“Right, under your way of thinking I guess Hitler deserved a trial.”

“What the hell is your problem? You’re making it seem like I’m against Oliver.”

“It sounds to me like you are!”

“Alex, maybe you should leave, before things get out of hand,” Caleb said. “Please.”

Alex looked from the red-eyed Reuben to the distressed Caleb and walked out the door.

So much for the Camel Club, he thought. That was over. Done. Dead. And he was reasonably certain he would never see Annabelle again.

So preoccupied was he that Alex never saw the two men watching him from their car. When he drove off they followed. Meanwhile, another pair waited outside Caleb’s apartment. The hunt apparently had already started.

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

AS THE TRAIN pulled out of the station that was basically a few planks thrown together and poorly lighted at that, Stone looked at the quarterback. Then he eyed the three punks, who were staring at them both with looks of unfinished business they wanted to jump right on.

Stone heaved up his duffel bag and grabbed the young man’s arm. “Let’s go.”

He jerked back. “I ain’t going nowhere with you.”

“Then you can stay here and let them finish what they started,” Stone said, nodding at Beefy and his boys.

“They’ll wanta jump you mor’n me. You kicked their ass.”

“Your ass, on the other hand, they were kicking pretty easy. So which road do you think they’re going to pick?”

For the first time Stone saw some element of reason slide across the young man’s features.

“Okay, now that I seem to have your attention, why don’t you start by telling me where you’re coming from?”

“Home. Just getting away. Make my own life.”

“I know the feeling. But as things stand right now it might make more sense to go back home, get patched up and then start your trip over. You got parents?”

“Got a mom.”

“Where’s home?”

The kid looked angrily over at the gang of three, who hadn’t moved a muscle.

“I don’t want to go back there. I just got away from that damn place.”

Stone ran his gaze over the kid’s jacket. “Looks like you were some athlete.”

“Best ever to come out of that little shithole, and look what good it did me.”

“Not many people make it in professional sports. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth it, or that you’re some kind of failure.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, changed my whole life,” the kid said scornfully.

Stone let out a heavy sigh. “Look, son, I’ve got my own problems, so I’m about five seconds from leaving your ass to the hyenas over there unless we get an attitude adjustment real fast.”

“What do you want me to do?” he snapped.

“Tell me your name and where you’re from.”