Grumpy Best Friend

And yet when we stepped out into the parking lot, a black truck pulled up and parked in the spot across from where we were standing. Zeke got out the driver’s side and Jakub climbed out from the passenger’s side.

Immediately Hal went into soldier mode. He hustled forward, one hand up in the air, the other moving down toward the holster at his hip. Zeke froze, and Jakub looked like he wanted to reach for something.

“You, stop where you are,” Hal barked. “Who the fuck are you? Authorized personnel only.”

Zeke’s eyes went wide, and he looked at Jakub, whose lips pulled back in a snarl. Jude moved toward me, and grabbed my arm like she wanted to put me between her and whatever was about to happen. Nicky stood frozen with his mouth dangling open.

“Hal,” I said, moving forward. I had to pull my arm free of Jude’s icy grip. “Hold on a second.”

Hal stopped and glanced back at me, eyes hard. “These the guys, sir?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “But hold on.”

Jakub took a step closer, and Hal looked at him. “You make another fucking move and I will light you up, motherfucker,” he shouted. “You stay where you are.”

“Okay, enough,” I said, settling between them. “Hal, stand down. Zeke, call off your fucking pet.”

Zeke seemed to snap back into himself. He sucked in a breath and punched Jakub’s shoulder. “Enough of that, you moron,” he said. “We’re not here to hurt anyone.”

Jakub looked strangely disappointed, but he straightened up and crossed his arms over his big, burly chest.

Hal stood unmoving for a second and I could tell he didn’t want to listen, but after another moment’s hesitation, he dropped his hand from his holster and stepped away. “Your show, boss,” he said, and didn’t sound like he was happy about it.

I approached Zeke. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to talk,” Zeke said, head tilted. “You hired muscle.”

“We had a break-in at the office.” I stared at him and wanted to reach out and dig my fingers into his windpipe. “Had some property vandalized.”

“Oh, no,” Zeke said, smiling big. “And on your very first day? What a shame.”

“I never said it was the first day.” I tilted my head. “But I guess we don’t have to pretend like it wasn’t you.”

“I want my knife back,” Jakub grunted. “He made me leave it behind.”

“It was a good touch,” Zeke said, and slapped Jakub on the arm. The big man looked supremely unhappy. “I don’t know what happened to your furniture, but I hope it wasn’t too bad.”

“What do you want, Zeke?” I was tired of this, tired of the games, and very out of patience. I was tempted to send Hal after them and finish this here and now. Hell, I was tempted to do it myself.

“I came to discuss terms,” Zeke said, spreading his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I didn’t come here for a confrontation.”

Jude drifted closer. Anger was etched into her face like a statue. She stood next to me and I could’ve sworn she was flushed with rage, her hands trembling slightly.

“We’re not interested in negotiating,” she said. “I keep waiting for those documents, and you keep never sending them over. It’s almost like this whole thing’s bullshit.”

Zeke laughed and scratched at his face with one hooked finger. “You really think I’m going to tip my hand so soon? You people want to fuck me, and I want to make sure I don’t get fucked.”

“If you have a legitimate claim—” I started, but Zeke interrupted me.

“Talk to your patron,” he snapped. “Lady Fluke knows what I have, and if she’s not helping you, that’s on her.”

I looked up toward the sky and took a breath to calm myself down. “I don’t know what you want me to do,” I said, moving slightly forward to put myself between Jakub and Jude. If things went wrong, I wanted to make sure she was safe. I hoped Hal was smart enough to know that she was the priority. “You keep saying you have proof, but until we see it, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’m willing to lower my price to one million,” Zeke said.

I stared at him. His face twisted into a smile, like he was excited for a meal, a sardonic sort of grin.

“You’re absurd,” I said, trying to keep the anger from my voice. Slightly behind me, Jude let out a frustrated grunt.

“Lady Fluke won’t go for it,” she said. “Whether you want to lower your price or not, we can’t just throw money at you.”

“Talk to her,” Zeke said. “Remind her about our deal.”

“What deal?” I threw my hands up, getting frustrated, and Jakub flinched like I was about to attack him. I realized the big man was on edge, just like everyone else, despite him standing there with a placid, almost bored expression.