.” That was Hunter, who headed for the door. He was taking control of the situation without even trying. She wondered if he even knew that.
Gene looked at the other boy’s back for a moment, sighed, and followed him. After that it seemed like everyone had decided. They moved, walking toward the building as a unit, following Hunter.
Just like that, she thought. He leads and we follow. How did that happen? There was something about him that made it seem perfectly natural. She looked at his sleek, muscular body and thought maybe that was part of it. He was damned cute.
Up close she could see even more clearly that she’d been right. There was a little damage to the building, but it was all superficial. None of the windows were broken out, and no one had come along and cannibalized the place yet. Most of Camden, you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a building that had been stripped of doors, windows or most especially metal. With the cost of copper, aluminum and other metals, somebody would have torn the hell out of the place just to get to the pipes if the place had been empty for long. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she suppressed a shiver.
Cody seemed to feel it too. He looked around with a frown on his face and a worried expression. She caught his eye and he nodded to let her know she was right. He didn’t trust any of it. No more than she did.
And then Hunter, Gene and Kyrie were inside. Cody shook his head and followed. Tina gave one last look around the place and then followed, hating the feeling that she was walking into something even worse than her life had already become.
Chapter Twenty-six
Evelyn Hope
Evelyn Hope looked up from her excellent broiled leg of lamb with mint jelly dinner as George knocked briskly and entered her office. She set down her fork and looked longingly at the herbed potato she’d skewered. Business first, unfortunately. “There’s been further activity at the warehouse.”
Gabriel let out a small belch and covered his mouth with his napkin, casting an apology with his eyes. The smallest offense and he apologized. She smiled with her eyes before turning to look at George.
She wiped her lips carefully and set the napkin to the right of her plate. “Really? Actual activity this time? Not another indigent looking for scraps?”
George looked at her with an exasperated sigh that said he didn’t much like being doubted. She didn’t like having her dinner with her son interrupted. So they were even.
“Surveillance showed one man entering the building several hours ago. As I said then, the individual put a cheap table and even cheaper chairs in there, along with a TV.”
She smiled. It was killing George that she hadn’t let him take the TV from the place
. Instead she’d gone over there herself with Gabriel in tow and pulled the package from the player and made a copy. Then placed the original back where it belonged. It didn’t bother him that she would risk her own life but that she hadn’t shared the contents of the video.
She hadn’t watched it herself as yet, hadn’t had the time, really, but now that there was activity at the warehouse a second time, she would make the time. Having someone try to set up a video seminar was strange, but hardly a crisis. Having that someone come back with others made it a bit more of a priority.
Gabriel set down his cutlery and waited patiently for the meal to resume. He was careful not to speak because, as she had made clear a long time ago, children were never to interrupt adults. He could speak up around her and be himself, but the academy frowned on any child disrespecting adults.
“Send in the first unit, George.”
He nodded. “Backup teams?”
“You know how I feel about people nosing into my business. Two backup teams and a bird.”
“A bird?” He lifted one eyebrow.
Gabriel made a show of not listening. He was a curious child. She loved that about him.
“The building has served its purpose, and you should know by now that I’m hardly sentimental.”
He tried looking shocked for a second and then shrugged.
“And George?”
“Yes, Evelyn?” He looked over his shoulder as he headed for the door.
“Henri? Is that the chef’s name?” He nodded. “Tell Henri the lamb is perfect tonight.” She looked at Gabriel. “Would you agree, Gabby?”
“Yes, Mother.” Good boy. Very polite in front of George, as he should be.
George nodded and left and Evelyn looked down at her dinner. She contemplated ignoring the food, but a sound body helped promote a sound mind, and she had already skipped lunch. Besides which, it was really quite tasty.
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