Page 38 of Broken
“This is too risky. If they spot us, we’ll be in trouble.”
“When dida little bit of trouble worry you?” He glanced at me. “And we’re perfectly safe here. If they spot us, we can get downstairs and out the back exit before they reach this building.”
I peered over the wall, but the guards were still calmly standing there, and the one that had been looking our way was now focusing on the other end of the street, which hopefully meant that he hadn’t seen us.
Minutes trickled by, and I was tapping my foot against the ground, glancing behind us to make sure no one surprised us, but there wasn’t anyone around. For now. Just when I wanted to tell Theo that we’d been here long enough and that we should get going, the door of the restaurant opened and the guards moved forward. Two men came out, and the guards surrounded them immediately.
“Is thatJerome? And Walter?” I wondered if I was seeing things or if the two of them were really here, right in front of us.
Theo’s jaw tightened. “Yeah, it’s them, but I can’t hit them from here.”
What were the two of them doing here? What if they were negotiating with someone else to help them take Theo and me down, and maybe even the Cobras? Jerome and his guards made their way toward the car,and Jerome got inside, but Walter remained. The car headed down the street, and Walter strode into the crowd. Theo and I looked at each other.
“I’m going after him,” he said. “This is our opportunity.”
“But what if it’s a trap? What if someone actually did see us? Why would he just walk away like that?” He was in the crowd and it would be hard to get him, but it was still a bit weird,or maybe by now I was expecting everything to be a trap.
“The Spiders’ area is nearby. It would be easier for him to get there on foot than by car or a bike that can be tailed.” Theo raced for the door, and I followed him.
“I’m coming with you,” I said as we stormed downstairs, and I was a little dizzy once we reached the bottom. “Why would he be going to the Spiders’ area? Does he havesome business with them? He just met with their leader.”
“Jerome might have sent him to deliver a message or they came up with some plan that Walter wants to explain to the others in person. If he needs some of the Spiders to go with him, then he’ll want to meet them first.”
We emerged onto the street and rushed through the crowd so we could see where Walter was going, and I hoped ourbaseball caps shielded us from curious glances.
“I think I know where he’s going,” Theo said, and I was glad he’d caught sight of Walter, because I couldn’t see him anywhere. But then, Theo knew Walter and had worked with him for years, so he could spot him easier, even among people. “Over there!”
We raced around the corner, and I realized Walter must’ve gone to one of the alleys. “He’llsee us if we go after him.” Only a few people were going in that direction.
“Follow me.” Theo started in the opposite direction, and I supposed he knew a shortcut. After running through alleys and weaving between parked cars and buildings, we ended up behind an abandoned building in the Spiders’ area.
No one was around, which was good, but I thought that by now we’d lost Walter. It hadn’tbeen easy to get here, and he hadn’t had to take a detour, so he could’ve finished whatever he needed to do or had disappeared in one of the buildings. Hell, maybe he even had a car somewhere around here.
“Be careful where you step,” Theo said before he removed two loose planks that covered the entrance. “I’d tell you to stay somewhere safe, but there’s no such place around here.”
“Haveyou been here before?” I eyed him carefully.
“Yeah, but I was alone.”
“How old is this building? Are you sure it’s not going to collapse?” The walls looked as if they were going to crumble or fall at any moment. The glass on the windows was long gone, and grass and even a small tree were protruding from one of the holes in the wall. Trash and broken bottles were everywhere around, andgraffiti covered most of the dilapidated walls.
“Let’s hope it won’t.” His lips spread into a smile, his eyes glinting with excitement, and I realized he was in his hunter mode. Walter was now his target, and Theo was enjoying the hell out of the chase. And if Walter actually didn’t know that we were coming, then yeah, I could see how this was thrilling.
Theo went inside and I followedhim, carefully stepping over the rubble. We headed toward the stairs that led to the second floor, which was also the top floor. There was a huge hole where one of the steps was supposed to be, and I held my breath as I hopped over it.
We ended up in a long hallway that stunk of mold and dampness, and once we reached the end of it, we found ourselves in front of a large window. This one stillhad partially broken glass, but when we peeked through it, I almost gasped when I saw the Spiders patrolling the alley.
I hid behind the wall. “They’re guarding something,” I whispered.
“It’s where they meet. If we’re lucky, Walter will be here. All we have to do is wait.” He got hold of his gun and pulled it out of the holster.
I met his gaze. “Wait, are you planning to take outWalter? Here? With all the Spiders around?”
“There’s only four of them. You and I can take care of them. But if you’re afraid, then tell me, and we’ll abort the mission and go meet with your friends instead.”
I debated what to do, but when I glanced at the Spiders again, I realized I’d made my decision. “We’re staying,” I said, my hand resting over my gun.
Chapter 22