The Man Who Crossed Worlds (Miles Franco #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

As promised, Desmond was waiting for me when I pulled up at his apartment around 5:30. He was wearing a trench coat over a T-shirt, with a bag slung over his shoulder. Rob stood beside him, holding an umbrella over their heads. I pulled the car to a stop and Desmond opened the back door, tossed the bag in, then got into the passenger seat.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked. “Is it a shotgun? Please tell me it’s a shotgun.”

“It’s not a shotgun. Besides, you hate guns.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s just a bunch of stuff I thought might be useful. A couple bottles of Kemia, a few Pin Holes, a can of mace, my old knuckleduster.”

“You’ve still got that thing? How have the cops not taken it off your hands?”

“I’m more careful than you.”

I had to concede that. At least it looked like he was taking this thing seriously. I didn’t expect O’Neil to go down quietly. Hell, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea having Desmond at my back after all. I just didn’t think my conscience could take it if he caught a bullet.

Rob bent down and leaned against the open window. “You know where you’re going?”

Desmond nodded and patted his coat pocket. “Thanks.”

The concern in Rob’s eyes was as plain as day. He gave Desmond a peck on the cheek, probably refraining from more for my benefit, and muttered something in his ear. Trying to be polite, I pretended I found the steering wheel intensely interesting until they were finished. There was something strained in the way they spoke. Maybe they’d been arguing. I guess Rob would see this as me dragging Desmond back into the old days of danger, and to be fair, I saw it that way myself. I tapped on the steering wheel, trying to swallow my impatience. I wanted to get this done before the whole city was leveled.

Thankfully, they cut their conversation short before I was forced to make an ass of myself. Rob took a step back and raised a hand at me. “Don’t keep him out too late, Miles.”

“Sure thing, Mrs. S. Any chance I can convince you to do another favor for me?”

Rob sighed and made a face, but he nodded. “What do you need?”

“The girl, Tania Phillips. Can you check the hospital records and see if she’s okay?”

“All right.” He gave me a hard look, then returned his attention to Desmond. “Don’t get killed.”

“See you in a few hours,” Desmond said with smile. I gave the two of them one last chance to say their good-byes, then I started the car and pulled back out onto the road.

“So where we headed?” I asked.

“Nearest we can pinpoint it’s a low-rise office building out west, not far from the Bore.”

“Gallow family territory? The hell’s she doing out there?”

Desmond shrugged. “Gang violence hasn’t spread that far yet. Maybe she’s going to wait it out there for a while. Gives her a getaway if she needs it.”

“And if she’s already gone to Heaven to hide out?”

“It’s a possibility, but I got a feeling this Detective Todd of yours will want her round. She’s one of the better Tunnelers in the city.”

That she was. She had a bit of a reputation in Tunneler circles, she was the one you went to if you had a tough job with tough people. I wondered why she’d thrown in her chips with Todd. Was he promising her cash? He’d have plenty of that if he got his way. Or did she buy into his psycho talk, thinking they could bring Bluegate peace through violence?