“Come on,” Keelan said, as he dragged the boy with him.
“You’re fucking weird, you know that?” the boy mumbled.
“That’s possible, but if anyone asks, then you’ve been in my company for at least half an hour.” The boy almost stopped to stare at him, but Keelan didn’t let him and pulled him along. They’d continued for another ten minutes before the boy balked.
“I’m not setting foot on Red Turf. Forget it,” he exclaimed as they neared the invisible border.
“You don’t have to.” Keelan pulled out one hundred credits.
The kid stopped and looked around. “You wanna do it here?”
“No. Thanks for the company and remember my alibi. Get something to eat.” Keelan handed the boy the money and sauntered onto Red Turf. For some reason, he felt it necessary to check up on the boys. And it seemed like just in the nick of time, as two of them rounded a corner up ahead with an angry man on their tail. They turned into an alley, and Keelan sped up. He reached it as the man was giving the boys a corporal lesson.
Keelan ran in from a blind angle and delivered three quick and precise punches. The man went down.
The boys got up and looked at Keelan.
“Empty his pockets... or did you already do that?” Keelan asked and watched the boys grin. Keelan looked at the unconscious man. “That’s about my size, isn’t it?”
Once he’d taken what he could use, Keelan took the boys back to the settlement in the backyard before he returned to his room to drop off his things. It had been a lucrative night—for the boys on Red Turf, too.
He still found it strange that he would feel loyalty toward them, but the way they had welcomed him, he apparently belonged. The dangers of running into Mr. Rick were too big, and even though he probably wouldn’t recognize Keelan anymore, then Keelan wasn’t too sure that he could stay calm enough to not jump Mr. Rick. He’d attack Mr. Rick no matter how many bodyguards he had with him.
Rooftops with a view of the spaceport had quickly become Keelan’s favorite place to test out the flavors of food while free. He enjoyed these early mornings, eating breakfast and watching as one kind of people turned in, and the next got up.
On a planet with a weak sun and thus always dark, someone was always up. Warmed by the core of the planet, people had to live with various degrees of the smell of rotten eggs, but he’d gotten used to it.
He unpacked his breakfast and ate while being entertained by two freight workers who had trouble stacking their cargo. The whole thing had tipped and was leaning up against a pole. They had to unpack and restack the whole thing... once they’d agreed on how to do it, that was.
Keelan shook his head, smiling, and turned his attention to the news. The front page told of a military transporter which had landed on Red Turf during the night. As far as Keelan could see, it was about an hour and a half after he’d left the boys.
What the hell is the military doing on Red Turf?
He felt a tightening in his chest but pushed it aside and continued to read, but he still didn’t find anything about himself. The news about Red Turf kept nagging him, so he finally packed up and made his way to the boys’ settlement.
No one was there.
The fireplace had been knocked over, the containers were empty, and mattresses, blankets, pillows, and clothes were tossed all over the place. There were prints from heavy boots in the mud and signs of a struggle.
He hoped the boys had seen them coming and gotten away. He also knew it was naïve to think so.
That same night, Keelan went back in hopes of finding some of the boys, but other than rats having gone through the place there were no signs. He searched the nearby settlements in the hope that some of the boys had made it to there, but after four hours he still had nothing. So he went back to the settlement and rummaged through the remains. In one of the containers, he found three vials with dream-crystals. They certainly wouldn’t have left those behind if they were still there.
Keelan sighed and got up, tossing the vials out of the container. It was no use thinking of what fate awaited the boys. He took what he could use and went back to his room to unload the items before going back to the spaceport to see if anything interesting was going on.
From his favorite rooftop, he watched the ships take off and land. If he turned around, he could see halfway through town from there.
A face stood out.
What the... That’s Ratkins!
Keelan felt clammy and followed Ratkins’ movements to see if he was hunting someone. He hoped he was, because then he wasn’t there for Keelan. Ratkins’ attention was on something on the other side of the street. Mike came out of a kiosk and bumped into a group of men.
Well, hello, Mike.
Ratkins crossed the street and positioned himself behind the group of men Mike was arguing with. He pulled a weapon and tapped the shoulder of one of the guys and nodded them out of his way until only one was left, arguing with Mike. Suddenly the man swung an elbow to Mike’s chin and ran off. Ratkins hauled Mike to his feet, and they discussed something for a few seconds before perusing the guy.
Perfect. Keelan smiled. From his elevated position, he could see where the guy ran to, and he turned into the alley a few buildings over.
Better leave you a calling card, Mike.
Keelan dumped his food and crossed the rooftops in a sprint. Having spent time learning the quickest routes up there came in handy, and Keelan was there long before Mike and Ratkins, who took their precautions. Keelan descended the stairs while their target was trying to hide between a container and the back wall.
“How are you going to slip away when they find you, and you’re stuck?” Keelan asked from his place on the ladder. The target froze and tried to free himself. “See my point?”
“Please don’t tell them where I am,” the guy said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Keelan watched as the man tried to find a new place by yanking at a chained door. “They might not find you up there.” Keelan pointed up the fire escape and hopped down.
The guy smiled and set off for the stairs. Keelan grabbed him before he made it more than a few steps up, turned him, and slammed the shiv he’d made from the bracket into the man’s neck—exactly as he had the toothless man in Delta. He then found a rope in his bag and wrapped it around the guy’s neck before positioning him on the ground in somewhat the same position as the guy in Delta. Mike and his sense for details would have to recognize the scene and Keelan’s handy work on shivs.
“Nothing’s free. You wouldn’t have lasted an hour in prison,” Keelan muttered and climbed the fire escape silently to wait for Mike. From there he had what he needed—a clear view of the street and an escape route over the rooftops.
Mike and Ratkins finally appeared—one on either side of the street. They moved closer in normal tempo for the streets on Verion four so they wouldn’t attract unwanted attention. Keelan recognized the stereo formation from Mike’s lessons.
Mike reached the alley first and glanced around discreetly before turning into it. His entire body language froze at the sight that met him. Ratkins joined him, causing Mike to jump.
“Looks like we weren’t the only ones looking for him,” Ratkins said.
“Yeah,” Mike said, but his voice had lost all strength.
“Hey, what’s with you? If I didn’t know any better I’d think you’d never seen a corpse before,” Ratkins said. Mike smiled joylessly, but couldn’t tear his eyes from the knife. “There goes the majority of that bounty. Wait here, I’ll get a body bag.”
“No!” Mike almost screamed. Ratkins turned and looked at him in wonder. Mike looked like he had serious problems finding the right words. Keelan smiled. “It’s him,” Mike finally whispered. Ratkins stared at him. “Keelan. He even left his trademark.” Mike pointed at the knife.
“Thought you said that this guy wasn’t stupid.”
“Or he’s gotten better.”
Doubt flickered across Ratkins face befo
re he threw out his arms. “Then you get the bag, and I’ll stand body-watch.”
Mike looked down the dark alley before he shone a light down there.
Blind road, no way out. You did manage to teach me that much.
“Hurry!” Ratkins said.
Keelan watched Mike sprint down the length of the spaceport. As far as Keelan could see in that direction, the ship had to be a fair distance. Mike finally reached the ship and Keelan wondered if he should kill Ratkins in the meantime, since he knew how long he had. Could be amusing to watch Mike try to figure out what body he would hide with one body bag. Mike’s choice would tell Keelan a lot about how he thought, which would be nice to know if he was going to manipulate him.
Two young men moved toward the alley, laughing and yelling like the two tough guys they perceived themselves to be. Keelan kept an eye on Ratkins, who moved discreetly but deliberately to arm himself and hide himself at the same time.
Wow, he knows his stuff... and the threats.
The two young men noticed Ratkins as they made it to the alley.
“Well, what do we have here?” one of them asked and laughed goofily at his friend. He stopped to size Ratkins up.
“So, grandpa, you waiting for a piece of willing cooter? Because then you’re in the wrong end of town,” the other one said, earning himself a bark of laughter from his friend.
“No, I found what I’m looking for. Half of it, anyway,” Ratkins said calmly, not moving and thus preventing them from seeing the body.
“You do know that you could end up finding yourself some trouble walking these streets alone, grandpa. Are you looking for trouble, grandpa?” the young man persisted. Ratkins pulled a face which could be interpreted as a sardonic smile before he stepped aside and revealed the body.
“No, what is that?” the guy exclaimed and stepped back with disgust written all over his face.
“Trouble,” Ratkins said, chuckling. The two men stared at him in disbelief. “There are worse things out tonight than the two of you. An escaped prisoner. A murderer. The kind who murders for the fun of it.” Ratkins opened his jacket to show his badge. “Why don’t you two snot noses run home to your mothers and have them kiss your booboos and leave the trouble for grandpa?”
The men stepped back, fumbling at each other’s arms to keep themselves from falling as they turned and ran.
Keelan looked on, smiling, but that also meant he didn’t have time to do anything before Mike came back. Somewhere on the horizon, he could see the silhouette of a man running their way. Judging by the way Ratkins had just handled the situation, he wasn’t easy to catch off guard.
Mike arrived a few minutes later, and they helped each other get the body into the bag. Ratkins fished the ID out of the dead guy’s pocket.
“It is Seth. Listen, Mike. If this guy really has it in for you this bad, then maybe we should drop this run and turn the tables on him.”
“Maybe.”
“Why the hell did you teach all this to a killer, anyways?”
“Because I trusted him!” Mike shouted, but sorrow took over his face, and Mike focused on his task at hand and zipped the bag.
This is your own fault, Mike. The only thing you had to do was keep trusting me.
“No matter what, then you fucked up, and this is your mess to clean up.”
“What? You won’t help me?”
“I helped get you out of jail, and you paid me back with knowledge of that bastard we collected, so as far as I’m concerned we’re even, kiddo. If you want my help on this one, you pay up. Two-thirds! He’s a maximum-security prisoner now, which means double up bounty. You still get a good price.”
“Yeah, and you get rich quick,” Mike said.
Ratkins got up, the anger evident in his eyes. “What was your deal with this convict, in details?”
“Knowledge for safety,” Mike said and got up.
“And our deal, in details?”
“Freedom for knowledge,” Mike said and sighed. “And a fifty-fifty split.”
Ratkins nodded and made a quick move. He hit Mike with a force that sent him spiraling into the wall and to his knees. It went so fast that it made Keelan start. He nodded, impressed.
Damn, that man can throw a punch. Keelan was happy he hadn’t tried anything while Mike was gone.
“Your half disappeared with his last breath,” Ratkins said and pointed to the corpse. “Your mistakes cost you your half. You’re sloppy, this whole job is sloppy, but your sloppiness isn’t going to cost me my percentage.”
“Wait, at least take me off planet. Just to the next one,” Mike said and hauled himself up on shaky legs.
“You’re good, Mike, but you still have a lot to learn about this business. One lesson you can’t survive without is ruthlessness. Learn it, live it, and you might survive.” With those words, Ratkins turned, flung the corpse over his shoulder, and left Mike with a last dry remark. “You can pick up your stuff in the tower.”
Mike stood alone and stared after Ratkins, who for someone his age carried the corpse with ease. Keelan’s respect for the man grew... but he still hated the guy for being a badge flasher. Keelan turned his attention to Mike, whose breath had grown short and quick. Suddenly Mike turned and sprinted up the streets, and Keelan followed on the rooftops. But he had to stop at the first major road, and he scouted up the street to see Mike turn into a motel.
Good, now I know where you are.
Keelan smiled as he descended into the nearest alley. He would let him stew for a while.
In the meantime, Keelan went out for a beer.
Chapter Nine
Keelan found a crowded bar and made his way through the mass to the counter where he managed to steal a seat that allowed him the view of both the front and back door. A woman with an unapproachable persona stopped in front of him and glared at him.
“A beer and a wisky,” Keelan said. She nodded and turned, leaving Keelan staring after her. She seemed familiar, especially her profile. He studied her while she poured the wisky and a patron talked to her, making her stand still long enough for him to get a proper look. He smiled as he mentally removed layers of traces of a difficult life.
She returned and placed the shot and a lukewarm beer in front of him and named the price, tending to the patron next to him while waiting for him to get the money out. He handed her the money, and she returned with change a minute after.
“Keep it,” Keelan said.
She finally looked at him with a tired expression. “It doesn’t pay for anything you don’t see on the racks behind me, got it?” she snapped, still holding out the generous amount of tip.
“Not even a smile?”
“No!”
“Okay... keep it anyway.” Keelan took a sip of his beer. She rolled her eyes, pocketed the money, and left to tend to the next patron.
“You’re new here,” the man next to him stated.
Keelan glanced at him and drank his wisky.
“Do you know how I know?” the man continued. “No man tries to come on to her twice, but every guy tries once.”
“Hmm,” was Keelan’s only response. He ignored the guy and resumed his studying of her, impressed by how she could make any man shrink four inches just by looking at them. He finished the rest of his beer and waved her over, but he held onto the bottle as she tried to take it while trying to get eye contact. She glared at him and was about to let go when Keelan spoke. “You know what, I think you’re right.”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t let go. Their gazes locked.
“It’s a lot more fun when there’s a fence to breach, rules to break,” he said. “A challenge.”
She seemed to recognize him, too, and Keelan smiled.
“Am I right... Alice?”
A cautious smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she suddenly looked ten years younger. She reached out to caress his cheek. “I get off at two,” she said and left with the bottle, which was soon replaced with a beer so cold the con
densation dripped down the side. Keelan took the beer and drank from it, sighing joyfully. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the man from before gaping at him, and Keelan couldn’t help but smile.
He stayed until two o’clock and observed her while trying to remember every detail of the short but passionate time they’d spent together in a broom closet so many years before.
The night wound down, and the patrons left the establishment. Those who were incapable of doing so on their own were helped by the bouncers. One of them came toward Keelan, who stayed in his seat.
“He’s with me, Billy!” Alice shouted from the other end of the room where she was filling a tray with empty glasses. Billy gave Keelan a once-over before he turned to a patron who had fallen asleep at the bar.
“Come on, time for you to go home,” Billy said and half dragged, half carried the man out. He left the doors open to swap out the air with something breathable.
Keelan got up and found an empty beer crate behind the bar and began filling it.
“Are you looking for a job?” Alice asked.
“Maybe. Or I’m just trying to pay off all the beer and wisky you didn’t get payment for.”
Alice laughed and sent him a shy smile. It warmed Keelan to the core, and he clearly remembered the feelings she had awoken in him when they’d met at Churchburrow.
“Don’t worry about payment. This is my bar. What brings you by?”
Keelan considered his answer while getting an empty crate. “I’m here to settle a score with an old friend,” Keelan finally said.
“A score, huh? Hope I’m not that old friend then.” She smiled.
He returned it and shook his head. “Nah, you’re the pleasant reminder of at least one good thing in my past.”
“Oh,” she exclaimed and laughed loudly. “Never heard that line before, and you can take that as a compliment, because I’ve heard a lot.”
“Well, excuse me for being rusty.” He loved the sound of her laughing and how it made her eyes shine. She looked around, but there was only Billy behind the bar, measuring the booze. She turned to Keelan and approached him slowly. He sensed nervousness in her. But a good kind. He reached out and caressed her cheek, smiling as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. She smiled again and stretched to press her lips against his.
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