CHAPTER 48: OPTION TWO

  GARLAND HEIGHTS—NOVEMBER 22th, 1992 | AFTERNOON

  ?

  “His whole idea was to put us here so that we’d be safe, and now that old man goes and ditches us,” Tania said between mouthfuls of chips.

  In the absence of a proper order of takeout from Bea’s Diner, as promised, Tania and Janice were left with what Esme had in her pantry: an assortment of stale chips and questionable salsa that could’ve been expired.

  Cameron rubbed his forehead.

  Somehow, Marcus Velvet was able to get his grimy hands onto Esme’s phone line, and whatever conversation he’d had with Leroy sent him far from where he needed to be—which was there. How long they were meant to be there, too, was entirely unknown to Cameron. Leroy’s whole reason for taking them there was to check up on them, and now, Cameron had new orders. Keep an eye on them. But for how long, exactly?

  Janice glanced out of the window. “I—... well. He looked like he had somewhere to be.”

  Tania grabbed another handful of chips. “He looked spooked.”

  “Well, that's not far off,” Cameron admitted. “I don’t see him like that. Not usually. Even then—and we’ve been backed into a lot of corners—he’s got this.. goddamn self-assured air about him. Like he can get through anything or anyone. And that asshole is never in a hurry.”

  There was more he could’ve told them. More about who Marcus was, why Leroy was caught up in this whole mess, and why, inevitably, they would be too. But he didn’t want to say any of that outloud. These two already had enough on their plates.

  “So?” Tania asked.

  “So what? He told me to wait here, and I’m waiting here.”

  Tania shrugged and issued Cameron a nondescript glance.

  “What?” Cameron asked, pacing over to the two couches where Tania and Janice were seated.

  “Nothing. Did I say anything?” Tania remarked.

  “No, but you gave me a look,” Cameron retorted.

  “Ah-huh. And what look was that?”

  Cameron set his jaw. “I don’t know. A look. Like I’m supposed to be doing something."

  Janice leaned forward in her seat. “Whatever it is, he must have had a good reason to leave so abruptly. I don’t know Leroy well, hardly at all, really, but I get the impression that he’s a man of—”

  “Of what?” Cameron interjected. “Mr. Leave Things To Last Minute? Mr. Punch First Ask Questions Later? Mr. Don’t Ask For Forgiveness or Permission?”

  Tania raised a brow. “Looks like someone struck a chord.”

  Cameron sneered in Tania’s direction. “You know, you’re awful fucking ungrateful. You know that? We saved you—I saved you, and if it were up to Leroy, you’d be rotting in some random facility somewhere, or, I don’t know, put onto the streets until the Civic and Occult Authority needed you for this damn trial.”

  “I didn’t ask for your help,” Tania said sharply.

  “But you needed it,” Janice said calmly. “And you know that, Tania. We both did.”

  Tania sank into the seat of the couch. “Alright, yeah, fine. Fine! You helped me. Helped us. What does that have to do with anything Janice was saying before?”

  Cameron didn’t have an answer.

  Not one that would make much sense, anyway. He crossed over to the couch and sat on the far end of where Janice was, let his hands hang between his knees, and stared down at the floor. Agitation bursted beneath his skin like those candies that popped in your mouth and he couldn’t understand why. He’d practically been glued to Leroy’s hip for weeks. He thought he’d be relieved to go without having to see his ugly mug.

  ?

  Symbols hummed as the door opened and closed.

  Cameron’s head swiveled towards it, and Leroy tipped his checked flat cap to those in the room. No blood, no dirt, no stink. He looked as clean as could be, but Cameron’s gut told him otherwise. He carried a large grease-soaked bag in his hand, paced over to the center of Esme’s loft, and put the bag down.

  “Four Robert’s Classics with fires, four chocolate milkshakes,” Leroy said matter-of-factly.

  Cameron lurched out from the couch. “Where the hell did you go?”

  “Sit down, Kessler. Eat your burger. There’s something you need to hear. All of you.”

  “Finally, some real food,” Tania said under her breath. She was the first to reach into the bag, grabbing hold of her wrapped Robert’s Classic and taking a large bite. Janice declined her burger and offered it to Tania, and instead opted straight for her milkshake.

  “Before I left, Kessler, you asked me about Marcus. I didn’t answer then, but I’ll answer now. Tell you—tell everyone—what’s going on, and where we go from here.”

  Cameron crossed his arms over his chest, and neglected the burger that had his name on it. “Yeah. Go on, then.”

  Leroy explained all of it.

  Janice and Tania were made privy to the fact that Cameron and Leroy had been roped into Marcus Velvet’s deals and favors by way of their arbitration contract for Ruby Shakur, and was surprisingly thorough in telling them how the whole favor thing worked; and how this second one crossed a line that not even a man like Leroy was convinced that he could cross.

  Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “Captain Holmes? Why him?”

  “Because,” Leroy continued, eyes settling onto Tania and Janice. “He’s charged with formalizing the investigation against Bluestein Philterworks, which means that Marcus Velvet could get implicated. Sooner or later, Captain Holmes would figure out that Marcus used Spectre as the initial distribution hub for ether. And for some reason, he’s scared. Marcus Velvet isn’t the type to get scared. This, for him, is drastic. Unprecedented. It means that he’s lacking intel on Captain Holmes, and lacking the means to bury him through his usual channels: blackmail, intimidation. So. The next option—the only option—is to shut him up for good.”

  Janice rose a finger to her chin. “This would surely benefit Bluestein Philterworks, too. I wonder.. could it be that they are still working together?”

  Tania grimaced. “I get the feeling, Leroy, that you haven’t arrived at the part that’ll piss us all off.”

  Leroy’s tired eyes settled onto Cameron. “You once told me something, Kessler, and when I first heard it I didn’t give it much credence. But I can see now that you’re right. Right about Marcus, his favors, and how it’ll never end—how this whole thing is a set of damn dominos that’ll keep falling over and over and over.”

  “And you’re what, just now listening?” Cameron said, eyes narrowed.

  “Truth is,” Leroy began, inhaling. “If it wasn’t Captain Holmes, I would’ve done it. But it is him, and hell, me and Holmes aren’t buddy-buddy like that, but I respect the guy, and I at least owe him this.”

  Tania finished her burger and wiped the grease from her mouth along her arm. “Get to the point, old man. How does this involve me, or Janice?”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “I’ll need your help,” Leroy said curtly.

  “Funny. I thought you were the one in charge of our quote-unquote protective custody arrangement. Now what? You want us to help you take down a fucking kingpin?” Tania asked.

  “If Marcus is still working with Bluestein Philterworks to try and get this trial shut down before it even hits the ground running, Leroy, then Tania is right. Us helping you will only put us in further danger,” Janice noted.

  Cameron inhaled sharply. He couldn’t believe that he was actually in agreement with Leroy on this, much less that he was about to lecture the both of them like Leroy often lectured him, but there was a collective understanding in the air that everyone was tired of hearing Leroy run his mouth.

  “Look,” Cameron began. “There’s.. two options we’ve got here. First, we keep you two sitting tight here, and we hope and pray that Bluestein—or what’s left of it—doesn’t find you. We know now that Marcus Velvet is working with them to try and shut this whole thing down, and between him and Bluestein, I’m not liking our chances. That’s option one. Sit tight and wait for the inevitable. Or, we take the fight to Marcus and deal with the would-be Bluestein hirelings that might come after you two otherwise. That’s option two.”

  Leroy whistled. “Sounding like a real arbiter, Kessler.”

  “Hireling,” Tania repeated, shaking her head.

  Cameron opened his mouth and closed it, a flush of embarrassment reddening his face. “Muscle. Hired guns. Thugs, goons. How’s that, Tania? Better?”

  Janice stood up. “If I can help, I will. Cat’s Eye, Breker Tonic, Mansbane Tonic, Fleetfoot: I know Bluestein’s potions like the back of my hand, and plenty of others. All I need is some kind of er.. lab. Or, just alchemical equipment and enough space. ”

  Leroy smiled a wry half-smile. “I’m sure Esme will be able to help you on that front. What about you, She-Wolf?”

  Tania scoffed. “Sure. Just point me in the direction of who I need to beat the breaks off of. But between the four of us, I don’t know if we’re equipped to take down an entire enterprise.”

  Leroy finally reached his hand down into the grease-soaked bag, withdrawing his burger and taking a big bite out of it. “We aren’t. I’ll be making some arrangements, getting a few more helping hands. But here’s the timeline: we’ve got until the day before Thanksgiving to get this all squared away.”

  “Four days,” Janice muttered. “That is more than enough time for me to make a little more than a handful of elixirs.”

  “We’ll need to make some upgrades, Kessler,” Leroy continued.

  “Upgrades?” Cameron asked.

  “For me, new gear. The old reliable P89 won’t cut it for what’s to come. We need to stop by Silvio’s, and circle back here, and then Esme’ll set us both right. But that’s me. You, on the other hand, need some.. personal upgrades.”

  “Christ, get to the point,” Cameron remarked.

  “Today and tomorrow, we’ll focus on technique. I’ll teach you how to shoot, how to shoot right, I mean, and I’ll see about helping you with your hexling shtick,” Leroy said.

  “Yeah, fine,” Cameron said. “But what about these two?”

  Leroy turned to Tania. “You’re on guard duty.”

  “Here?” Tania asked.

  “That’s right,” Leroy said. “Whether Esme realizes it or not, she’ll get pulled into this, same as you and Janice, supposing they put two-and-two together and end up finding out you’re all here. That’s a slim chance, given that only the people in that transport truck know about the arrangement we made, but there’s still a chance. And it’s not one I want to take.”

  “Easy enough,” Tania said. “But I want your word on something. I do this, you do something for me.”

  “Favors are what got us here,” Cameron said sharply.

  Tania squinted at him. “I’ve spent the last however many weeks hooked up to that fucking machine, and not two days later, you two, who I barely even know to begin with, want me to risk my life for you, when it was your job to keep us off the radar. You’re putting us on the radar again, so. I’m owed something, and you know it.”

  Cameron paced over to her. “Did you not hear what I said earlier? This is all of our problems, Tania, it’s not a matter of—”

  “It’s fine, Kessler. Whatever it is, Tania, yeah. You’ve got my word. After this whole fiasco is over, we’ll do an arbitration note for you. Pro-bono. Fair?” Leroy asked.

  Tanis nodded. “Yeah. Fair.”

  Leroy tipped his hat. “Think that’s all our bases covered, then. Questions, concerns, comments?”

  Janice shook her head. Tania said nothing, and continued to slurp on her milkshake.

  ?

  Their stop at Silvio’s Wares might have been brief, too, if not for the fact that Silvio and Leroy went back and forth over the pricing of his new gun. It was no Reign 18, but it was better than his P89.

  According to Silvio, a Colt 1911 would serve him better, and he’d get it at ‘half the price’, if Silvio’s salesmanship could be trusted. Cameron had been around Leroy long enough to know that he was one of those: if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it kind of guys. But he was on edge. Vigilant. And not just vigilant, but thinking ahead for once. It was a rare display from him, and a welcome one at that.

  Arbitration notes and contracts were one thing. Leroy wasn’t spooked by those, and difficult and messy as they were, Leroy felt right at home with them. Cameron could see it on his face and in the way that he moved. There was no urgency. He was reacting to what was happening to him. Now he was taking a stand. Cameron didn’t like the word respect, not in proximity to Leroy. So that wasn’t the right word. Diligent. Leroy was being diligent, and it was showing.

  Leroy browsed through some more options. In some strange way, it reminded him of when he went out with his mom shifting through thrift stores in the South End. She took ages to find anything for herself, much less for Cameron at that age.

  Silvio presented what he dubbed a Freedom Arms Model 83. Leroy said no.

  Then, he presented a Browning Hi-Power. Leroy shook his head.

  He even presented a Warwick M12, apparently handed over by a retired Civic and Occult Authority constable. Naturally, that wouldn’t work either.

  He settled on something called a LAR Grizzly.

  “8 rounds, 0.45, a real killer, hah, this one! Can’t go wrong with it, L,” Silvio insisted, presenting it with all the reverence of a relic of the Vatican.

  A strange looking thing. Sleek, black-matte coloring, with a heavier looking handle and a thing jutting out from the barrel to make it a bit longer. Silvio called it a compensator, but Cameron was none the wiser. For all he knew, that was just a fancy word he made up to sweeten the deal.

  Silvio pestered Cameron about his sprite for a while while putting together some more munitions for the two of them. Four small labeled cardboard boxes worth of munitions, supposedly ‘enough to last them a month’, he said, with a knowing, greasy smile that made his face uglier with every word. Every time he called him Carmine, Cameron felt less and less inclined to share anything about Guts—who buzzed and hummed inside of his sprite-cage, filling Cameron with a pang of guilt.

  Poor thing. He didn’t like keeping him in there, but, the thing was liable to go haywire anytime Cameron wasn’t making use of his hexling abilities, and walking around the streets of Brinehaven put him in danger no matter where he was, or, who he was with.

  “And for the young prince, eh?” Silvio asked, standing behind his desk, hairy arms outstretched. “We’ve got a deal going on, buy four, get one—”

  Leroy laughed a hearty laugh.

  “Young prince,” Cameron repeated under his breath. “Better than Carmine.”

  “Need to take the kid out shooting, Silvio,” Leroy said, clearing his throat. “Your uncle still running that junkyard, over on 17th and West?”

  Silvio crossed his arms over his chest, scrunching up the folds of his New York Yankees jersey tee-shirt. “The gall on this one! The hutzpah! Lieberman Scrap and Stack is not a junkyard, it’s a grade-A, genuine repurposing depot, and I’ll remind you that my uncle Anthony isn’t—”

  Cameron placed a heavy hand onto the reception counter, and leaned forward to glare at Silvio. “Listen. We don’t have time for this. We’re working on a tight schedule, alright? Can you get us in, or not?”

  Silvio clicked his tongue. “You ought to teach him some manners, Leroy, or he’ll end up like you.”

  Leroy raised a brow, and nodded in his direction, as if awaiting an answer.

  “A professional damn jerkoff,” Silvio said, tossing his hand into the air, laughing to himself. “17th and West, yes, on the corner lot next to a whole lotta've old and empty buildings. You boys tell em’ you’re smitten with me, he won’t look twice.”

  Cameron pushed himself off the reception and made for the door. Leroy followed after, tucking his new LAR Grizzly in the harness-holster that his P89 once called home. Under his opposite arm were stacks of munitions boxes.

  “And Carmine! Don’t you go calling Uncle Anthony Tony, eh? You gotta’ earn that privilege!”

  Some Guy with a Potato, who has been instrumental in educating me about firearms. Every so often I will chat with him about different types of pistols, and he'll present me with really great suggestions and insights. For anyone who is curious about marksmanship or firearms and general, I wholeheartedly recommend that you shoot him a message!

  LEROY WATERS

  CAMERON KESSLER

  JANICE OLIVERA

  TANIA ACKERMAN

  ESME O'DOHERTY

  SILVIO LIEBERMAN

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