Knight In Black Leather by Gail Dayton (ebook reader ink .txt) 📕

"Later." Joey was his only ally in Marilyn's family, and Eli needed him right now. The minute Joey knew just what kind of trouble Eli had dragged Marilyn into, he'd beat hell out of him. He deserved it. But not now. Not till they found her. Not till they found Pete.

"I'm good." Eli wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pushed into the bar.

"Yeah." Joey came in right behind him. "I'm worried too."

It took some serious cruising and a lot of code words to identify Flash's clientele. Even then, Eli couldn't get anything solid. They were too suspicious of anyone they didn't know.

Jackson came in, creating a bubble of space around himself where he sat at the bar. A blond in drag worked up the nerve to approach, but quickly wilted when Jackson turned his piercing stare on him. He just sat there and drank his club soda.

Finally, after rescuing Joey from his fourth proposition, Eli decided he'd have to take a different tack. He left the bar, Joey in tow, hoping Jackson wouldn't be too obvious about following them out. He sent Joey back to the car and waited down the street, near the alley where he'd been attacked all those weeks before.

The cold had him hoping Pete and Marilyn were someplace warm, maybe even still in her car. It was almost April, but nights still hovered right around freezing. They were together. Surely they'd be warm enough. Eli blew on his hands and watched the door of the bar.

Jackson came out and joined Joey in the car. After a brief conversation, he slumped down in the back seat, like he was taking a nap. Good. If the cops weren't watching, that gave Eli a few more options for his plan of attack.

His feet were about frozen off and the tip of his nose was beyond numb when he saw what he was waiting for. One of Flash's customers coming out of the bar alone. Coming this way.

Eli faded back into the shadows at the mouth of the alley. The footsteps came on, strong and steady. Must not have had too much to drink. It would make the guy more alert, tougher to handle, but Eli had righteous anger on his side. Nothing would keep him from finding his son.

The man reached the alley and Eli struck, grabbing him by the coat and swinging him around to slam against the brick wall. Headlights from a passing car illuminated the man's face, and Eli's stomach twisted. His rage flared higher. Here in the dark, away from the colored lights and neon inside Nicky's, he recognized the man. He'd known him. Years ago. Known him far better than he'd ever wanted.

"Hello, Mr. Masters," he said, his voice quiet, rough-edged. "Remember me?" And he slammed the man against the bricks again, banging his head. Eli doubted Masters was his real name. He'd have been stupid to use it. But that was how Eli knew him.

The man struggled to get free and Eli drove his fingers into his throat, using one of the self-defense techniques he'd learned long after he needed them.

Masters went still. "What d'you want?"

"I'd love to take a lot of history out of your hide," Eli hissed. "But I'll leave that to the cops. I want my son."

"Son?" Masters' eyes had gone wide at mention of the cops. "I don't have him."

"You and I both know just how close you were to Fat Fred." Eli had to force the hand at Masters' throat to relax after it tightened convulsively at the man's pretend innocence. Maybe he didn't have Pete, but he sure as hell wasn't innocent. "And Dwayne Gardner took over after his daddy died. So I figure you know how he operates. Where he hides his kids. And you're going to tell me where every one of those places are."

"Why should I?" Masters trembled through his show of bravado.

Eli's hand twitched again. This time, it took longer to force it open. "You really don't want to ask me that question, you fucking son of a bitch. I'm not fifteen any more. I haven't been fifteen for a very long time. But I remember everything."

He yanked Masters deeper into the alley where light beside the bar's back door would fall on his own face, and he jerked the man upright. Using his grip on Masters' throat, Eli forced his head up. "Recognize me now, fucker? Think ten years back."

The man's pasty face went even more pale. "Little Eli?"

Eli showed his teeth. "Some of us do grow up. I was you, I'd want to go to the cops. They don't owe you what I do."

"Wh-what do--?" Masters sagged, almost choking himself.

"I told you. I want my son. I want to know every place Flash Gardner has used or thought about using for the past six years. You give me what I want, and I'll let the cops have you."

"N-no, please." He clutched at Eli's wrist, using it to hold himself up.

Eli shook with rage, let Masters see it. "Them or me, fucker. Your choice."

"Everything all right here, Court?" Jackson called from the mouth of the alley.

"Just fine, Detective," Eli called back, never taking his eyes off Masters.

Jackson waved and disappeared.

"See?" Eli hissed. "We're looking for a little boy, asshole. Nine years old. Younger than you like 'em. You know how cops are about little kids. You know how everybody is. You don't tell what you know, nobody's gonna care what I do."

"I'll tell you, okay? I'll tell." He whimpered. Masters actually whimpered. The last ten years had been hard on him. "I need to take a leak."

Eli grabbed him by the back of the coat and marched him toward Joey's car. "Piss in your pants. You take that dick out anywhere near me, you won't have it no more."

"Oh, God." Masters did it. He wet his pants.

The others got out of the car as Eli approached, swearing, hauling Masters along.

"Shit." Joey glared at Eli. "I don't