Make Me Melt(30)

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Reaching into his back pocket, he withdrew a slim length of photos, the kind you got from a coin-operated photo booth. The black-and-white pictures were of him and Eddie and another boy, Nick, taken one summer on the boardwalk. “We go way back.”

The man stepped forward and took the photos, glancing suspiciously between the pictures and Jason. Jason didn’t miss how his eyes widened when he recognized the younger version of Eddie, with hair and without his signature tattoos. His eyes narrowed as he continued examining the young boy in the photo, after a while finally acknowledging it was Jason.

He looked at his companions and gave them a curt nod. “Yo, my man, watch the car. Don’t let nothing happen to it.” Turning to Jason, he swaggered forward and handed him the photos. “Follow me.”

Jason studied him for a moment and then nodded, indicating the other man should precede him. He didn’t doubt his own abilities to protect himself, but he didn’t like the thought of anyone sneaking up behind him. Now he followed the man through an alleyway to a reinforced steel door. Inside, the building appeared as empty and dilapidated as the exterior would lead you to believe, but the freight elevator was in good working condition.

“Just take it to the top, man.”

Jason stepped into the elevator and closed the steel grate, never taking his eye off the other man, until the elevator slid smoothly upward and the guy disappeared from sight. On the top floor, Jason opened the doors and found himself in a hallway that was garishly lit. There was only one door visible, and he could see that it was partially open.

As he walked slowly toward the door, he saw the shadows of several figures at the end of the corridor and knew that Eddie’s henchmen were standing around the corner, just out of sight. He kept his hands carefully away from his own weapon and toed the door open wide enough to look inside.

“Hey, man,” a voice called from inside the apartment. “C’mon in—it’s all good.”

Jason stepped inside. Two enormous men immediately converged on him and quickly patted him down. Having expected this, Jason didn’t protest; he waited while they confiscated his two weapons and his badge. He was in a spacious loft apartment. The walls were exposed brick and beams, and the living area was richly decorated with leather furnishings and high-end stereo and electronics. However, Jason wasn’t fooled by the fancy window dressing—he knew Eddie to be a hardened criminal, and everything he owned was the result of those crimes. He might like to surround himself with expensive things, but it didn’t change who—or what—he was.

A state-of-the-art kitchen occupied one end of the apartment, and a man stood behind the counter, preparing what looked like breakfast. The two henchmen brought his guns and his badge over to the kitchen and dropped them onto the granite island. Eddie studied the badge for a moment and then gave a curt jerk of his chin toward the door. The men left, pushing past Jason without a word. He knew they would stand just outside the door, ready to intervene if Eddie gave them any indication.


Now he stood with his finger on the button of a blender, watching Jason. He wore a white sleeveless T-shirt and a pair of baggy workout pants. Tattoos covered his head, neck, shoulders and arms. Several gold chains hung around his neck, and two chunky rings flashed on his right hand.

For an instant, Jason could actually feel his own tattoos burning into his skin. His grandmother had been so disappointed when she’d first seen them, Jason had felt some remorse. But back then, impressing Eddie had been more important than making his grandmother proud of him.

“Nice place you have here,” Jason commented, glancing around the apartment.

“Yeah, thanks.” Eddie shrugged. “The rent is cheap, and I kinda like the neighborhood.” He paused. “So what brings a U.S. marshal out here? Alone?” He gestured around him with one hand. “This place has been searched at least a dozen times in the last year, and it’s clean. You won’t find anything illegal here, Marshal. I’m an upstanding citizen of San Francisco.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you are,” Jason drawled. Walking over to where Eddie stood, he withdrew a photo of Judge Banks and tossed it onto the counter. “I don’t suppose you recognize this man?”

Eddie’s gaze flicked from Jason to the photo; then he picked it up to study it more closely. “This is that judge that got shot, right?” He flicked the photo back onto the counter. “Wish I could say I’m sorry, but I got two men on death row because of that f*cker. Is the judge dead?”

Jason ignored the question. “What do you know about the shooting?”

Eddie’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Why would I know anything about it? Are you suggesting I had something to do with it?” He snorted. “If you knew anything about me, you’d know that ain’t how I operate.”

Jason leaned over the counter and put his hand over the judge’s photo, sliding it back. “I know exactly how you operate, Eddie. I was your first recruit.”

“Do I know you?” He stared at Jason for a moment, his eyes narrowing, before he gave a bark of astonished laughter. “Jesus Christ! Is that you, Cooper?”

In an instant, his entire demeanor changed. He came around the counter, his hands stretched out. “Jesus, man, you just vanished from the face of the f*cking earth, and now here you are, all dressed up like a f*cking cop. How you been, man?”