He shook his head. “Eve’s still in the Cities, but I’m having a harder time tracking her down because she’s not hanging out with any of the guys. Same with Bastian. Not exactly buddy-buddy with Jackson or any of the others.”
A cold wind whistled through, loud enough to blot out my hearing for a minute. “And Winter?”
“Working on it,” Kurt said brusquely. “But trust me, you don’t wanna even think about going after him until you thin out the M-Squad ranks a little more. Taking out Parks didn’t really do you much good, though, since he wasn’t even working for Winter anymore—”
“It did me worlds of good,” I said, and stared at the front door of the bar, off in the distance. “Trust me.” I held the glare on the bar. “One other thing.”
“Hm?” Kurt had started to turn away, to head back to his car. “What?”
I licked my lips. “Did Zack ever say anything to you about Old Man Winter making him an offer when I first got to the Directorate?” I watched Hannegan’s reaction; the big man froze in place, his whole frame stiffening. “Something about getting close to me in exchange for more money and a promotion?”
“I … uh … “ Hannegan opened his mouth slightly, and turned his big body away from me to face the alleyway that we would have to walk back down to get to our cars. “He … might have mentioned something like that at the time, but I don’t know that he went through with it.”
“Then why are you cringing, Kurt?” I stared him down; he wouldn’t have been able to see me flinch under the dark glasses I was wearing anyway.
“You know, he’s dead,” Hannegan said abruptly.
“I did notice that, yes,” I said coldly.
“Might wanna just let that one lie.” Hannegan looked back at me, stared me right in the sunglasses. “The man wasn’t a saint, you know.”
“That’s interesting. He’s as dead as one.”
Hannegan took a deep breath. “I just meant … for what you’re doing now, it might not bear a lot of deep scrutinizing about how the Directorate ran. You know what they did to him was meant for you, anyway, right? It had nothing to do with him. He was just … “ Hannegan’s voice trailed off, and a look of disgust cropped up over his blighted features, “… a human. Expendable. In the way.”
“I know what they did,” I said, looking back to the red door of the bar, “and I know how he felt, however we might have started.” I said the words, trying to believe them down the core of me, “and I know what’s going to happen when I meet Clyde Clary, when he stumbles out of that bar.” I looked back across the deserted urban blight, only a few blocks away, as something I had seen on the satellite view of the map stood out to me. It was a crane, with its hook hanging high above the small buildings that dotted the landscape around me. “I know just what to do with … him.” And I smiled.
8.
The night was warmer, which fit well with my plans. The temperature was above freezing, but I still remained bundled in my coat as I lingered close to the alley entrance where Kurt and I had watched the bar. The chill had seeped in after a while, numbing my skin. I took a sniff and caught the smell of oil, though it was mixed with smoke from people who had stepped out of the bar for a quick cigarette before dodging back inside. Every time the red door opened, loud music echoed down the quiet street. A dog barked in the distance. I pulled my coat tighter. I could feel the anticipation in my mind—not mine, but that of the others.
When is the rock man going to come out, Little Doll?
“Why don’t you try calling me something else for variety? Like Precious. I could hear you saying Precious and making it sound appropriately Gollum-y.”
Wolfe senses that you’re making fun of him, Little Doll.
“You have a good sense—in that area, at least.” I peered at the red door, willing it to open, to discharge the one stupid soul I wanted to spill out onto the sidewalk. I hoped he was especially drunk tonight; it would make my job easier.
Not very nice, Little Doll.
“I remember when I used to be nice.” I took a sniff of the cool air then almost snorted it out. “I think it ended the day I watched a psychopath squeeze the life out of a man in a parking lot while he choked the hell out of me.”