you might want to wash your hands. If you have any on you that’s where it is.”
“True,” Lucas said, walking into Candy’s kitchen.
“And what the hell is with pretending to lick their blood off your fingers so you can track them?” Laz asked on a chuckle. “You sounded like a damn vampire!”
Lucas started laughing. “Hey, they believed it! It helped!”
Lazarus and Lucas shared a laugh, then Lucas walked back into the living room. “I’m headed out,” he said.
“Tell everybody I’ll be in touch when I can, and won’t be long until I’m home. Just have to make sure all’s quiet on this end first.”
“I’ll tell ‘em. Call if you need,” Lucas said, gathering the wallets and cell phones. “Hey! If you send the cops dick wad number two’s phone, won’t the maps app put him at the scene of the crimes?”
Lazarus thought about it. “Yeah, but it’ll also put him here. And I don’t want them able to prove they were here that easily. I think their confessions and the details they can give will be enough.”
“Okay. I’m out then. I will give everybody your message.”
“Thank you for being here, my brother,” Lazarus said, giving Lucas that awkward back pat manly men are known for.
“It’s what I do,” Lucas said.
Lazarus watched as Lucas silently left the house and was on his way before he nudged Frederick with his boot. Getting no response, he just left him there and walked down the hallway to Candy’s bedroom. He tapped on the door. “You good?” he asked.
A moment passed before the bedroom door was opened and she stood there looking at him. “I’m okay.”
“You need to go get looked at?” he asked, reaching out and pressing his fingers gently against the bruise at her temple.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse,” she said.
“Gotta make better choices, girl,” Lazarus said.
“I know,” she admitted quietly. “My pride just gets the best of me.”
Lazarus looked at her, fully understanding letting your pride get in the way. “There may not be anybody to save your ass next time.”
“I know,” she answered, not meeting his gaze. “Thank you,” she finally offered, but still didn’t look up.
“Don’t have to thank me, just make better choices.”
Candy nodded.
“Give me a few minutes and we’ll be out of your hair. I’ll be back to clean up the blood in your living room…”
“No,” she said, interrupting him. “I got that.”
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, just go do whatever you have to. I’ll clean it all up,” Candy said.
“Okay. Take care, Candy,” Lazarus said. He turned around and walked back up the hallway toward the living room.
“Hey!” she called out from her room.
He turned to look at her.
“Am I going to see you tomorrow?” she asked.
“I ain’t going anywhere, at least not yet,” Laz answered.
Candy smiled and nodded before gently closing her bedroom door.
Lazarus went to the living room and hoisted a still unconscious Frederick over his shoulder, then went out the back door and through the back yard to the neighbor’s backyard before coming out on the street right behind the one Candy’s house sat on. He thought better of it and crossed through several more yards before deciding the area was dark enough and deserted enough to just drop Frederick where he was and leave him there to be found later. He looked up at the streetlights that were intentionally out, having been shot out by drug dealers who normally hung on the corners here, looked up and down the street and decided no one in any of these houses had security cameras of any type. He stepped off the curb and shrugged Frederick off his shoulder, dropping him right there near the edge of the street.
The man still didn’t move, so Lazarus knelt down and felt for a pulse. Sure enough, there was a pulse, Frederick was just too much of a pussy to handle the pain and likely welcomed the respite from Lucas knocking him the fuck out.
Lazarus turned and stealthily made his way up the street, just in case he was observed he didn’t want to go back to Candy’s house. He made it back to the strip shopping center at the front of the neighborhood and got on the bike he’d left between the dumpster and the building, started it up and drove away.
As dawn was breaking over the city, Lazarus was pulling the door closed on the old wooden shed. He used his key to let himself in the back door of the bar and took a minute