“I thought we told you not to call the cops.”
“Easy, Franco. Can’t you see the guy is grieving here? You gonna kick his ass on top of his wife’s grave? Show some respect.”
The older man, Bill remembered his name was Carlos, held out his hand to help him up. Bill refused to take it.
Carlos shrugged and got down on his haunches.
“Franco is right, though. We warned you not to call the cops, and you went and called the FBI. We feel like maybe you didn’t take us seriously.”
“Fuck you.” Bill spat in his face.
Carlos smiled. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his cheek. Then he backhanded Bill across the face.
“I’m sentimental, so I’ll forgive that. But we need you to understand that no one’s gonna help you, Doc. You could call the CIA, Internal Affairs, the goddamn Governor, and no one will help. But we’ll hear about it. And we won’t be happy.”
Bill probed the inside of his mouth with his tongue, tasting blood. A tooth was wiggly. He stared up at Franco, but there was no fear. There was no pain, either. All Bill felt was a coldness inside him. He embraced it, drew strength from it. This wasn’t going to be a repeat of yesterday.
He made a show of getting to his feet, looking weak and beaten. Then he made a tight fist and hit Carlos with everything he had.
Carlos went down. Franco stood there, immobile and confused. Bill lowered his head and charged the bigger man, connecting solidly with his gut. Franco grunted and doubled over, and Bill swung hard between his legs, an upper cut that he put his whole body behind.
Then he ran.
The grass was slippery, and it was hard to keep his balance. He heard the thugs yelling after him, heard a shot and felt it go over his head, but he didn’t stop. Not until he reached the parking lot and found Theena sitting in his car.
Bill scrambled for the door handle, his free hand digging for the car keys in his jacket pocket.
They weren’t there.
He tried his blazer pockets, vest pocket, pants pockets, patting his body all over.
No keys. They must have been lost in the scuffle.
Theena hadn’t even noticed him-she was staring blankly out the window, an emotional zombie.
“Theena! We have to get out of here!”
She didn’t bother looking. Bill glanced over his shoulder, saw Franco and Carlos coming down the hill.
He reached in the car and wound his fingers around Theena’s long, black curls. Then he yanked.
She was jerked from her seat, the pain making her yell. Bill locked his hand around one of her flailing wrists and pulled her out the driver’s side door.
“We have to go!”
There was a boom and a crash, and a spider web of cracks blossomed in the Audi’s rear windshield. Theena’s eyes widened, and Bill dragged her away from the car as another bullet smacked into the open door.
With her long legs, Theena had no problem keeping up with him. They ran, hand in hand, through the parking lot and onto the street. There were apartment buildings on either side, for blocks in either direction. Bill tugged her towards the nearest one, heading for the front entrance. The security door was locked. He frantically pressed buzzers, hoping someone would let him in.
“Who is it?”
Bill put his face to the intercom speaker.
“Please! Someone is trying to kill us!”
“Who is this? Lionel?”
“Open the door!”
Another thunderclap, the bullet slapping into the brick wall and peppering Bill’s face with bits of wet rock.
They took off in a crouch, making a beeline for the next apartment building.
No one answered the buzzers.
“They’re coming.”
Theena’s voice was soft, fatalistic. Bill chanced a look. Carlos and Franco were jogging towards them, less than a hundred yards away.
Bill looked in the other direction. The street was deserted, not a vehicle in sight. They ran for it.
Halfway down the block, a car turned the corner and began to approach. Bill released Theena and waved his hands over his head, yelling for the car’s attention.
The car didn’t slow down, and veered slightly out of their direction as if to drive past. Frantic, Bill tried to position himself in front of it, holding out his hands, praying the driver would stop.
The driver slammed on the brakes. The tires couldn’t find purchase on the wet pavement and the car hydroplaned, rushing at Bill faster than he was able to get out of the way.
It slid to a stop just a foot before impact.
Bill placed his palms on the hood. The driver was invisible behind tinted gray glass. He was probably petrified, wondering if this were a robbery or a car jack. The car was a late model Lincoln Continental, the rain beading off the many coats of wax.
Bill motioned for Theena to come over.
“We need help! Someone’s after us!”
The driver’s window rolled down.
“Bill May? Theena?”
It was DruTech President Albert Rothchilde.
Jack Kilborn
Disturb
Theena glared at Rothchilde. He was in all black, except for a blood red rose pined to his lapel. He had come to the funeral late, and left early. But she had a pretty good idea why he’d stuck around.
Rothchilde returned her obvious anger with a blank stare, then focused on Bill. “Are you both all right?”
“Some people are chasing us. They have guns.”
“Guns?” Rothchilde raised an eyebrow.
Theena kept her voice even. “Open the doors, Albert.”
“Of course.”
Rothchilde hit the unlock button. Bill climbed into the back seat, Theena the front. She watched her boss try to feign concern.
“Shall we head to the police station?”
Bill shook his head. “They won’t help. Just get us out of here.”
Theena noticed the faintest of smiles appear on Rothchilde’s lips. “Are you sure you’re okay? Who were those men? Were they trying to rob you?”
“I think they’re organized crime.” Bill opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out.
He suspects Rothchilde, Theena thought. Maybe the guy isn’t as gullible as he looks.
“Just take us home, Albert.”
“Well, I still think we should call the authorities. Do you want to go home, Dr. May?”
Bill said nothing.
Theena could understand his trepidation. They knew where he lived.
“You can stay with me, Bill.”
“Are you sure?”
Theena nodded. Rothchilde gave her a slight jab in the ribs, which she ignored.
“If I can stop at my place and pick up some things.”
“Of course. Just show me the way.”
Bill directed Rothchilde to his condo and told them he’d only be a minute. When he was out of the car, Theena turned to Rothchilde and slapped him.
“You asshole! They were shooting at us!”
Rothchilde’s eyes twinkled.
“They missed. They’re pros, Theena. They were just delivering a message to Bill. You weren’t even supposed to be involved.”
“You’re a bastard.”
He gave her knee a squeeze.
“We both have the same goal here, darling. I see you’re playing your part to the hilt. How was Dr. May? It’s been a while for him, I understand.”
Theena refused to be baited.
“Have you found out who killed my father, yet?”
“Not yet. I’ve got the whole Chicago PD on it.”
“Maybe they aren’t looking in the right place.”
“Meaning?” Rothchilde moved closer. “Oh, I understand. Maybe they should be looking in this car, right?”
Theena looked into his eyes. Beneath the amusement they were blank, dead. She wondered, not for the fist time, what she’d gotten into.
“You killed Mike Bitner, didn’t you?”
“There’s no way to prove that.”
He did, the bastard. And he was reveling in it. Theena felt a tickle of fear spider-walk up her spine.
“How do I know you didn’t kill my father, too?”
“You know I didn’t. It wouldn’t make sense. He was worth too much.”
“What does that matter? Maybe you had your own warped little reason. Once a killer, always a killer.”
Rothchilde pinched her cheeks and squeezed them together, making her lips pout. “And once a whore, always a whore.”
She shook out of his grip. He put his hand on her knee again, rubbing.