"You ready to tell us where we can find Jasper?" Murphy asked as he shoved him further into the room.
While it was similar to the one where I'd worked on Boon, this room was bigger with a wider variety of restraints. Even though it was clear from his expression that he was freaked out, Hoss shook his head. "Fuck, no."
I reached for one of the chains that were mounted to the wall, then fastened the cuff around his wrist. "I was hoping you'd say that."
T-Bone took the chain from the opposite wall and secured it to his other wrist, binding him into a standing position with his arms extended from his sides. He tugged at the restraints, trying with all his might to break free as he shouted, "You can't do this!"
With a gloating smirk, T-Bone relayed, "We already have."
"Let me out of here!"
"You tell us where we can find Jasper, and then we'll think about it."
"Fuck you!"
T-Bone lunged forward, punching Hoss square in the mouth and again in his gut. "You'd do good to remember who you're talking to, motherfucker."
Blood trickled from Hoss's bottom lip as he grumbled under his breath, "This is bullshit. I don't even know where Jasper is."
"We'll give you some time to remember," I told him as we started walking towards the door, but before I left the room, I turned the heat up as high as it would go. Since it was already sweltering outside, it wouldn't take long for the place to feel like a sweatbox. By morning, he'd be fighting heat exhaustion, and every muscle in his body would be screaming for a reprieve.
Once we were in the hall, Murphy turned to me and asked, "He's a stubborn one. You gonna be able to make him talk?"
"Yeah, he'll talk," I assured him.
"That's what I wanted to hear." As he started towards the front door, he ordered, "I'll let Gus know we got him. You get your ass some sleep, brother. Something tells me you're gonna need it."
He wasn't wrong. I would definitely need to bring my A game in order to get the intel I needed from Hoss. So, I made myself a sandwich and had a hot shower, then fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, I pulled my ass out of bed, got dressed, and headed out to my bike. Before I went to see about Hoss, I needed to make a run to the hardware store for a few necessities. I had all intentions of going straight there and back, but after I'd gotten everything I needed, I took a detour and wound up over at the bookstore.
As I rode up to the front of the store, there was a delivery truck pulling away from the curb, so it was no surprise when I walked in to find Alex sorting through several large boxes of books. Hearing the door close behind me, she looked up with a bright smile. "Morning, Shadow."
"Morning."
"Did you enjoy the band last night?" she asked as she bent down to pick up one of the boxes.
Before she could lift it, I stepped over and took it out of her hands. "Where do you want it?"
"Oh … um. Thanks." Then, she pointed to the front counter. "You can place it over there."
"What about the others?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
I cocked my eyebrow. "And if I want to?"
A light blush crept over her face as she smiled. "Well, then … it would be great if you could put them over on the counter, too. I should've had the delivery guy do it, but I just didn't think about it."
I picked up the next two boxes and carried them over to the counter as well. "This all of them?"
"Yes. That's it, and thanks. I really appreciate it."
I nodded, then ambled over to make myself a cup of coffee. Just as I was about to head to my spot in the back, I heard her say, "You never told me what you thought of the band last night."
"You were right. They weren't all that great."
"Yeah, I was really hoping they would be better. Do you go to Newman's very often?"
"Not if I can help it."
"Oh." She shrugged. "They usually have pretty good music. You should check them out sometimes. My friends and I hang out there all the time."
"Might just do that," I lied.
"Good deal. Oh, I umm … wanted to thank you again for making sure I got to my car okay last night. That was very thoughtful of you."
When I turned to reply, I found her standing right behind me. She looked so fucking cute in her oversized Def Leopard t-shirt and ripped jeans. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and for the first time, I noticed that she had tiny freckles on the bridge of her nose. I had to fight the urge to reach for her. "Not a problem."
Standing close to her was fucking with my head, so I quickly turned and headed to the back of the store. After I'd grabbed a book, I sat down on the sofa and started reading. I could hear her up front sorting through the boxes, and something about knowing that she was preoccupied helped me to relax. By the time I finished my coffee, I was feeling recharged and ready to face the long day ahead. I was just about to put my book away when I heard a loud bang. It wasn't until that moment when I realized I hadn't heard Alex in several minutes, and as I made my way up front, I had an uneasy feeling after I saw no sign of her anywhere. That feeling was only made worse as soon as I heard a second loud thud coming from the alley entrance of the store. Concerned that something might be wrong, I rushed over to the back door, and when I eased it open, I found Alex cornered between the dumpster and the back of building. Two young thugs, wearing blue bandanas around their heads, stood in front of her, and when I noticed that one of them was sporting a knife, my blood ran cold.
Unlike me, Alex seemed unphased by her perilous situation. Her voice was void of expression as she warned, "I'm going to say this one last time … back away."
The motherfucker with his pocketknife aimed at her throat, cocked his head to the side and asked, "And if we don't?"
Her voice remained eerily calm as she answered, "Trust me. You don't want to find out."
"Look at this stupid bitch trying to be all tough." The other one laughed, but when he saw me advancing towards them, his smile quickly faded. "Hey, man. We've got company."
"Let the girl go," I demanded as each of them turned to face me.
The punk with no weapon took a step back and mumbled, "Look man … we don't want no trouble."
"From where I'm standing, it looks like you've already found it."
I reached out and grabbed the kid holding the knife at Alex's throat, and as I slammed him against the wall, he cried, "We weren't gonna hurt her. We was just trying to score a few bucks, man."
"You're about to score a whole lot more than that, asshole. Drop the knife. Now." When the cheap metal hit the ground, his buddy took off running, leaving him alone to deal with the consequences of their actions.
"Please, man. Let me go."
I tightened my grip on his throat, making it difficult for him to breathe, and he was growing limp when Alex put her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her, and she whispered softly, "Let him go."
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can." Her expression lightened as she added, "I'm fine. He's just some stupid kid who's trying to be something he's not."
I loosened my hold on the kid's neck, but before I let him go, I pulled him closer and said, "You show your face around here again, and you're done."
"Yes, sir."
As soon as I released him, he darted down the alley like a bolt of lightning. Once he was gone I stepped towards Alex, who was looking up at me with those beautiful dark eyes, and I knew I was in trouble. My need to reach for her was almost too much to bear, and I was about to lose the last of my restraint when she moved in front of me and placed the palms of her hands on my chest. "You were pretty amazing."
I inhaled a deep breath as my eyes dropped to her hand. I couldn't remember the last time someone touched me, and it took me a moment to collect my thoughts. After several seconds, I finally managed to ask her, "You okay?"
"Yep. I'm all good."
"Have you had trouble with these guys before?"
"Well, not them … but there have been a couple of others. It's not a big deal. It just comes with the territory, but it's nothing I can't handle."
I took a quick glance around the deserted alleyway and wasn't happy when I noticed there were zero security lights and not a single camera in sight. To make matters worse, the locks on the backdoor were as old as the building itself. "You gotta step up your security."
She shrugged. I could hear a hint of embarrassment when she said, "I know. I just can't afford it right now."
Seeing that it was a sensitive subject, I motioned her towards the door. "Let's get you back inside."
"Okay."
I followed her back into the store, and as she was locking the door behind us, she turned to me and said, "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. The neighborhood isn't exactly the best, but there are lots of great people who live around here. Some have been really great customers."