Pawn (The Pawn Duet #2) - T.M. Frazier Page 0,2
balling my fists and clenching my jaw with rage. How can they speak so casually about the life of my sister as if she was nothing more than a rodent?
Percy widens his stance and takes a deep drag of his cigarette, flicking the ashes too close to the cage. “I’ve been locked up for a while, so forgive me ‘cause I’m not really seeing the value in this.”
Darius pats his shoulders, then removes his hands, taking a step back. “You can thank me later when you understand. Trust me, there will come a time when you’ll need to utilize her. There always is.”
Percy looks down at the cage, then back up to Darius. “So, you want me to keep her in a cage until such a time arises?” He sniffs the air. “The smell of piss and shit is burning my fucking eyes.”
Darius slaps him on the back of the head. “No, moron. I would assume that your wife would not want to keep her in the fucking cage. Clean her up before you give her to Mickey. I don’t think she’d be too happy to see her in this pathetic state.”
“What if she’s not healthy? Mickey’s not gonna be happy if she dies seconds after I let her out of the cage,” Percy muses. “And she ain’t looking so good.”
“Do I have to do all of your thinking for you, too?” Darius sighs. “Have her looked at. If she’s not up to making your wife happy, take her to an open field and put a bullet in her fucking head. Mickey will never know you even had her to begin with.” His heavy footsteps echo as does the slam of the door to the warehouse as it closes behind him.
“Thanks for fucking nothing, Pops,” Percy mutters, leaning on the cage and peering inside. My sister’s leg twitches against the bars.
Percy jumps back and wipes his palms together. He inspects her again and finds that she’s sleeping. He sighs and takes another drag off his cigarette.
He removes his phone from his pocket and presses a few buttons, walking to the far corner of the warehouse where I can’t make out who he’s talking to, nevermind what he’s saying.
It doesn’t matter. There’s no time to decipher his call. What I need right now is a weapon.
Cold concrete chills my skin as I crawl to the other side of the warehouse. Mindy opens her eyes as I pass the cage. I press my finger over my lips. I know she understands what I’m telling her because she closes her eyes again, continuing to fake sleep. Above me is a tower of shelving reaching all the way to the ceiling. Without standing up and drawing attention to myself, I carefully feel around the first dusty shelf until I finally wrap my hand around something I know I can use.
Gingerly, I lift the crowbar from the shelf and tuck it against my chest, crawling back across the warehouse as fast as I can, but it’s hard without using the hand clutching my newfound weapon. My thigh pulses and stings as my self-inflicted bullet wound tears open. I grit my teeth against the pain. Warm, fresh blood drenches the bandage wrapped around my leg.
I manage to tuck myself back behind the kegs just as Percy reappears, shoving his phone into his back pocket.
My breathing is shallow and quiet as I wait for the perfect moment. He squats down to again peer at my sister.
It’s now or never.
Rising to my feet, I lift the crowbar in the air just as the door flies open and I’m forced to drop back down.
“What the fuck you need, P?” asks a masculine voice I recognize as Hoppy, Percy’s friend and one of the higher-ranking members of the Reich.
“You know anything about this?” Percy asks, waving his hand to the cage.
Hoppy smiles. “Sure did,” he answers proudly. “What do you want me to do with her?”
“Well, since she’s a gift, I guess I gotta fix the fucking packaging,” Percy replies. “Move her out of this hot-ass warehouse and call Knox. Tell him to bring his medical kit and ask him to look her over and see what needs fixin’. I’ll have Mary bring her some food and water.”
Hoppy eyes him suspiciously. “P?” he asks, as if he somehow misunderstood his orders. I can’t pretend that I’m not disappointed by not getting to kill Percy today, but I also can’t deny the relief I feel that Mindy will be treated properly,