I shrug. “It’s been a stroke of luck for the both of us there, I think. But, ah… I gotta ask, seeing as we’ll be working together. The hit you got caught on… a guard in the asylum said you torched a retirement home full of old people. That’s a bit much, isn’t it? Even for someone in our line of work…”
She smiles, like she’s forgiving my ignorance. “Yeah, I did torch a building full of old people. And that’s all anyone knows, officially.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And unofficially?”
“The care home I destroyed was a front for a pedophile ring, and it was full of child molesters. Every single one of those twisted fucks had spent their lives ruining other people’s and had gotten away with it. The father of a kid who killed himself after years of abuse spent thousands of dollars investigating it, and it led him to that retirement home. The job came to me, and I did it for free. And I hope each and every one of the sick bastards is still burning.”
I clench my jaw muscles, empathetically angry at the thought of people being allowed to live after committing such atrocities. I also feel a swell of pride for Ruby, in a purely professional capacity. I’m pleased for her that she was able to use her abilities to take on what I would consider a noble cause and provide that grieving father with the closure he needed. It’s good for us to sometimes use our skills and our job to do something honorable and just. It’s a shame there aren’t more of us around who think the same way.
I feel myself glaze over, lost in a moment of rage and understanding.
“Are you… okay?”
“Huh?” I snap back into the moment. “Yeah, I’m good — sorry. And I’m glad you’ve got my back on this. Don’t get me wrong, as I’m sure you can appreciate I tend not to trust people all that much. But professionally speaking, I’m glad you’re on the team.”
She smiles. “No one could pass up this payday, whoever the target. Speaking of which, have you got any ideas on how we’re going to do this?”
I shake my head. “Nothing concrete, no. We’ve got another couple of stops to make yet — two more people on the list I want to try to recruit.”
“Yeah, I was gonna ask… where did you get my name from, anyway?”
“I went to see Ashton Case. Figured he’d know some people crazy enough to wanna help me out. You’ll be pleased to know your reputation for being certifiable is strong in the community. He said to use you as a last resort… said you were off the reservation.”
I smile and she laughs. “Yeah, I’m almost as bad as you!”
“Hey, my reputation was given to me… I just work to maintain it. It’s good for business.”
“Smart strategy. Guess that’s why you’re a legend…” She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling.
“Well, I can’t take all the credit, but I won’t argue.”
“So, who else has signed up so far?”
“Just the guy I went to see before you. Jonas Briggs…”
She claps her hands like an excited teenager. “Oooo, I’ve heard of him! He likes his poisons, if I remember right?”
I think back to the needle he held to my neck when he first confronted me. “Yeah, that’s the guy.”
“Bit of a loner, but he’s got a solid reputation.”
“Well, I thought he was a bit of a prick to be honest, but he seems useful enough, and he’s on board. We’re meeting him in Atlantic City three days from now.”
She nods. “So where’s our next stop?”
“North Carolina… Greensboro.”
I see the change in her expression. Her smile drops instantly and her body tenses. She uncrosses her legs and shifts in her seat.
“North Carolina? Please don’t tell me you mean—”
“The European… Yeah, is that a problem?”
She sighs heavily. “Not sure… Fernando and I go way back.”
Fernando?
She smiles regretfully. “He’s, ah… he’s my ex.”
I close my eyes as a wave of disbelief and a sense of impending dread wash over me. I let out a sigh of my own. “Great…”
“We’ve not seen each other for a long time — eighteen months, easily. He took a contract in Greensboro doing some exclusive work for a gangster down there who opened up a chain of companion clubs. They were new to the game but had a lot of cash — and a lot of enemies. Fernando took the guaranteed payday and started working for him, taking out the competition. But he got a little too friendly with some of the girls working there, and we broke up.”
I massage the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger, quickly running through my mind all the possible ways this could be a pain in my ass.
“There’s no ill feelings between us, that I know of,” Ruby continues, maybe seeing my distress. “I wasn’t exactly the doting girlfriend… It’s the nature of our business, I guess. But I actually liked him, and it hurt for a while when we separated.”
“Okay, just promise me this won’t be a thing, alright? On top of everything else, I can really do without the Jerry Springer crap… ”
She stands quickly and salutes, which causes her towel to drop to the floor. “Promise, Chief!”
I fall backward on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. “God help me.”
11
We left our motel at dawn, hitting the road for the seven-plus hour drive to Greensboro. As daylight chased us, another cloudy day revealed itself. Thankfully, the rain’s held off so far, but it’s thinking about it.
I didn’t sleep much for a variety of reasons. One being I was on the floor. Ruby graciously offered to share the bed with me, but given the outstanding lack of discretion she’s shown so far, I didn’t hold out much hope of surviving the night. Which is another reason I didn’t sleep well. Despite being on the floor, I still didn’t feel completely safe from any potential — what’s the word—attempts by Ruby to entertain herself, shall we say. Maybe I’m flattering myself, I don’t know, but I think I at least have grounds enough for concern.
Consequently, it’s taken a couple of hours on the road to really get my head in the game. I’ve been driving mostly on autopilot since we left Allentown. Ruby stayed awake all of ten minutes after setting off, and she’s been sleeping ever since. The traffic’s been light, although we’ve just hit I-81 going through Harrisburg and it’s starting to get busier.
“Are we there yet?”
I glance across at Ruby as she stirs, opens her eyes slowly, and stretches in her seat, speaking through a yawn.
I smile. “No, there’s a long way to go yet, I’m afraid.”
She doesn’t respond, but after a few minutes of shuffling in her seat I can feel her staring at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Tell me something,” she says, sounding curious. “You’ve seen me naked more than once. And I’m pretty sure you had an eyeful in the sewers… Why haven’t you tried to get it on with me yet? Most men would’ve by now…”
I shake my head. I hate this type of conversation.
I don’t take my eyes off the road. “I’m not most men. I’ve got someone waiting for me who I love very much. I’m not interested.” I turn to look at her, smiling weakly. “No offense.”
She regards me for a moment and then smiles, finally looking away. “That’s nice. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Although, I’ll admit it’s not the best thing right now.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t see her. I’m toxic at the moment, and anyone near me is literally putting their life in danger. To protect her, I have to distance myself from her. And… and it’s hard, y’know.”