Wicked Break

Thirty-seven

Dana had stunned him and he was a little woozy, so I picked him up off the ground.

“I got bored waiting in the car,” she said.

I was annoyed that she had ignored my directions, but it wasn’t the time to argue. “We’ll discuss it later.”

I set Linc on the couch. I sat down in a ripped leather chair across from him and Dana stood next to me.

Linc looked a lot like the photo Peter had given me and, in person, a lot like his older brother-same dark hair and intense eyes-just a little rougher around the edges. Dirty jeans and a black T-shirt hung listlessly on his body.

His eyes cleared and he looked like he had shaken off the blow.

I was so angry with this kid I didn’t know where to start.

I glanced at Dana. “You heard him in his apartment this morning?”

She nodded, staring at him. “The walls are thin. The noise woke me up.”

“I dropped something,” Linc said.

I turned to him. “You can feel free to shut the fuck up until I tell you to talk.”

He didn’t flinch, just returned my stare as his mouth closed into a tight line.

“Who the hell are you?” Linc asked, moving to the edge of the couch.

My right fist clenched and if I’d been closer, I would’ve punched him.

“I’m the guy that was hired to find your sorry ass,” I said. “Both your aunt and your brother asked me to figure out where the hell you’ve been because for some unbelievable reason, they seemed to give a rat’s ass about you. And if you speak again before I ask you a question, I’m going to choke the shit out of you.”

“He’s an investigator,” Dana said.

Linc finally wavered and he slid back into the sofa.

I took a deep breath, summoned up a little composure, and looked at him again. “Let’s start with Rachel. What do you know about her?”

He looked at me for a moment, maybe wondering if I was setting him up to say something so I could jump down his throat again.

He chewed on his lip for a moment. “I know she was shot.”

“Any idea who did it?”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure. Maybe.”

I felt my blood pressure spike. Wouldn’t look good to murder the kid I was hired to find. I tried a different approach to see if I could get a straight answer.

“What do you know about your brother?” I asked.

His expression soured and it was clear he was in the dark. “Peter? What about him?”

“He’s dead.”

His features drooped and the sour expression morphed into confusion, the first sign that the tough facade had a real weakness. “What are you talking about?”

Part of me felt bad for dropping the news on him. But the other half of me recognized that he was indirectly responsible for Peter’s death.

“He hired me to find you,” I said. “He was found in a canyon the next day.” I paused. “Killed by a couple of other guys looking for you.”

He looked away from me, his eyes focused on the floor. His shoulders bunched, the weight of what I’d said taking him out of our conversation for a moment.

Then he lifted his head up.

“You and I need to talk,” he said, then nodded at Dana. “Without her.”

“Oh, fuck you, Linc,” Dana said, irritated.

He didn’t look at her, just at me.

There was something in his eyes that I hadn’t expected to see. It was the same desperation I had seen in Peter’s face the day he hired me to find Linc.

“Dana, please. Go wait outside,” I said.

“Fuck you, too,” she said. “I helped you find him.”

“Dana, this isn’t the time. You’ve been a huge help, but right now I need you to give us a few minutes, alright?”

She gave an exasperated sigh and threw up her hands like a great stage actress. “Fine. You don’t need me? Then I’m outta here. I’ll go someplace I’m wanted. You two dickheads have a great time.” She spun on her heel and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her.

I looked at Linc, at this kid who I’d been pursuing for what felt like too long, and thought about how ugly the situation had become. I thought about pulling out my gun and putting a bullet in his chest.

But that wouldn’t have given me the answers I wanted.

“Talk,” I said.