The sound of my scuffle must have reached across the street, because I heard the three Latin Kings stop their conversation and start coming our direction. My assailant, his forearm pinning me by the throat against the wall, jerked his eyes in their direction before looking back at me. "Follow me, keep up. If not, you're going to get your ass killed."
Releasing me, he took off down the alley, with me hot on his heels. It was hard keeping up, partly because I was wearing supportive combat boots while he was wearing a lighter, more flexible shoe, but also because he was at least fifteen to twenty pounds lighter than I was. Even though I was in good shape, he made me feel like a slob as he rounded the corner and vaulted on top of a dumpster, then jumping and grabbing a fire escape ladder that was bolted to the side of the apartment building we were running behind. "Move it!" he harshly called behind him, giving me a single glance back.
I could hear the Latin Kings coming down the alley after us, and I knew they'd be carrying weapons. Scrambling up on top of the dumpster, I barely cleared the jump to the ladder, pulling with everything I had to find purchase for my boots. Finally my right foot reached the bottom rung, and I followed the masked man up and over the roof, throwing myself over just as two of our assailants turned the corner. I figured the big guy wasn't too far behind, and was most likely bringing up the rear.
"What the fuck?" One of them said, looking around. "You see anything?"
“No, you?"
"Not a fucking thing. Hey, Victor, your fat ass see anything?"
"Fuck you, Ricardo. You know I didn't see shit."
"Still, there was that thing in the alley, someone was there. That sort of shit ain't exactly common."
One of them started to look up, and I jerked my head back out of sight. "What if it was you know who?"
"For fuck's sake man, he isn't fucking Voldemort. You can say his name, bitch. You think we spooked the Snowman."
They argued for another minute before giving up and heading back to their brownstone, most likely to go inside. I turned my attention to the other man, who was crouched about fifteen feet away. In the hazy moonlight I could see the glimmer of the pistol at his side. At least it wasn't pointed at me.
"Thanks," I said. "But I was doing fine."
"You were unaware of your surroundings and had cut off your hearing to listen on that cheap mike set," the masked man admonished me derisively. "That's twice you've done something stupid and amateurish. I saw your little stunt with the 88's. You got out of that with just pure luck that none of them thought to pull a blade on you."
"You know, not everyone has the resources and training you do..... Snowman," I said, adjusting to a seated position. He had the drop on me and was already armed, there was no point in useless posturing. "I'm just trying to do what I can on a shoestring budget."
"You could have done the exact same thing from this roof if you'd used your brain," Snowman countered. "What the hell were you doing, anyway?"
I rested my forearms on my knees and sat back against the brick retaining wall of the roof. "What does it look like I'm doing? You took down Owen Lynch and the Confederation, but this town needs a lot more than just that to have a chance, and it's too big a job for one man."
"A big job, but one made more difficult by people who don't know what the fuck they're doing," Snowman countered. "I don't need your help. You’re just going to make things harder.”
He stood up and holstered his pistol, backing away. As he turned to walk to the edge of the roof, I called after him. "I'm not going to stop, you know."
"You're going to get yourself killed," he replied, turning and walking back towards me. "I may not be the guy who sneaks up on you next time."
"Some things are worth dying for," I said. "You of all people should know that if the stories about you are true."
Snowman looked at me for a moment, I wasn't sure if in exasperation or admiration, then turned and ran towards the edge of the roof. Jumping just before he reached the edge, he easily cleared his way to the building next door, jogging across and disappearing into the gloom. I waited for him to go, then made my way over to the edge of the roof that overlooked the street where the Latin Kings had been gathered. Unfortunately, they'd either gone inside or run off, leaving me with only a hint of information, and out a parabolic microphone.
Damn.
Chapter 10
Tabby