Chapter 31
The Trap
Thorsen
It was ten in the evening when my doorbell rang. After I opened the door, Bazooka walked in, all six feet four inches and two hundred pounds of him.
“Oh, wow,” Luz mumbled, staring at him wide-eyed. “Fuck me.”
He slid down the bar stool and walked up to Bazooka with a wide smile.
“Hi. My name is Luz,” he said, sizing him up, and there was a lot to size up. “What’s your name?”
Bazooka looked at him, zeroing in on his extended hand, but not shaking it.
“Hi. My name is not-interested,” he said, before turning to look at me. “Are you guys ready?”
I nodded as he left his duffel bag on the sofa.
Luz grinned, undeterred. “I like him.”
“Well, he doesn’t like you,” I pointed out the obvious when Carter entered the room.
“Okay, we’re all set,” he said, tucking his gun into the holster. “John Smith smuggled a few earpieces for us, so we’re good to go.”
Now this was the part I cared about—my best friend and the love of my life meeting for the first time. I wished the circumstances were different, but they weren’t, so I made quick introductions.
“Carter, Bazooka. Bazooka, Carter.”
As they shook hands, I noticed Bazooka eyeing Carter critically, making up his mind about him.
“Carter, huh? I heard a lot about you.”
“Likewise.”
As always, Carter was tight-lipped, and I wondered if Bazooka could see past that.
“Are you taking care of my boy here?” Bazooka asked him, pointing his chin at me.
Carter looked at me and nodded, and something about that look or that nod was enough for Bazooka.
“Well, that’s all I needed to know,” he concluded, opening his bag. “Who do we need to fuck up?”
Luz peeked into his bag and gasped.
“Wow, dude. Are you going to war?”
“Life is war.”
“Deep,” Luz murmured, staring at the assortment of guns, knives, and other items Bazooka had brought with him. When he extended his hand to touch the weapons, Bazooka slapped it away.
“Only for grownups,” he growled, turning toward me. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to the club where Sophie Malik spent her last night alive,” I replied. “We expect the perp to show up there. Luz will be the bait.”
Bazooka glanced at Luz without really looking at him. “What does the twink have to do with it?”
“I’m not a twink, asshole,” Luz said, his eyes flashing with anger. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
I didn’t know Luz well, but this seemed like the first genuine reaction from that manipulative little weasel.
“He was with Sophie the night she was murdered,” I explained. “He saw the perp but doesn’t remember his face. But the perp doesn’t know that, so he’s after him.”
“I see.”
“You will keep your eyes on Luz while Carter and I will wait for the perp to make an appearance. When he comes after Luz, we come after him. Case closed.”
“Sounds good. Let’s do this.”
I looked at Carter, who nodded at me in agreement. Bazooka slid a few knives into his pockets before handing one to Luz.
“That psycho is good with knives,” he warned him. “If he comes at you, drive this into his jugular.”
Luz blinked and took the knife, seemingly mesmerized, whether by the weapon or the man.
“‘Kay.”
After that we left the apartment and drove off to the club called Allure.
The operation called “a disaster waiting to happen” was officially on.
Carter
“What’s your name?” Luz asked Bazooka, who was sitting next to him in the backseat. “I presume Bazooka is your nickname.”
“My name is not-your-fucking-business, and I come from the land never-going-to-happen. Any other questions?”
Luz chuckled. “You’re a funny guy, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, and I like women, so back off.”
Luz shrugged. “I liked them too, once. Doesn’t mean anything. By the way, can I have your phone number?”
“Not a chance in hell, but I have to ask. Why?”
“I’m planning a trip to New Mesa. Maybe you could show me around town.”
“I will never show you around town. And I will never give you my phone number.”
Luz shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m resourceful. I’ll get it myself.”
“Knock it off, you two,” I growled, turning left into Park Lane. “And this goes especially for you, Luz. Everyone here is risking his life for you, including your newest crush. Get a grip.”
“Fine,” Luz murmured, glancing at Bazooka. “Don’t let me die, kochanie. If I die before I kiss you, I will come back to haunt you.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Bazooka groaned. “Do you have an off button?”
“I do, and it’s just between my dick and—”
“Enough!” Tye shouted so loud that everyone flinched. “This is fucking serious. I’m not risking a hair on Carter’s head if you don’t stop fooling around.”
Everyone in the car turned deadly silent as I parked in the back alley that couldn’t be seen from the club.
“Everyone knows what to do, yeah?” Tye said, surveying our surroundings. “Now let’s get this show on the road.”
He gave me a small nod before exiting the car, and the rest of us followed. Luz headed to the club, dressed in my pants and Vicky’s Chanel blouse, which she left in my place without me knowing it. Luz found it in my closet while snooping around and flaunting his ass to Bazooka, who wouldn’t give him the time of day. The blouse looked ridiculous on him, but he claimed he had to look glamorous if he wanted to seduce “the psycho killer from hell.” Bazooka followed him ten steps away, pretending to look interested in some women across the street. When they both disappeared into the club, Tye and I went separate ways, hiding in the shadows.
“All good?” I said in a low voice, fixing my earpiece.
“Peachy,” Bazooka answered, with music blasting in the background. “The little shit is dancing with the strippers, and half of the club is staring at his ass.”
“Okay, that’s what we were aiming for,” Tye said. “Any bald bastards coming his way?”
“Not presently.”
“Okay, keep us posted.”
Fifteen minutes later, there was a disturbance on the line, and Bazooka was cut off.
“Bazooka?” I whispered. “Can you hear me? Bazooka?”
Silence.
“I don’t like this,” Tye said. “I’m going in.”
After he entered the club, I ran up to the building, holding my gun at low ready. Five minutes later, the door opened, and a drunken couple came out. Three more guys followed them, looking wasted.
“Tye?” I whispered into the earpiece. “Have you found them?”
Silence.
What the fuck is going on?
I was about to go inside when I heard the noise in the back alley, sounding as if a trash can had fallen to the ground. Then I heard Luz calling me.
“Carter. I’m here.”
I rushed toward the voice with my gun raised high only to see Luz standing at the far end of the alley. Despite the dimly lit surroundings, I spotted a knife at his throat and a slim, bald guy standing behind him. A handsome guy, just as I guessed, but his eyes were blank as if he was dead inside.
“I’m sorry,” Luz squeaked, but I wasn’t looking at him. I was looking at the man behind him.
I raised my hands in surrender. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you want.”
The guy behind Luz sneered.
“Do you want to know the funniest thing, cop? I didn’t even like Sophie. What I like in a woman… what I crave… are fat thighs.” He inhaled with his eyes closed as if he was reminiscing about some pleasant, long-forgotten memory. “Fat, chewy thighs are my favorite. And a worn-out cunt. Sophie had neither. Pity.”
“Look, the rest of the gang will be here at any moment,” I lied, going through my options in my head. “How about I lower my weapon, you lower yours, and we figure things out before the others come and ruin our day?”
He eyed me, contemplating my proposal.
“Hmm… okay,” he said finally. “Lower your weapon, or the boy here loses an artery. Then we can talk.”
When his knife nicked Luz’s skin and he winced in pain, I lowered my gun to the ground.
“There it is. See? The gun is on the ground, and you’re in control. Just let him go.”
The guy chuckled as I straightened up with my hands raised in surrender.
“That’s the problem with you people,” he sneered. “You’re too trusting. Sophie trusted me enough to let me into her apartment, being a horny, drunken bitch. Your pal here trusted I wouldn’t come after him. And you trusted me when I told you that I’m willing to negotiate. When will you people stop trusting me?”
I opened my mouth to reply when something hit my chest, and I felt myself fall. I tried to say something, but the metallic taste in my mouth made me gag as I hit the ground. When I looked down at my chest, I could see the knife sticking out of it.
Fuck. Tye is going to kill me.
“Tye,” I breathed, only to realize that I fucked up. The last thing I could remember was a bullet firing in the distance, and then… nothing.
Thorsen
I ran into the club just as the shit went down. I could see Bazooka jumping on Luz and shielding him with his body before a bald guy could put a knife in Luz’s back. The bald guy hit Bazooka in the head with the hilt of his knife, knocking him out cold, and then he dragged Luz out of the club. Then everyone around me started to fight, someone smashed a bottle on my head, and I lost consciousness.
When I came to, people around me were still throwing punches. I scrambled to my feet and staggered out of the club, feeling woozy. I heard voices in the alley behind the club and headed there, only to spot Luz and a bald guy behind him. When I saw a knife pressed to Luz’s neck, I aimed my gun at the bald bastard only to freeze on the spot when I saw Carter across from them. Before I could blink, the bald guy sent a knife flying his way, and I saw the knife hitting Carter’s chest. I fired my gun, but everything inside me just died at that moment. For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do. It was like one of those moments that people who had been clinically dead describe—your life flashing in front of your eyes. At that moment, it happened to me, although I wasn’t the one dying. I could see maman, the police academy, and then the jungle green eyes. And then nothing.