No Quit

Chapter 23

Ted crawled onto his bed and placed the towel full of ice on his knee and checked the time. Toni should be off work now, he figured, and picked up the phone to call; this brother business had upset him.

"Hi there, Edward. How's tricks?"

Something isn't right here. "Is Toni there?"

"Don't you mean, An-toi-nette, Edward?"

"Listen, pal, I want to speak to Toni—now."

"Toni's a little busy right now, Edward but she asked me to tell you to say hello to Gabe."

Ted lurched on the bed and nearly dropped the phone. Gabe! What the hell does this guy know about Gabe? "Who the hell are you, pal? You sure aren't any big brother."

"I am a big brother... pal... Gabe's big brother. He called me and asked me to look into anybody you might be close to and guess what? Ta-da! Toni!"

Ted felt sick and the phone became slippery in his hand. His head pulsed like a drumbeat and his mouth turned to dust. Gabe's brother! How could he have done this? When? He shook his head and he heard the voice on the phone chuckling. Get it together, Wagner; how and when don't matter and for God's sake don't tell him Gabe's dead. He put his hand over the mouthpiece and took several deep breaths.

"What do you want?"

"Me? Nuthin'. I got what I want... right here. Ain't that right, An-toi-nette?"

Ted tensed as he heard a sound of pain and then Toni's voice whispering a hurt, yes.

"You bastard, you hurt her and I'll—"

"Be one sorry son-of-a-bitch is what you'll be, Edward. Bye now." The connection ended and Ted wailed a loud, no, into the small hotel room.

He tossed the ice towel aside and hobbled to his feet, grabbing all the things he had and stuffing them in his pack and then limping from the room and down to the elevator. The desk clerk/manager frowned haughtily as he hurried to the counter, calling for his bill.

"We have a procedure, Mr. Wagner, we don't just grab your money and say thanks."

Ted reached across and twisted a handful of the man's shirt in his fist and yanked his face mere inches from his own. "I have a procedure too, pal, and it goes like this; tell me how much I owe right now or send me a bill—or get Kath to comp me."

"You- you're hurt—"

Ted shoved him back angrily. "Fine, asshole. Send me a bill." He turned and hobbled quickly to the door and out to the parking area. The two-hour drive from Hammond back to Paris Flats took seventy minutes and the Corrola gave everything it had to his manic demands. Cell phones were buzzing at the switchboards of the police about the lunatic racing on the highway and calls were made to roving cars and to the Paris Flats station to intercept and detain this road warrior.

When the detective squad in Hammond heard the announcement, as a matter of course, they connected the rental car license to Edward Wagner and two of them grabbed a car and headed to Paris Flats.

Ted ran the car up onto the lot in front of a small convenience store and left it as he ran, limping up the street to Toni's apartment. He grabbed the handle of the front door but realized it was secure and he needed to be buzzed inside. He swore and started shoving various buttons and calling, delivery, until the door clicked and he was inside. There was always somebody who was careless. He made his way up to her floor and then crept down the hall to her apartment. He had absolutely no idea of what to do but he knew he was going to do something, so he knocked hard and stepped away from the peephole.

?

Jake lay on the bed, drinking from a can of beer and laughing at the daytime TV game show. He reached down and scratched at his boxer shorts and burped noisily. The program went to commercial and he lifted his gun and aimed it at Toni who was sitting crouched on a hard kitchen chair against the wall.

"Another beer, honey." He tossed his empty can on the rug beside the bed. "And no tricks, this cannon can blow a hole right through that wall."

She got up and went to the kitchen, returning immediately with the drink. Jake stared at her and waited until she approached the bed and handed it to him. He grabbed her wrist and she cried out.

"No noise." The gun came up and rested against her thigh. "How about a kiss for old Jake? I've been nice to you haven't I?" He squeezed her wrist and she winced, nodding her answer. "Good. Then a kiss and then you can go and sit down again." He pulled her arm, forcing her to bend down and then leaned up and pressed his mouth against hers. "Hey, I said for you to kiss me, sweetheart." He pulled again and this time moved the barrel of the gun between her legs. Toni squeezed her eyes shut and kissed him, her whole body trembling in fear and revulsion.

"That's better" He managed a feel of her breast before releasing her and sending her back to the chair. The program resumed and then came the sharp knock on the apartment door. Jake dropped the beer and picked up the gun again.

"Get out there and take a peek and see who it isand not a sound." He sat up and leveled the gun at her.