Binding the Shadows (Arcadia Bell #3)(56)

“How—”

“Where are we going?” Lon said irritably.

Hajo leaned back in his seat, half amused at Lon’s impatience. “Hold on. I’m watching for someone.”

I swiveled my head to study the parking lot. “Who?”

“Someone was following me. That’s why I was late.” He craned his neck and spoke to Lon. “Can you move up there so we can see Gilman Avenue? Not too far. The brick wall will hide us.”

Lon pulled the SUV to the exit and we anxiously surveyed the street that ran behind the pub.

“Who’d be following you, Hajo?” I thought of the dark sedan and my elusive shadowy follower. My pulse sped up.

“Don’t know. I noticed a black car when I was coming out of my parking garage. Stayed so far behind, I couldn’t identify a make or model, but it tailed my bike when I made some weird turns. I’m overly paranoid, which I’m sure will come as no surprise to you—”

“Doesn’t,” Lon said, tossing him a bland look in the rearview.

“But it does mean that I’m good at spotting tails and losing them. Pretty sure I shook him a couple of miles back, but it never hurts to be cautious.”

“Why would someone be tailing you?” Lon asked.

Hajo shrugged. “Plenty of reasons, but nothing in particular jumps to mind.”

Hazy images from my scuffle in Hajo’s parking garage elevator filled my head. “What about that guy Darren? Think he could be wanting the bionic elixir?”

“No way he made bail,” Hajo said. “Couldn’t be him.”

“Bail?”

Hajo looked at Lon. “You didn’t tell her?”

Lon sighed.

“Tell me what?”

“We took care of that shit,” Hajo said proudly. “It was Lon’s idea—I just executed it. Happy to do so. I told you, I’ve hated that trust funder for a long time now.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lon flicked his cigarette out the window. “I asked Hajo to frame him. Seemed better than beating him to a pulp and going to jail myself.”

“I had a buddy who owed me a favor,” Hajo explained. “He sold a little sømna to Darren. Just enough to get him slapped with ten years in prison. Smoked up with him then left and called the cops. It’s pretty f*cking scary how easy it was.”

I stared at Hajo, who was smirking . . . then Lon, who looked either guilty or defiant—it was hard to tell with him. “Were you going to tell me this at some point?” I asked Lon.

“Figured I’d eventually get around to it.” The way he looked at me was loaded. As if he was remembering how long it took me to spill the beans about Dare blackmailing me. Or maybe that was just my guilt talking.

“Come on, Bell. You wanted to just let Darren walk free after he manhandled you?” Hajo said, throwing one arm across the back of his seat and crossing one leg loosely over his knee. His leather jacket made a scrunching noise as he lazily slouched. “Fuck that. If he wanted the bionic elixir so badly that he’d attack you, then what would he do to get it from me? I gotta protect my own interests.”

“So you did all this for you?” I said.

“For me . . . for you.” Hajo waved his hand dismissively. “Either way, Lon was a hundred percent right. Darren deserved worse than the spanking you gave him.”

Lon gave me a tight smile. “Sometimes you do stupid things for people you care about.”

It was a dirty thing to do, framing Darren. But I wasn’t going to lose sleep over it. I leaned over the armrest and pecked Lon’s cheek. He cupped my jaw and pulled me back for a firmer kiss on the lips.

“This is arousing,” Hajo said behind us. “Don’t mind me. I can entertain myself while you two go at it.”

“I would punch him, but now I owe him,” Lon mumbled against my lips.

“Welcome to my world,” I mumbled back as he released me.

“It’s the secret to my success,” Hajo said with a boastful grin that was far too handsome for his grating personality. “Everyone always owes me.”

“Thank you,” I told Hajo. “I mean it.”

He looked away, as if embarrassed. Not an emotion I was used to seeing on him, but it didn’t last long. “So, anyway, this bionic elixir of yours. After I started asking around, I found everyone wanted it, but no one knew who was selling. No word of the Telly kid. But today I had a bunch of people call me at once with a name: Tabor. I talked to him briefly. Claims he’s the only one in town holding. He wouldn’t go into detail, but I figured we might be able to get more information out of him in person. So I told him I’m bringing in two people who want to buy.”

“Us?” I said. “You’re brokering a drug deal for us?”

“Don’t act so high and mighty. You don’t have to buy it, but you’re definitely going to want to shell out some cash if you want him to question him about that telekinetic kid of yours. Money talks.”

“I’ve got fifteen dollars in ones,” I said. “How much information will that get me?”

Lon glanced at Hajo in the rearview mirror. “It’s fine. I’ve got cash.”

“See, Daddy will pay.” Hajo waved toward the street. “Looks like I shook the guy following me, so can we get moving? Because the sooner we go talk to my guy, the sooner you get the information you want. And the sooner I get a date with the delicious Kar Yee Tsang. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”