Chapter 3
HARLOW
"Are you sure this is the place, Gary?" I was talking to myself because Gary was back at my place, with water up to his chin. He'd been forthcoming about some of the people in his operation, but not enough to save his own ass.
Let's face it, his ass was wrinkled toast a long time ago.
I checked the address again before silently making my way up the fire escape like a shadow. All the way up to the sixth floor. Stepping carefully past a couple of half open windows until I reached one in semi-darkness.
I crouched in front of it, peering through a gap in the curtain. A figure paced past, then back again. I froze when he spoke. Let out a silent breathe when I realized he was talking on the phone.
"It doesn't matter, Frank, I need to know where…" He paced away again.
If he was looking for Gary, he was shit out of luck. On the other hand, they'd meet again soon enough.
I sensed something was off a moment before I heard the creak of the fire escape below me.
Fuck.
They were moving almost as quietly as I had, but the metal wasn't as forgiving under their weight as it was under mine.
I peered downward. Someone was making their way up toward me, freezing every time the stairs groaned.
Double fuck.
The only way out of here was into the building or back down the way I'd come. If they came all the way up here, they wouldn't miss seeing me.
They started up again, fourth floor, fifth.
I silently pulled out a knife and waited. If they thought I'd be easy pickings, they were mistaken. I was ready to—
"What the hell?" I whispered. I knew that stubbled face, the blonde hair. The sounds he made when he came.
The dimple as he grinned and whispered back, "Hello, love. I almost didn't recognize you with your clothes on. Didn't expect to find you in a place like this."
"What are you doing here?" I whispered. "You can't be here." I held the knife against my hip, where he couldn't see it. Obscured by the curve of my ass.
"I was going to say the same to you." He looked past me toward the window. "Friend of yours?"
"No," I said quickly. What the ever-loving fuck was going on right now? "Why are you here?"
"I could sell you a bunch of bullshit," he said in his all-too-attractive English accent, "but since you're crouched out here too, I figure we might be here for the same reason."
"Interesting theory," I said slowly. "You tell me yours first." I reminded my clit sleeping with him the other night was a one time thing. We weren't going to fuck, on this fire escape. For so many reasons.
"I don't believe we've been officially introduced," he said. "My name is Edward Bonegard, but you can call me Boner."
"I'm not calling you Boner," I said, a little more scathing than I intended.
He lowered himself down beside me and crossed his legs. "Suit yourself, love, but that's what everyone calls me."
"By everyone, do you mean you and your reflection?" I asked.
He chuckled. "You should give me more credit. You've seen the evidence. I seem to remember fucking you with it a couple of nights ago. You weren't complaining."
"That was then. You still haven't told me why you're here." If he was trying to get me to let down my guard, he was going to have to work harder than that. Sex was one thing, revealing my secrets was another.
Boner, I guess I was calling him that after all, nodded toward the window.
"That man, and I use that term loosely, inside that apartment likes to assault young girls," he said, not pulling any punches now. "I thoroughly object to him, or anyone else, doing so. With all that in mind, I came to stop him from touching any other girls ever again. As, I think, did you."
"Do I look like someone who'd kill a total stranger?" I asked, trying to sound offended. Pretending he hadn't hit the nail right on the head.
"How do I put this?" he said slowly. "You look like the sort of woman who'd be very good at taking care of herself. And others. Sometimes that calls for…extreme measures."
I looked away, towards the street. I hadn't always managed to take care of the people I cared about. That was a shortcoming of mine I spent the last handful of years trying to make up for. At least, trying to stop things from getting worse.
The guilt hadn't let up, not for a moment.
"How did you know where to find him?" I asked. I wasn't going to deny his accusations, but I wasn't going to confirm them yet either. Honestly, I didn't think I needed to. We both knew what was going on here.
"I have my ways," Boner said. "I feel like I've told you plenty, and you haven't even given me your name."
"You've told me about myself," I pointed out. "Why should I believe you don't already know who I am?" Now I thought about it, he had zeroed in on me in the bar. It was possible he knew exactly who I was and targeted me because of it. Except, as far as I could tell, he hadn't run off to the cops.
Yet.
"This may come as a surprise, but I don't know everything," he said. "If you asked me who I thought I'd see sitting on a fire escape outside a window, you wouldn't have been on my list. But here you are. And here I am. Perhaps we can start over again."
He offered me his hand. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Boner."
Like I had with Cass, I tapped my fist against his. "Harlow. Did you come here to kill this guy? I don't see any weapons on you."
"Would you believe I'm the weapon?" He grinned, white teeth flashing like the cocky prick he was.
"No."
"Ouch, right to the heart.” He clutched at his chest. "You're right, I came with backup." He patted the pocket of his black leather jacket. "So, how do you propose we decide who does the honors?"
"I was here first," I said bluntly. "It would be better if you left so I could get on with it." I wasn't a big fan of leaving witnesses behind and it would be a shame to have to kill him. He did have a rather impressive boner.
"Funny, I was going to say the same to you," he said, completely unashamed. "Have you done this kind of thing before?"
I cocked my head at him, letting my red ponytail fall to the side. "Have you?"
"Are you asking me to incriminate myself?" He pretended to be offended.
"Seems to me you did that first," I said.
He reached up to scratch the side of his cheek.
"You know, you're right. I apologize. Yes, I have done this kind of thing before.
More times than I care to admit. And yet, not enough.
Monsters like him still exist." His voice was lower now, regretful.
Like he wanted to purge the world of evil with one swipe.
Yeah, didn't we all?
"Yes, they do," I whispered. I realized the man inside the apartment stopped pacing and talking. He must have ended his call. "His name is Carl. He owns a chain of hotels. In each one, he has a private suite where he has…" I had to take a moment to compose myself. "Girls delivered to him."
"I'm guessing this apartment serves that purpose too," Boner said, sounding disgusted.
"I was thinking the same thing," I agreed. "This place is too downmarket for someone like him."
"It still nicer than my place." Boner grimaced. "I propose we take care of Carl together. What do you say, Miss Harlow?"
"Miss St. James," I corrected. "Let's do this. I'm getting stiff sitting out here."
He grinned. "Funny, me too."
"Don't make me stab you," I told him. "Because I will."
He raised his hands in surrender. "I have no doubt you would. I'll try not to give you any reason." He nodded toward the window. "Ladies first? Or age before beauty?" He gestured to himself, then to me.
"I'm going first." I peeked through the curtain to make sure Carl wasn't in the room just beyond the glass. I couldn't make out any sign of him.
Go time.
I jammed my knife into the side of the window, jimmying it open wide enough for me to ease it open and slip inside. All the while, I hoped like hell Boner was going to follow me and not stab me in the back. Literally. Just because I fucked the guy didn't mean I could trust him.
When I glanced back over my shoulder, he stood right behind me, inside the apartment. Relaxed, like he might be in a department store, shopping for his next pair of shoes.
"I'm guessing there's a bedroom over there," he whispered, nodding in that direction.
I made a face, but moved silently across the hardwood floor, towards what seemed to be the only other room in the place. Stopped right before the doorway and glanced inside.
The room was empty. So was the bathroom off to the side.
"Mother of fuck," Boner said with an irritated grunt. "Where did the prick go?"
I put my knife away and leaned against the door frame. "He must have slipped out before we came in."
I flicked a switch to turn on the light and survey the whole, small apartment. It was little more than a box. One that didn't look lived in, confirming my theory that this was somewhere Carl only spent small amounts of time. Him or his associates.
My stomach turned. What I was doing to Gary, what I had planned for Carl, it didn't compare to the evil these men did. For one thing, he deserved it. Their victims did not.
"I'll have to track him down some other way." I turned the light off again.
"We," Boner said absently. "I'm sure you'll agree, we're in this together now." He pulled open a drawer beside the bed, but closed it again when he found it empty. What was he hoping for? A black book full of incriminating evidence? Maybe a sim card?
"I disagree," I said. "I don't work with other people." Not in this capacity, anyway.
"This guy is—" Boner started.
He stopped when the door rattled.
Shit.
We both ducked down on the other side of the bed as the door opened. The light came on once again and Carl walked past us, carrying a pizza. He must have gone out to pick it up.
Of course, he wouldn't have food delivered here. Someone would see him. If he was recognized in a place like this, people would wonder at his presence. Someone would film him and the Internet would do the rest. He'd be busted faster than a CEO at a Coldplay concert.
Although, what this guy was doing was far worse than cheating.
"Won't be long now." He seemed to be talking to the pizza as he set it down on the small table, just in view.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was waiting for. I swallowed before I lost the contents of my stomach.
Plates clinked together as he took them out of the kitchen cabinet and placed them beside the pizza. Only an arm and part of his leg in view, he froze.
"What the hell?" He noticed the open window.
Fuck, everything was going sideways. This operation was starting to feel like amateur hour, which wasn't like me at all. I knew there was a reason I didn't work with anyone else. Other people made messes, and I didn't like messes.
"Hey." Boner spoke loudly as he rose to his feet and stepped out of the bedroom. "Carl, right?"
What the hell was he doing? He was going to get both of us killed.
Or worse.