Just as I entered the backside of the building, I heard Blaze's motorcycle pull out of the gate, and from the sounds of it, he was eager to get Kevin to his grandparents' place. I took a few steps down the hall and entered the room where I'd left Boon. Smelling like something right out of the fucking sewer, he sat there bruised, swollen, and bound to the chair. With a pitiful expression, he looked up at me with pleading eyes and asked, "You gonna let me out of here or what?"
"Let you out of here? Now, why would I go and do that? We were just getting acquainted."
"Fuck, man," he groaned. "I've already told you everything I know. Just let me go."
I had to fight the urge to strangle him on the spot. Boon had killed two of our handlers, and if the fat fuck thought he was going to walk out of that room alive, he had another thing coming. But there was no sense in squashing his hope-at least not yet. I still needed information from him, and I didn't want to take the chance of him completely giving up on me. I crossed my arms as I looked down at him and said, "I have a few more questions for you."
"I'm done answering fucking questions, man." It had been eighteen hours or so since he'd experienced my handy work, so it wasn't a surprise that he needed a little reminding. I was running low on patience, so I decided not to waste any time and went straight for the jumper cables. As soon as I reached my hand into the bucket of water and grabbed the wet rag his breathing became strained, especially after I placed the rag over his face. All it took was the feeling of having that rag on his face to help him remember the pain he'd felt the day before, and he quickly changed his tune. "Alright! I'll tell you what you want to know!"
As I pulled the rag away from his face, I looked down at him and said, "Let's go back to Jasper. Tell me about the deal he made with you."
"He promised me five grand for each one of your boys I killed off. That's all I know."
"Five grand? That's a lot of money for a man like Jasper."
"I done told you that. I got no idea where he got his hands on that kind of cash, but he must be rolling in it now."
"What makes you say that?"
"So, about a week ago, he hired me to take out three of your other guys for the same amount of cash. It wasn't the kind of money I could pass up, so I told him I'd do it."
"And?"
"Well, I was right in the middle of taking care of them when someone came up. Even though I didn't get to finish the job, he still paid me a grand for roughing them up. Who the fuck does that?"
No one.
"Any idea where I can find him?"
"Jasper?" he asked with an overzealous shrug. "He's got his regular hangouts. That's where I always found him."
"And if he's not there?"
"Fuck, man. I got no idea."
"I need to know someone who would."
He thought for a moment, then said, "If Jasper was hiding out, there's only two people who'd know where he was. His right-hand man, Hoss, or Milton."
I'd known Hoss long before he started working with Jasper. We'd crossed paths a time or two in the military, and he was quite the character. There wasn't anything the guy couldn't do, but he was mostly known for his storytelling. With his thick country accent and charismatic smile, he never had a problem drawing the attention of a crowd. He tried to make everyone think he was just a good old country boy, but I didn't buy it. The man was a trained killer, someone who was determined to get what he wanted, so I wasn't exactly surprised when I discovered he was working for Jasper. Milton, on the other hand, was a name I hadn't heard before. "Milton?"
"Yeah, that's his cousin … At least that's who he tells everyone he is. From what I've seen and heard they're pretty fucking close … like too close for comfort kind of fucking close."
I didn't need him to spell it out for me. "I got it. Any idea where I can find this Milton fella?"
"No idea, but I bet Hoss could tell ya. I'm sure he's been by his place with Jasper."
Boon had been helpful after all. I would take that into consideration when it was time to end him. Figuring I could do us both a favor, I walked over and grabbed the water hose, its drain was centered in the middle of the room. Runt had it installed to help with clean up, and over the last few weeks, I'd found it very useful. I flipped it on and pointed it in Boon's direction, attempting to wash his stench away. Once I was done, I released the chain that secured him to the floor and moved it over to the lock on the concrete wall, giving him a small amount of mobility. "I'll see what I can do about getting you some water and something to eat."
Trembling from the cold water that clung to his skin, Boon looked over at the dirty cot like he'd just been given luxury accommodations. "Thanks, man."
He'd thanked me too soon. It was only a matter of time before the man who'd killed two of our men took his last breath. Boon had given me what I needed to find Jasper and had done so without turning it into hours of senseless torture. He'd earned a couple hours sleep and one last meal, but then, like anyone else who double-crossed Satan's Fury, he'd pay the ultimate price for his betrayal.
Alex
When I first moved to Memphis, Hallie was the only friend I really had. It took some time for me to warm up to my new life, mainly because a big part of me knew it was only a matter of time before my past caught up with me. I was scared, but eventually, Hallie convinced me to take a chance-that living a life in the shadows wasn't really living. It was then that I finally started to venture out, and shortly afterwards, I ended up meeting my best friend, Jason. That day, I'd gone into the cutest little boutique to look for a Christmas gift for Hallie. As soon as I laid eyes on a snow globe with the Eiffel Tower in the center, I knew I'd found it. I rushed over to check out, and until then, I hadn't even noticed the guy standing behind the counter. He was tall, really tall, and slender with a smile that was filled with mischief. I knew immediately that there was something about him I was going to like.
"Hi. Did you find everything okay?"
"Yes. Thanks."
He took the snow globe off the counter, and as he gave it a quick shake, he asked, "Is this gonna be all?"
"Yes. That's it."
Still staring at the tiny white speckles that were floating around in the water, he said, "It'll be eighteen bucks."
I slid over a twenty. "Here ya go."
As he reached for the money, he looked over and studied me for a moment. "Do you go to State?"
I was ashamed to answer. "No. I guess you could say that I'm kind of new to the area. I thought about taking some classes this fall, but I'm not sure if I can work it out. You know how it can be."
"Oh, I totally get it." He ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed. "I've about decided that school just isn't in the cards for me. I took a few classes in the spring, but flunked out. I guess I missed the memo where it said you actually have to go to class to pass."
"Yeah. That's where they get you." I giggled. "It's all just a sham."
"Exactly!" He laughed. "I'm Jason, by the way."
"Hi, Jason. I'm Alex."
"It's nice to meet ya, Alex."
Just as he was putting my gift in a bag, a young woman came out of the back room and walked over to us with a friendly smile. She stood beside Jason for a moment, and then gave him a nudge. "Since she's new to the area, you should invite her down to Newman's."
Jason rolled his eyes at her, then turned his attention back to me. As he handed me my change, he asked, "You ever been to Newman's?"
I shook my head. "Can't say that I have."
With a chuckle under his breath, he replied, "They have really great music. It's down on Sycamore. You should come check it out sometime."
"Oh, okay. I might just do that."
I'd barely gotten the words out of my mouth, when the young woman added, "We'll be there later tonight with a few friends. There's a new band coming into town, and word is they're pretty good."
"Sorry. This is my sister, Daphne. She can be pretty obnoxious about stuff," Jason sighed. "You might as well say you'll come; otherwise, she'll never let it go."
"Obnoxious? You're calling me obnoxious? You're the one who throws a tantrum whenever you miss Westworld or can't find your favorite lighter."
"Okay. Pushy."
"Well, I'm only pushy when I know I'm right," she answered defensively.
"Whatever."
She finally turned her attention back to me and asked, "So, can you make it?"
I studied the two of them as I tried to decide if they could be trusted, and then Jason gave me one of those smiles that made my doubts fade away. While I felt no attraction towards him whatsoever, he seemed like someone I would like to get to know. I was still a little apprehensive but answered, "Yeah, I think I can work it out."