Mr. Lone walked over. He stopped at the edge of the bed. She could hear his breathing. And see the bulge under his robe.
“I guess you’re old enough for almost anything now, Livia. Is that it? Maybe I just haven’t appreciated that. That you’re old enough.”
“Please,” she said, and hated herself for it.
His breathing was getting louder. He reached for her hand, and placed it on the bulge.
She tried to satisfy him with just her hand. But it wasn’t enough. He made her do the other thing, too, the thing Skull Face and the others had made her do, the thing with her mouth.
She managed not to cry. But all she could think about was that Sean had wanted to kiss her. And she’d run away. Run away to this instead.
34—NOW
When the recording ended, Masnick’s face had turned so white that Livia wasn’t sure whether he was going to cry, or attack her. To help him make the right choice, she kept the Glock on him and gestured to the bench. “Why don’t you sit down, Mike?”
He shook his head. “I got nothing to say to you.”
She sighed. “Don’t you think we’re a little past that? I told you. I’m on your side.”
He glanced at the Glock. “You always point a gun at a guy when you’re on his side?”
She smiled. “Only when I’m not sure if he’s on mine.”
He hesitated, then sat, watching her, saying nothing.
She lowered the Glock a fraction. “Look, we both know what’s going on. Weed gets out in less than a week. And that’s it for you and Jenny. And ‘that’s it’ is the best case. ‘That’s it’ assumes no one ever finds out. Because if anyone were to find out? About a Hammerhead shacking up with a brother’s wife, and while the brother was in prison, no less, on a fall he took for the gang? Well, shit, we both know the Hammerhead penalty for betrayal, Mike. You guys use hammers. Starting at the feet, and working your way up. It’s not a good way to die.”
Livia could hear his breath whistling in and out of his nostrils. He looked so scared, she realized he wasn’t going to be able to think clearly. And while sometimes that was a good thing, this time, fear might be counterproductive. Because fear might prevent him from seeing that although she was threatening him, she was also his only hope.
“But here’s the good news,” she said. “I want to take Weed down.”
He blinked. That hadn’t been what he was expecting.
“Yeah, that’s right,” she went on. “I’m not interested in you. I’m not interested in Hammerhead. This is strictly between me and Weed. Give me what I need. And all your problems are solved.”
He squinted at her. “You expect me to betray a brother?”
“I expect you to protect yourself. And Jenny. What do you think Weed will do to her?”
He laughed. “Yeah, there’s just one little problem with your ‘Hey, Mike, I’m your friend, just here to solve all your problems’ bullshit.”
“What’s that?”
“The only cunt who’s threatening to make any of this bad shit happen is you.”
She nodded as though considering. In fact, she’d been ready for that reaction. She shrugged. And tossed him the Dictaphone.
He flinched—obviously, it was the Glock he’d been focused on. But he caught it smoothly enough.
“It’s yours,” she said. “I don’t have a copy.” He’d know not to believe that, but it didn’t matter, either.
He looked at the Dictaphone, then back at her. “What’s your point?”
“My point is that my little recording isn’t the only threat. If I could find out, so could someone else. And regardless, Weed is still coming home to his wife and daughter. And when he does, no matter what else happens, you and Jenny . . . that’s over.”
“Oh, and you want to help me with that.”
“I don’t want to help you with anything, any more than you want to help me. You want Weed out of your life. I want something I can use against him. That’s all this is about.”
He scratched his head and said, “Look, I’d help you if I could. But I don’t know anything. Weed’s been in prison. I mean, he’s practically clean now.”
She chuckled. “You trying to tell me Hammerhead doesn’t have something sweet and moneymaking all set up for him when he gets out? After he does sixteen years for the gang? Come on.”
There was a pause. She was pretty sure she had him. Just one more nudge.
“Mike. I know you told Jenny you’d think of something. But there’s nothing else. This is it. This is your chance. Don’t blow it.”
There was another pause, longer this time. She let the silence do its work.
He looked at her. “I give you something you can use, and that’s the end of this? No more recordings, no more threats, no more bullshit?”
“Yes.”
“I have your word on that?”