Tremble (Denazen #3)(32)
Somewhere out there was a shrink salivating to make me a field study.
Seventeen Spencer Drive was a rundown apartment complex on the edge of Burns, Connecticut. The inside reminded me of Alex’s old building. All it was missing was Ed, the drunk who sat in the corner of the entryway screaming obscenities at people as they entered, occasionally waving body parts not fit for public viewing.
We crossed the threshold and, without thinking, I passed the elevator and headed for the stairs. It’d become habit because Kale refused to step anywhere near one. But that was the old Kale. This one didn’t have the same hang-ups.
“What are you doing? Isn’t the apartment on the eighth floor?” he asked. When I turned, Kale was in front of the graffiti-covered double doors, mashing the up button.
The doors gave a sickly ding and I opened my mouth to argue, but shook off the urge, silently following him inside the thing he’d once referred to as a steel trap of death. You’d think I’d be happy. Taking the stairs everywhere was hell on my heels, but I liked Kale the way he was. Blister-inducing quirks and all.
We came to apartment number eighty, and before I could say a word, Kale pounded on the door like a mad man. There was a commotion on the other side and a rush of voices before the door opened and a puff of thick, pungent smoke preceded a mop of messy curls and stormy gray eyes.
The guy coughed and waved a hand back and forth in front of his face in a vain attempt to disperse the cloud. “Yeah?”
I took a step back and pulled a very surprised Kale with me. A contact high was the last thing an unstable ex-assassin needed right now. “Ben Simmons?”
The guy snorted, covering his mouth as a fit of giggles escaped. Oh, yeah. This would be interesting. “Ha, he wishes,” he said. “I’m Jerry Watson. His roommate.”
Kale mimicked Jerry, waving a hand back and forth to clear the air. “What is that smell?”
Jerry winked. “That’s the smell of pure nirvana, man. Want a hit?”
Kale placed a hand on either side of the doorframe and leaned closer. “If you hit me, I’ll kill you.”
Jerry’s eyes went wide and he stumbled back a few inches. I batted Kale’s arm aside. He growled in annoyance but I ignored him, flashing Jerry my sweetest smile in an attempt to get the situation under control. “Is Ben home?”
“Nope.” He focused on me and thrust his pelvis back and forth, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. “Dude went to France for the week to see some chick he was cyber-banging.”
“Very classy.” I cringed at his visual. We couldn’t get to Ben, but neither could Denazen. That was a start. “So when’s he back?”
With a wicked grin, Jerry said, “Couple days. You can come in and wait if you want. I’m sure we could find something to pass the time, baby.”
Kale reacted before I could blink. One second Jerry was shooting me looks that would have made Curd—Parkview’s most well-known player—proud, the next he was rammed against the doorframe, face mashed and distorted as Kale’s hovered inches away.
“She’s passing her time with me. Is that clear?”
“Crystal, d-dude. C-R-Y-S-T-A-L,” he stammered.
Kale eased off, wrinkling his nose and rubbing both hands down the sides of his jeans. “Now exactly what time will he return?”
Jerry peeled himself from the doorframe and stepped back across the threshold, putting a safe distance between Kale and him. “Two days from today. I’m supposed to pick him up at the airport at eight p.m.”
Without another word to Jerry—or me—Kale turned on his heel and strode back down the hall toward the elevators. I started to follow, but Jerry stopped me.
“Is Ben into something? You’re the third ones to come looking for him in the last few days.”
“Third?” Denazen must have beaten us to him, but who was the other group?
He shrugged, and I couldn’t help noticing how he lengthened the already wide distance between us, occasionally sneaking glances in Kale’s direction. “No idea who they were. The first guy was old. Like, in his forties or something.”
“He didn’t give a name?”
Jerry shook his head. “Nope. Just showed up looking for Ben.” His eyes widened and he stomped his foot twice. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small slip of paper. “Oh! But he did give me this. Said to have Ben call him and leave contact information. That this was urgent.”
I took the paper. It was a cell phone number. “This is better than nothing. You said there were two groups?”
“The second pair was younger. Twins with a kind of goth look and way freaky.”
Aubrey and Able.
“Did you tell them what you told me?”
“The old guy never gave me a chance, but I did tell the goth guys.” He inclined his head down the hall in Kale’s direction. “One of them was like him. Seriously strung out. I just wanted them gone.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t really blame him. My bet was on Able, and that guy could be scary. Flashing him a genuine smile, I added, “We’ll pick Ben up from the airport.”
With a half smile, he closed the door and I pulled out my cell. The older guy could have been something completely unrelated. Maybe Ben had a bookie. Or possibly a friend or relative his roommate didn’t know about. Just because someone showed up looking for him the same day the toxic twins did didn’t mean it had to be connected to Denazen. Right?