Hunt

“No way.” Devin widened his eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Go for it.”

“Shit.” Devin rubbed his hands together. “We’re about to have steak and potatoes tonight. I’ll chop up the steak so everyone can at least get a little. I’ll mix it up with all the potatoes. I’ll do the whole bag.”

“Make it quick though.” Quin rubbed her head. “We still got Mr. Sicko with the Puppies to deal with.”

Devin yanked out a drawer. “I can’t find any sharp knives. That’s odd. How do you cut things, Phoenix?”

Quin frowned at me. “She doesn’t need to cut anything.”

Guilt hit me.

I turned away from her.

“Then, how will I cut the potatoes? Never mind. There’s a butter knife. I’ll have to saw through. This will be good. I can stop by the store and get sour cream, butter, and chives, oh man this is going to be so good.”

I turned back to Quin. “So, you were involved in an unnecessary car chase?”

“But, we couldn’t shake him.” Quin shrugged. “I think if I was driving the bike I could have lost him.”

Devin snorted and began washing his hands.

Quin gestured to the kitchen. “Steak and potatoes, Nix?”

“They taste good.”

“You’re typically a burger chick. Maybe, even a grilled cheese. You barely eat French fries. You always give me yours—”

“What happened after you realized you couldn’t lose him?”

“Then, we led him to my alley. We got there first. Devin parked at the end. I jumped off, moved the dumpster fast, grabbed the first gun I could, which was the shot gun, and we hid.”

My heartbeats sped up.

I let out an exasperated breath. “Give me the bottle of rum please.”

Quin took a swig and then handed it to me. “He drove down like I knew he would. He’s worse than a fucking drug fiend for you.”

My fingers shook. “What happened next?”

“We had a conversation.” Quin rose from the chair, shook her shoulders, and then put her arms and hands into a position as if she were holding an invisible shot gun. “I was like this.”

I gaped at her.

“It was this exact stance.” Quin kept holding the imaginary shotgun and screwed her face into an annoyed expression. “I was like motherfucker, do you know who the fuck I am? Queen bad bitch! I will destroy your family and you. I got the whole city behind me. I can call dudes to rob you in seconds and then dig all in your booty.”

I was about to drink the rum. Instead, I held the bottle in mid-air.

Chuckling, Devin began chopping potatoes.

“Then, I shot at his feet. Blat! Blat!” She pulled the invisible trigger several times. “He ran off crying and shit.”

“Oh really?” Still holding the bottle near my mouth, I shook my head. “Cain ran off crying?”

“But before he did, he looked at me. Naw.” She waved her hand. “In fact, he pointed at me and said. . .Queen, you’re the truth.”

“Alright. I got it. So, you’re not going to tell me what happened.” I drank some rum.

“The truth is a bit more embarrassing.” Quin walked over to the kitchen and watched Devin. “You’re cutting those up fast. Where did you learn how to do that?”

“My dad was a chef.” Devin spotted the old radio near the fridge. “Can I turn this on?”

“Go ahead.” I set the bottle on the table and stared at the torn open gift.

Devin must’ve pressed a button because opera music filled the space.

Embarrassed, I looked up.

Devin and Quin turned to me.

I shrugged. “That must be from whoever rented this place before me.”

Devin turned off the radio and checked the top. “But, it looks like a new CD. The plastic and case is next to it like you just opened it a few days ago—”

“It’s not mine.” I grabbed the gift box. “What is this?”

“A gift for you.”

“From him?”

“Yeah.” Quin picked up the opera CD case. “I was going to kill him, but his brothers showed up.”

I snapped my face to her. “I told you not to kill him.”

“Yeah. I remember that.” Quin eyed me suspiciously. “Why not?”

I put the present back on the table. “Why not what?”

“Why don’t you want me to kill him?”

“It’s unnecessary. You could get caught and go to jail. His brothers would come after you. Plus, you would get new nightmares.” I stood. “Are any of these reasons good enough for you, Quin?”

“Yeah, but. . .my bullshit detector is ringing.” She perused the case. “The Best of Opera? Why are you listening to this?”

Ignoring her, I looked at Devin. “His brothers showed up in the alley and then what?”

He gave me a sad smile. “Quin kept trying to find out what this Cain did to you and he wouldn’t say anything—”

“What?” My heart boomed in my ears. “It’s not important what he did to me.”

“It is.” Quin put the CD case down.

I ran my shaking fingers through my hair. “Why? Just let it go, Quin.”