“You think something’s gonna go down, you get out of there and cal 911. Promise me.”
“Law, I cal the cops, Roam’d never talk to me again.”
“Promise me, Sniff.”
I was at the Camaro and Sniff hesitated.
Then he said, “Fuck. I promise.”
“I’l be there in ten,” I told him. “And don’t say fuck.” I swung myself behind Hazel’s wheel, started her up and drove like a madwoman. I parked in the Fox TV station lot, pul ed my mace out and shoved it in my front pocket, shoved my gun in the back waistband of my jeans and held my stun gun in my hand. I got out, locked up and pocketed the keys.
I crossed Speer, which wasn’t easy; it was a busy, three-lane street, even late at night. Then I headed to the bike path, keeping my eyes open.
I moved swiftly and quietly.
It was nearing midnight, it was dark, the street was bright but the bike path wasn’t wel -lit.
I saw nothing and kept going, hoping they stayed on the path. I couldn’t chance a cal to Sniff. I didn’t know if Roam and whoever Roam was fol owing would hear it. So I just moved as fast as I could without making any noise.
What seemed like an eternity later, but was probably five minutes, I saw Sniff’s gray sweatshirt. We were almost to Broadway when I got to him.
He was standing, trying to hide but you could see his sweatshirt. I approached him from behind and touched his shoulder. He jumped and whirled, dropping his phone with a clatter.
“Shit, Law!” he hissed.
I bent down, got his phone and gave it to him. “Roam stil here?” I whispered.
“Yeah, up ahead,” Sniff whispered back.
I handed him my car keys. “Camaro’s in the Fox station lot. Go to it, get in, lock up and wait for me.”
“Law…” he hesitated.
I got close and clipped, “Move! ”
He took off.
Told you my word was law.
I moved forward enough to see that there were people in front of me, standing, pretty as you please, next to a street light. A dealer making a sale. Anyone else might have thought they were just talking, on the Speer bike path, at midnight.
I knew it was a sale because I’d witnessed a lot of them the past four months.
Roam was nowhere to be seen.
I got into the shadows, watched and waited.
The sale went down, the buyers took off West, the dealer came my way.
Shit.
The dealer got close and I recognized him. Name was Shard, low level player, just a piece of scum caught in the wheel of the big drug machine.
I made a decision, came out to the path and started toward him like I was taking a moonlight strol . I figured I’d walk by him, find Roam and get the hel out of there.
Shard noticed me, hesitated and then, for no apparent reason, his body jerked and he whirled.
I stared, not knowing what was happening and wondering if maybe he suffered from epilepsy or something.
He jerked again then again then caught sight of something and ran toward it, away from me. He jerked again while he was running and I final y noticed Roam, standing a bit away, throwing rocks at Shard.
Oh shit.
I ran after Shard. Roam saw us both and shot out of his hiding hole and took off.
We were al running, flat out, and I realized in a panic there was no way I’d catch Shard and Roam. Roam was quick. Shard was quicker.
I did catch up with them, though the only reason I was able to was that Shard caught up with Roam, did a flying tackle and brought him down. They struggled, he rol ed Roam to his back, reared to punch him but before he did I made it to them, grabbed Shard’s wrist and twisted it, spinning him off of Roam.
Shard rol ed into me, took me down and my stun gun went flying.
“Roam, run!” I shouted as Shard got on top of me. We were struggling, his hands at my wrists, he was stronger than me, way stronger. I looked for my opening to knee him in the ‘nads when Roam body tackled him sideways.
We al went rol ing, Shard taking me with his hands at my wrists.
We stopped rol ing stil scuffling. Shard was working to free himself from Roam and me when, al of a sudden, he was lifted clean up into the air, like he was levitating, arms and legs reeling.
I stared in shock, Roam went stil and then Shard was slammed face first on the ground next to me.
That’s when I saw Crowe.
He was crouched low. He planted his knee in Shard’s back, pul ed Shard’s hands behind him and secured his wrists in cuffs like Shard wasn’t struggling like a mother (which he was).
Then Crowe straightened, jerking Shard up with him.
Crowe cocked his knee to the back of one of Shard’s, taking Shard down.
I was lying on my back, staring up, unable to move.
Roam was lying on his side next to me, up on an elbow.
We were both (I hate to admit it) in awe.
I didn’t have to wonder why Crowe was there. He was fol owing me in order to “shut me down”.
Shit.
Crowe pul ed a gun out of a holster on his belt and trained it on Shard. “Don’t move,” he said to Shard, his deep voice was scary.