Pike (The Pawn Duet #1) - T.M. Frazier Page 0,43

she knows, and I want to fuck her more than I want to breathe.

I tell Gutter neither of those things. Although from the amused look on his face, he already knows.

Gutter scratches his whiskers. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think she’s telling the truth.” He retrieves two more beers and passes one to me. “What she told me, anyway. But I can sense that her intentions aren’t in line with the intentions of whoever she’s working for. That girl has got her own agenda, so you may want to find out what that is if you have any hope of cracking her.”

Gutter’s right. If she has reasons of her own behind her actions, then I can use those reasons to get her to give me the information I need.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “You was hoping she was lying to you?”

“I was hoping you would tell me to take a knife to her flesh, or remove her fingernails, and she’d tell me everything.” I press the cold bottle to my forehead to alleviate the budding headache threatening to burst through my skull.

“Nope. She’s what I would call a resistor. Her will is too strong for any of the usual antics. Like I said, find out her truth, and you’ll find out the truth.” Gutter leans his elbows on his thighs. “I’ll tell you one thing: You can’t keep the girl locked up. That ain’t going to help shit. Not with a girl like that. If anything, it will make her more determined to keep her mouth shut.”

“Why is that?” I press.

“Simple. If she hates you, she ain’t gonna open up to you. You’ve got to gain her trust. Get her to make the decision on her own. Let her know that her world ain’t gonna implode if she unburdens herself by telling you her secrets.”

I blow out a breath and crack my neck. “I don’t think I’ve got that kind of time. Or if it’s possible at this point.” I think back to what I’ve subjected her to and don’t see how she’s going to trust me after that or how she won’t see right through the act.

Gutter smiles. “She’s smart. She ain’t gonna fall for your tactics because she’ll know they’re tactics. I’ve told her about your kindness, and I’ve opened up the door. You’ve just gotta suck up your pride and walk through it. Be as real as you can. It’s not hard to be kind to her. She’s a good soul. Reminds me of my Atty.” Gutter looks to the sky with a sad smile.

“You sure a knife to her flesh won’t work?” I groan.

“Is a ten-pound rabbit a big rabbit?” he counters.

I don’t know much about rabbits and have no idea if a ten-pound rabbit is, in fact, a big rabbit. “I sure as shit hope so.”

“You got feelings for this girl or something?” he suddenly asks.

I laugh. “I got feelings for her all right. None of them good.” I stand and toss an empty beer bottle into the bucket that doubles as a trash can. I head to the door to retrieve Mickey.

“Pike,” Gutter calls out.

I glance over my shoulder. Gutter stands and places his thumbs under his suspenders again, rocking back on the heels of his plastic boots. “What happens to the girl after you find out the truth?”

“That depends on what the truth is.”

Gutter frowns. His voice is calm if not slightly sad. “Be careful, Pike. They say the truth hurts for a fucking reason.”

That is something I already know all too well.

Pushing open the doors, I glance around the houseboat. What I find makes my anger flare and a roar tear from my throat.

Because what I find is nothing.

Mickey’s gone.

Chapter Sixteen

Mickey

Inside Gutter’s houseboat is one single room surrounded by accordion metal walls. The kitchen consists of a rusted utility sink, a portable electric burner set on top of a crate, and the cooler he told me I’d find inside. A cot sits in the corner, with mesh netting hanging from the ceiling above.

I’m suddenly too aware of being alone although Gutter and Pike are talking only a few feet away. It feels wrong as it often does, especially since growing up with three sisters I was very rarely alone. The past five days have been a lesson in being alone as well as a test of how much I can…wait.

Any captive held longer than a period of one week must be either killed when the clock strikes midnight on the