Chapters (95)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by David Swinson
- Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
“That’s just some old guy I met on the street who does lookout for me when I need it in exchange for a hit or two.”
“Does he know Jasper?”
“No. Just an old crackhead is all.”
I power on his cell, go to his settings to find his number. I take my phone and tap his number into my contacts.
“I’m gonna call you Tiny Tim,” I tell him.
“What do you mean?”
“For my phone. That’s your nickname. You know who Tiny Tim is, right?”
“That Christmas story.”
“That’s right,” I say, thankful he doesn’t know the “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” guy.
I tap the number to call his cell. It rings, but I answer. I add my number to his contacts.
“Putting my name in your cell as Fagin.”
“That your real name?”
“Yes.”
I know the only reason Diamond brought him here was to protect him from me, but I think Biddy realizes now that I’m not the threat. Jasper and his boys are. I also realize I can’t sit on this information. I’ll have to give Hurley a call later, fill him in as much as I can without giving up Biddy or Diamond. Yet.
“What are you going to do with me?” he asks.
“Well, I don’t think I’m gonna kill ya,” I say, then hand him his cell phone. “So call your uncle.”
Forty-Nine
Forty-Nine
I snap a head-shot photo of Biddy with my phone, then cut the duct tape from his legs. I uncuff him.
“You think about doing anything stupid and I’ll break you like a twig.”
“I know, sir. I won’t.”
I walk to the nightstand, grab his wallet, and take the fake ID and the expired license out. I let him see me put them in my pocket.
“I need that license.”
“Insurance. I’ll be holding on to it.”
“I just want a way out of this.”
“What—your addiction? Or out from under Jasper?”
“I guess both.”
“You guess, huh?”
No response.
“What does your uncle think about all that?”
“I never smoke in front of him. He’s tried to get me to quit. More than once.”
“What’s the longest you’ve gone?”
“Almost a week.”
“That’s good. So what brought you back?”
“My mother’s death.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“No need. I guess I’m what you’d call a crack baby.”
That’s a good excuse. Or is it really in his blood?
“Is that how your mom died?”
“It didn’t help. She got pneumonia.”
“Well, going a week is good,” I say in an effort to change the subject. “That means you can go longer, have a better chance of quitting next time.”
“Thing about this stuff? Once you start smoking? You can’t stop. When I run out I sometimes don’t get anything for a day. It’s not that hard for a day, maybe.”