Page 64 of Shadowman

I’m dozing on the cot I call my bed, in this shabby hostel of sorts where I’ve been crashing. Sweat lines my bare flesh, from the heat of summer and the amorous activities between myself and a lovely young lady namedMoon.

At least I think that’s her name… I’ve been sky-high since the moment I touched down at Suvarnabhumi, so I wouldn’t be the best person to ask for confirmation of anything right about now.

I’m not positive where she even came from. She sort of just appeared out in the hall the other day, and we decided to get high together. Naturally, one thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, we’d been fucking for almost a full day, in more positions than my drug-fueled libido could even stand. And now, I’m sticky and sore, melting into the bed with humidity and hours of sex lingering in the air.

Coming in and out of consciousness, I register her saying something I don’t understand in Thai, slinking out of bed and leaving. I’m almost certain she robbed me, but honestly, it’s to be expected. Plus, the way she made me come was more than worth a fewbahtand the last hit ofpanda.

Footsteps that sound clunkier than hers approach my bed, but I’m too fucked up to be concerned or evenlook. I simply flop over onto my stomach and wait for whatever is about to happen to me.

Unfortunately, it’s something I don’t expect. Which is saying a lot.

“You Trevel Fenwick?” someone asks. A man. Older, with what sounds like some sort of Eastern European accent.

“My name is Tippy McMasters.” I chuckle into my pillow. “Now please, either make a deposit or leave me to rot in peace.”

The room is quiet for a moment, and I think maybe I was hallucinating the voice. Until I feel a large, meaty hand on my face.

The stranger grabs my chin, hard, yanking it in his direction. I grunt out of displeasure, blinking back grogginess to peek up at him.

“Uh… hi,” I grumble while he looks over my face, assessing me. He’s not ugly, so I add a sighed, “Daddy.” His eyes sharpen, and his hand drifts down to my throat. “Ooh,kinky,” I snicker, then lick my lip. “I should warn you, you’re getting, like, sloppy fifths at this point.”

The man scoffs, then hauls me to my feet, literally by the throat.If I could feel anything, I’m sure that would have hurt.

“Get dressed,” he grunts. “You’re coming with me.”

“Hey, I told you I’d pay the rest later,” I slur, yanking out of his hold. “We made adeal, remember?” I cock an eyebrow, because while I don’t recognize him, it’s safe to assume he could be here on behalf of the shady people I’ve been associating with since I got here.

But he just continues to offer me a bored glare. “I’m not here for money, and I don’t care what you’ve gotten yourself into. Like I said, you’re coming with me.”

Alright, now I’m confused.

The situation has sobered me up just enough to take in the stranger standing before me. A big, sort of burly white guy, likely in his mid-to-late forties with light blond hair shaved close to his scalp. He’s wearing all black, including black leather gloves, glancing at his phone screen in between watching me, rather closely.

Yawning, I rub my eyes. “Yea, I’m not going anywhere. Sorry, mate. Who even are you?”

The man sighs, clearly irritated by my fluttering around naked, defying him and asking questions as opposed to just doing what he says. He tucks his phone away, then reaches behind his back to pull out a pistol, aiming it at my head.

An uneasy laugh puffs from my lips. “Fuckin’ hell…Really?”

“No games, Trevel,” he snaps in a deep, commanding brogue. “The only reason you’re not bound and gagged right now is because you coming along willingly makes the flight much easier. But if you’d rather opt to do this the hard way, just know… My only instruction was to bring you inalive. They never specified in what condition.”

Even more unease awakens inside me, sending a chill up my spine. I peek left at Leo, who shrugs from where he’s seated at the rickety kitchen table, flicking away a cockroach.

The utter seriousness of this man, who is clearly not from around here… The gun aimed at my face… His words. It’s all turning my stomach.

Flight?

Bring me in…?

They??

I feel myself pale in an instant, nausea from weeks of heavy drug use and not much food or water mixing fast with my nerves. Turning, I hunch over and throw up on the floor next to him.

“Jesus Christ…” the man mutters, frowning.

Pulling in a breath, I straighten, dizzy with my head spinning. “That’s better. Now, where were we? Oh, right…Whoare you?? And what do you want with me?”

“I’m the man who was sent here to fetch you.” He speaks evenly, no emotion in his tone or visible on his face. “Now, hurry up and get dressed. Trust me, you don’t want me to do it.”