49. Last Chance
Last Chance
Vandal
The sun rose in my apartment hours ago, and I still haven’t moved from this spot on the couch. You can’t tell there was a party in here two nights ago. Everything is exactly as it was before.
Everything but the part of my life that counts the most…Lola.
Twice I tried…but did you really try?
All you would have had to do to get her to forgive you was lie.
I lift the bottle of whiskey I’ve been nursing all night to my lips.
Idiot.
You lost the best thing in your life because you were an idiot.
I throw the bottle across the room just as my apartment door opens.
The glass explodes, shattering into a million pieces, just like my soul.
The old man stares at the broken glass for a second. “Maintaince sent me up. I’m here to fix your sound system.”
That’s odd, I didn’t know it was broken. Maybe the cleaners found something. “It’s over there.” I point to the console hidden in the wall.
“Thanks. This is a pretty swanky penthouse. Have you lived here long?”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. There’s something odd going on.
Fly taught me to listen to my gut, and it’s screaming now. “I just moved in this semester.” That’s part of the cover story we set up. Casually, I stand up and walk over to the bar. There’s a secret drawer there where I keep a gun stashed. “Have you been working for the rental company long?”
“Nope. I’m a subcontractor. Been working on stereos almost since they were invented.”
That guy is old, but not that old…or maybe I’m slightly drunk. My head feels super clear at the moment. I just need to get to the gun without alerting him to that fact. “I don’t know anything about how they work. It’s a good thing the management company keeps track of these things.”
Except I know they don’t. I had it installed after I moved in.
Play dumb.
Nice and slow. Move normally. You aren’t in a rush to die. I thought Fly was crazy when he said that over and over again. But now it all makes sense. “Want something? They keep this well-stocked, too.”
The man raises an eyebrow before setting his bag on a nearby table.
What exactly is in that bag?
A gun?
A garrote?
Duct tape, zip ties, and a gag?
Fly taught us how to get out of those.
Think.
Don’t die.
“Sure. Thanks. I’ll take a finger from that red bottle on the top.”
The red…that’s a five-thousand-dollar bottle…at least he’s going to drink well before he kills me. That should be comforting.
Don’t go for the gun.
Play it nice and cool, like nothing is happening. When you pop the bottle, the gun will be right there. I grab his fancy bottle and reach for a cheap bottle of vodka. It’ll work as a weapon if need be.
Half of the bar could become a weapon…none of which would stand up to a bullet.
Maybe he’s a bad shot.
Yeah, because evil drug dealers send half-blind assassins. This guy has probably killed people for decades before I was even born.
It would be almost insulting if he were to miss. Though at his age, he could have cataracts or glaucoma.
Now you're grasping at straws when you should be reaching for your gun.
The old man pulls up a small device and taps a button on it near the stereo system. “You want to move a little faster than that. If I was an assassin, you’d be dead by now.”
“Fly? Fly is that you? How?” My eyes don’t believe what my ears hear.
“You’ve been sitting here moping all weekend, and I needed to see you so I got creative. Are you going to pour me that drink? The wand only blocks sound. It isn’t blocking any video, so if you're bugged, we don’t want to give you away.”
“On it.” I reach for two glasses. Might as well drink the good stuff, too.
“You did well Friday night.”
“It was you that called the cops?” They were listening.
“Nope, I bugged the pimp’s vehicle. But a friend called. Thanks for buying us time.”
“Buying you time lost me my girlfriend.”
He chuckles as he pretends to push buttons and move cords around. It almost looks like he knows what he’s doing. “No, it didn’t. But she did almost lose her mind that night.”
What does he mean? “There’s no way she’ll forgive me unless I tell her.”
“So tell her.”
The bottle slips out of my fingers, clattering to the bar loudly. “What?”
“I said, tell her.”
“But you said…she could be a plant. That we couldn’t trust her.”
“I also said we needed to do some research into her. Which I did.”
That means…she’s cleared…but…“How? You wouldn’t trust a random stranger with the lives of Torque and Ryot if she was just some random person off the street.”
“She is off the street.”
What does that mean? Why does Fly spend half his time speaking in riddles?
“Lola came from Willow Street…I won’t tell you her story. You’ll need to talk to her about that, but yeah, you can trust her not to sell us out. Which means you have an ally here as well as a possible girlfriend.”
I can tell her the truth. “I can tell her. This isn’t some joke? I can tell her?”
“Brother, you know I don’t play games like that. Especially with a woman who might end up being your old lady.”
A grin spreads across my face…my old lady. “I like the sound of that.”
“Can’t say I’ve been hating the sound of those three words myself lately. You’re all done. We’re watching you. Be smart.” He clicks a button on the tool and places it back in his bag. “Your sound system seems to be working fine now.”
Fly walks over to the bar. It’s hard to believe that’s him…“Thanks for the drink.” He shoots it. Placing the cup down with a wink, he walks out just like he came in.
My mind reels with hope for the future.
I need to go tell her.
I need to wrap my arms around her and reassure myself that everything is going to be all right.
But first I need to shower…and have six cups of coffee to hopefully sober up. There’s no way she wants me coming to her door half drunk in yesterday’s clothes.