"What's up, Habanero?"
"The lurker made another pass-by of the apartment. Rafael tagged the guy and shadowed him for only a few blocks before being made. This guy was a pro to pick out a car following him in so much traffic. He still panicked and took off through an intersection trying to ditch Rafael. Now he has the cops on his ass. The local stations are covering the chase."
I change the TV station from relaxing music to a news station. I see a helicopter view of a black Mercedes two car lengths from a line of perusing cops. Darla glances at the TV, but quickly loses interest and returns to her puzzle.
Studying her relaxed expression, I need to make things right for Darla. Kill whoever needs killing. Burn the world down to give her a rebirth. She can't understand why I'd want her while I don't understand why I shouldn't.
"What do you need me to do?" I ask Minka.
"You can switch off and join us at home base or play house with the client."
As much as I itch to get downtown and see what happens if this guy is caught, Darla needs me to stay with her. No one else will do. This fact gives me a sense of pride and possession. Darla exists in a world where only a very few people own a key. I'm one of them, and I'm not leaving.
"I'm staying here. I'll follow the news, and you can keep me informed if you ID the guy. Locke is finding these people somewhere."
"Saskia found the beauty supply chat room where Zivkovic and Locke connected. It's gone silent since Zivkovic was capped. We're looking to contact a few people who work the circles Locke might go for help. If he does, they'll tip us, and we can track down Locke."
I feel Darla's gaze on me. She hides behind messy hair as soon as I look at her.
"I need to go, but keep me updated," I say, hanging up.
Darla isn't even pretending to work on her puzzle. She's heard Locke's name and is rummaging around in her head full of bad memories.
"This guy was scoping out the apartment," I explain, pointing to the TV where the car barely dodges a van while speeding on a highway. "When he spotted one of our guys following him, he did this shit. The cops will handle him now. Once he's in custody or dead, we'll get his ID and track down his info. Locke tightens the noose around his neck every time he sends one of these fuckers."
Darla stares at me, and I try to piece together what her expression might mean. Taking a stab in the dark, I sit on the arm of the couch and sigh.
"I've met evil people in my life. Not bad people but truly evil people. Bad people can change. They can find God or fall in love or get hurt and have an awakening. They can change, even if they'll never wash away the blood on their hands. Men like Locke aren't bad, though. He's evil. His entire world looks different from the world we see. His excuses make sense to him in a way they'll never make sense to us."
Darla crosses her arms, thinking of the man who stole her physically and still holds her mentally.
"Locke needs to be destroyed much like we put down rabid dogs. He can't control himself. He breathes and bleeds evil. It's all he can do. The only way to protect the world is to end him. Now because you ran and he's on our radar, Locke will be destroyed. Had you stayed, he would have ruined lives in a million little ways you never knew about."
"I'm a big hero."
"I sense sarcasm in your comment."
Darla frowns, sulking even. I tap her knee with my foot.
"I'm not a shrink, and I don't talk about feelings. I do know life isn't fair and thinking otherwise is childish. We all need to grow up and realize evil exists, bad things happen, and good people get fucked. Once you accept these facts, you can face evil and beat it back. Otherwise, you're living in a fantasy."
"Fantasies aren't so bad."
"No, they aren't," I murmur, thinking about my fantasies about this sexy lost woman sitting a foot from me.
Darla nods as if she buys into my words, but I feel her struggling again. Setting aside her puzzle, she watches a man on TV endangering lives after he took a job to end hers. He hadn't planned to kill her, but returning her to Locke would lead to a similarly horrible outcome.
17
~~~
Darla
Who Am I?
The car chase lasts for nearly thirty minutes before the driver is pinned between traffic and the police. He tries to flee on foot, even with dozens of cops on the scene and helicopters flying over. When he can't escape, bullets fly.
Along with everyone else, I watch this man die live on TV. I wonder if Locke is watching too. Does he know another one of his hired goons is heading to the morgue?
What should make me happy instead sends me into a panic. I'm trapped in this apartment, waiting for the next killer to make his move. Troy, Minka, and the others might die while trying to protect me. My sister lives in fear because of me. Once again, I wonder if running from Mister Pain was the most selfish act I ever committed.
The urge to cry rises in me. I stand up from the floor, but Troy blocks my escape.