Red Asphalt: Raptor Apocalypse Book 2

by Steve R. Yeager

  Wilson moved to stand before Kate. He licked his lips and stopped his giggling. There was malice in his eyes. Jesse stepped in and pushed the guy aside then moved to block him.

  “She's just a kid. Leave her be.”

  “No, sai. The knife. She had the knife. Lady-sais don't carry no knives. I must search. I must touch.” He held out his hands. His fingers were curled into claws. “I must.”

  “Leave her be,” Jesse repeated. He fell back on his law enforcement training from so many years ago. He puffed out his chest and pulled his shoulders back to make himself appear more intimidating. If this guy wanted to go toe to toe and do the monkey dance, he'd oblige, but there was no way in hell this little asshole was ever going to touch Kate the same way he'd touched Eve.

  Wilson cocked his head to one side, considering. He ticked twice. Finally, he lowered his eyes and backed away from Jesse with his palms showing.

  “No search. No search. Is okay. Ready, sais?”

  -15-

  WHOLE LOTTA ROSE

  WILSON LED JESSE, Eve, and Kate to a room at the back of the largest building in the complex. Jesse remembered the room from the previous times he had visited. It had always struck him as odd, almost surreal, and maybe even a few hundred years out of date.

  On the walls hung various paintings, mostly of roses, or women with roses, or women tattooed with roses. The floors were covered with lush Persian carpets, except near the entrance where small areas remained bare concrete. Against the back wall on a raised platform sat an ornate gold-painted chair. The sturdily built chair was covered in crushed purple velvet and appeared well worn, almost threadbare, but it added to the atmosphere of the room. Everything smelled of lavender and rose petals, which made him a little sick to his stomach.

  Wilson raised a hand to stop them and indicated for Jesse, Eve, and Kate to remove their shoes and leave them on top of a cloth-draped box. Giggling, he then scurried off through a side door.

  “So, what should I say?” Eve whispered.

  Jesse stared at her for a long second. “Best to keep quiet and let me do the talking. I've been here before and she can be rather…different.” Judging by her reaction, apparently that was the worst thing he could have said. Like he didn't trust her. She left his side and went to examine one of the paintings.

  Minutes had passed before Rose emerged from the side door. She was huge. She filled the entire frame of the doorway and had to turn sideways just to get through. He figured she was probably north of four hundred pounds now, much heavier than the last time he had been here. It had only been a few months too, so she must be hoarding food somewhere. The items he'd brought to trade were not going be nearly enough.

  She wore a white blouse that was at least two sizes too small, and with each step she took, she jiggled and bounced. There were sweat stains where her arms stuck out, and she bulged in all the wrong places. Her face was painted with thick makeup, which must cost her a small fortune to maintain.

  “Jesse,” she said in slurred tone as if she were high on something. “So good to see you.”

  He bowed his head slightly in greeting. “Rose,” he said simply.

  She gestured to Wilson. “Bring water for us, Willy. The good stuff. Don't skimp.” She focused on Jesse for a moment and then slapped a hand against one of her meaty thighs. “Rose is surprised to see you have lasted the winter, old man, but it makes me happy to see you again.”

  “And you,” Jesse added, bowing slightly. “I am also happy to see you.”

  She set herself down on her throne-like chair. “It seems you have brought me some new friends. Good. So many of my other friends no longer come to visit. Pity. Rose gets so lonely for news. Tell Rose why you come. Tell Rose you come with news. Please. But first must know who.” Even though her words were slightly slurred, Jesse understood her well enough.

  He moved forward a step. “This is Eve, and the young one's Kate. They've been with me now for some time.”

  “Really now?” she said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. “And Rose thought you were a crazy old hermit. Now the hermit has a family? Wonderful. Wonderful. But you should have introduced them before. Why is this the first time Rose is meeting them?”

  Jesse remained silent.

  Rose nodded knowingly. “What brings you to poor old Rose then? You come to pay respect? Or maybe you have something for me?”

  “It's a long story.”

  She laughed, and her whole body shook. “Time, Rose has. Plenty, yes, that she does. But, what would Rose be without her good manners? One moment, please.” She drummed her fingers on the arms of her throne.

  Wilson returned with four mason jars filled with water set on a silver tray and passed them out. Jesse held his jar up to the light and marveled at the clarity of the water. Pure, filtered water. This was quite a gift she had given him. What was it going to cost? She was not exactly generous, so she obviously wanted something in return.

  “I see business has been good,” he said.

  “Ah, honey, thank you. Yes, it's been good, but you are the first of Rose's friends to come visit after winter left us. So few. So few left. It is good you are safe. And you with a family now. Splendid.”

  Nodding, Jesse absently scratched his shoulder.

  “You are injured, yes?”

  “This?” He glanced at the lump caused by the dressing under his shirt. “It's nothing.”

  “Good. Good,” Rose said. “I have something for it if you need. Painkillers. Alcohol. Hydro-gennn-roxide. All kinds of goodies. For the right price, of course.”

  “I'll be fine,” Jesse said.

  Wilson dragged three white plastic chairs across the carpet and set them in front of the raised platform. He indicated for Jesse, Eve, and Kate to sit in them. Jesse settled into his chair, as did Eve and Kate. He slapped his hands on the chair arms and curled his fingers around the front edges.

  He pulled at his growing beard and asked, “Where are all the raptors? We hardly saw any on the way here.”

  Rose licked her lips. “The raptors. The raptors. Rose does not know. City perhaps?” She watched him carefully as if she were seeking a reaction from him, but when he remained quiet, she continued. “So, what brings you to Rose?”

  “We are looking for someone,” he said.

  “Right to the point then?” she replied, straightening herself on her throne. “No more polite banter? No more back and forth? No talk about, what was her name? Hannah? That was her name, yes? This young one is not her?”

  That was a question he was not prepared for. He swallowed. She was probing, trying to goad him into giving something away for free. He was certain he had introduced Kate earlier. “No, not Hannah.”

  “Interesting.” Rose smacked her lips together and puckered. “No matter. Who is this 'someone' you are looking for? Must be important. Rose likes important. There is value in important.”

  Jesse flicked a glance at Eve, then Kate. “Last time we saw the guy, he was wearing a long black jacket and carrying a samurai sword. I know that sounds a little absurd, but he should be easy to pick out if he came through your territory. So, have you seen him?”

  She laughed, which rippled the thick folds under her multiple chins. “A black jacket, then? A samurai sword? My, my, sounds almost too unreal to be true. Some kind of joke you play on Rose? Some kind of superhero is he?” She waved for Wilson to come closer and whispered something in his ear. He nodded and left in a hurry.

  Rose leaned forward. “And why do you want to know about this person?”

  Eve stepped forward. “He's my fiancé.”

  “Oh?” Rose said. “Fiancé is it?”

  “Yes,” Eve said. “Now, have you seen him? Please, I need to find him.”

  Rose's eyes narrowed. She glanced at the door Wilson had left through and smiled. Then she began to laugh again, this time a deep belly laugh. Jesse didn't know where she was going here, but he did know that she definitely had information about Cory. This would no longer be
a simple exchange of information, and Eve might have just blown it. Rose would surely triple her prices now. He tapped on the plastic armrest of his chair, thinking of how he could possibly proceed.

  Before he could come up with something new to say, Wilson returned with Cory. The guy no longer wore the black jacket, which made him seem different, smaller somehow, but he still had that smug, self-righteous asshole look Jesse remembered all too well.

  Eve rushed from her chair. “Cory!” she said. “What the hell? Why? Why did you run off like that? Why?”

  He held up his hands to stop her.

  “Oh?” Rose interjected. “So you really did have something with her my dear, sweet boy?”

  “No, nothing,” Cory replied coldly.

  “Nothing?” Eve repeated. “Nothing? We're nothing? After what we—”

  Rose laughed. “What a nice little reunion. Nothing Rose likes more than young lovers, but dearie, he belongs to Rose now. Perhaps you can join us sometime. Yes, you are a pretty young thing. It would be fun. Maybe Jesse, too?”

  Cory said, “You promised me safe passage south.”

  She held up a hand. “Yes, yes. And Rose will arrange it as soon as her men return tonight. You can leave tomorrow if you so desire. But, you sure you don't want to stay here with Rose? There is something about you she finds…irresistible. And you owe Rose, too. You owe her big time.” She winked, grabbed one of her watermelon-sized breasts, and shook it at him.

  Cory frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Wilson started giggling like a schoolboy again.

  “He's not yours, he's mine,” Eve said. “So, back off, bitch!”

  Jesse leapt to his feet and grabbed Eve by the arm. He held her firm, stared into her eyes until she saw the implied warning there.

  “You control her well,” Rose said, chuckling.

  Eve tried to squirm away. Jesse tightened his grip.

  “Let it go,” he said, and when she relaxed this time, he let her go.

  She returned to her chair and slumped into it. Everything she was doing seemed exaggerated, almost as if she were doing this all on purpose, which made him wonder what she was really trying to do. He suddenly worried that he'd missed something. Something critical.

  Jesse heard the sound of shuffling feet behind him. At the back of the room, the two who had been working on the truck outside had entered and were now taking off their shoes. He glanced at Eve, then Cory, finally Rose. All he had really wanted was to get Eve turned over to Cory so he could go home, but now he was not sure that was ever going to happen. He was not sure what was going to happen.

  Rose said loudly, “Cory and I will have our playtime later.”

  “He's not your toy,” Eve said, rising from her chair again. “Not some plaything for you to—”

  Rose cut her off with a raised hand. “Jesse, what did you bring?”

  “Don't you cut me off,” Eve stated firmly.

  Rose continued to ignore her.

  “A few odds and ends,” Jesse replied, making eye contact with Eve. She wisely chose to shut her mouth and keep it closed this time, but she was definitely up to something.

  “Odds and ends? That doesn't sound promising, my dear. Not promising at all.”

  “Can I show you? Stuff's in my pack.” Unchallenged, he went to his pack and opened it. From the corner of his eye, he saw Wilson moving cautiously and reaching for the gun under his shirt. Jesse kept watch on him and dug into his pack. He removed the power inverter and set it before Rose as if it were a holy relic.

  She seemed unimpressed.

  He opened the pack again and removed two cans of dog food, held them up, and twisted them in a look at me gesture.

  Rose grimaced.

  Next, he withdrew a dented can of mixed fruit.

  She nodded, her face showing the hint of a smile.

  Finally, he removed the last two items he knew would help and zipped the knapsack closed.

  “Jesse, honey, is this all you brought Rose?” she asked, sounding annoyed. She lifted an arm to sniff her armpit, crinkled her nose, and addressed him again. “Useless junk. A single can of fruit and two rolls of toilet paper? You're better than this, this, junk.”

  “You don't need a power inverter?”

  “Why would we need that?”

  “Because.”

  “We don't. However, the fruit should be enough to pay for the water you and your very rude friend here consumed. And, for the toilet paper,” she shifted on her chair and farted, “for that, Rose thinks she will let you go, unmolested. Next time, though, you will bring Rose more, yes? Ammo. Medicine. Not useless trash.”

  Jesse said nothing. Rose held a hand up. He found himself wanting to cut that hand off.

  “However,” she said, “you do have something Rose wants. Yes, wants quite a lot. How about you give Rose that, and she lets you walk free and clear, yes?”

  Jesse realized immediately what she wanted. Her lips moved just enough to expose her teeth. He also realized with dread the depth of his mistake. He moved in front of Kate and glanced at Cory, who waited in the corner with his arms folded, giving no indication of what he would do.

  “No, the girl stays. But, you can walk out of here. Right now, even.” She grimaced. Red lipstick stained her yellowed teeth.

  “No,” Jesse said. “I'm afraid that is not going to work.”

  Wilson moved two steps forward. He lifted his shirt and exposed the revolver. He slowly drew the gun and pointed it at Jesse. The man was no longer giggling.

  “No need for that, Willy,” Rose said. “We are all friends here. Be a dear. Sit down. Please. Rose insissssts…”

  Jesse reluctantly did what she'd commanded while his mind raced to find something new he could possibly say. He needed to buy time. He needed to think.

  “Why do you want them?” he asked.

  “Rose has her reasons.”

  “Reasons?”

  “Yes.”

  “And those are?”

  She seems to consider, then said, “No matter. Rose can tell you. Have you heard of the Solar Nation? Of Cyrus?”

  He had. When he first came up through the south on his way to the city, he'd heard that name before. Cyrus was the leader of one of the biggest gangs in the area, mostly glorified thugs fighting other thugs for territory. They were gutter trash, vermin of the worst sort.

  “Yeah, I've heard of him.”

  “Well, you see,” Rose said, “Cyrus likes his women young.”

  Jesse pushed back hard on the armrests of his chair and leapt to his feet.

  Wilson's pistol went off with a crack.

  The shot whistled past Jesse's ear. He froze mid-step. Wilson seemed shocked to have fired the pistol but did not lower it. He kept the gun pointed at Jesse's head. His hand was moving in little clockwise circles.

  “Sorry,” he said. He then indicated for Jesse sit back down.

  Rose stuck a finger in her ear and wiggled it. “Don't do that so close to me next time, Willy. But if he does move again, shoot him between the eyes.”

  He could try, Jesse thought, but he would get only one chance.

  It took a second, but he found he could move again. The shot had stunned him more than anything else. But now he saw everything with utter clarity. Eve and Kate were behind him. There were others in the room. He sensed right where they were. He backed up a step with his hands up and looked at Cory, hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid.

  “We like you, Jesse,” Rose said. “And since we are such good friends, we'll compromise and let you keep one of the women. Just one, and only one. Call it a good business exchange for future returns,” she said.

  Jesse said nothing.

  “So, you have a choice to make now. You get to pick the one Rose sends to Cyrus.” She grinned. “The girl. Or blondie.” Her smile cracked largely enough to wrinkle the makeup on her face. “Just be thankful Rose is willing to give you this choice. She could take everything from you.”

  Jesse looked at Kate, the
n Eve. Kate was lost in her own world, or she was pretending to ignore what she'd obviously heard. Eve was staring at Cory, both razorblades and daggers.

  Choose one, she had said. Which one? That was an easy decision. By choosing to give up Eve, though, what kind of life would she have under Cyrus? Short was the only merciful answer he could think of. No, he couldn't let that happen. He hadn't agreed to help her only to end up sending her off to her own death, or worse.

  “So, Jesse, which is it? The girl? Or blondie?”

  “I'm thinking.”

  “Tick tock.”

  There had to be another option. He just needed more time to figure it out.

  Then it came to him in a flash.

  Information was what Rose thrived on, and he was sitting on one of the biggest pieces of information there was, or probably ever will be. So monumental that it could change everything. That was if it were true, which he still doubted.

  But it could be used to his advantage.

  He indicated to Cory with a dip of his forehead. “Did he tell you there's a way to destroy the raptors and that's where he is headed?”

  Rose turned to Cory. He shrugged as if to say I dunno.

  She laughed. “Nice try. Make your decision or Rose will make it for you.”

  Jesse moved slowly, not wanting to be shot at again. He studied Eve and Kate with a sidelong glance.

  “How about me?” he said finally.

  “What do you mean?”

  “How about you let them both go with him, and I'll stay behind with you and do whatever, whatever needs doing. You know I'm good for it.”

  “That's nice, hon,” Rose said, grinning. “But that is not going do it for Rose. You aren't my type. You're too old and ugly. And, Cyrus would be very…unhappy to hear that Rose let two such pretty young things slip through her fingers. No, they are quite the valuable to me. Quite.”

  Jesse readied to play his trump card. He was willing to trade his guns and ammo for their lives, but with a sinking feeling, he realized that would not work either. He needed more time, more time to think. “If I can have—”

  Rose cut him off. “Okay, the young one goes to Cyrus.”