chapter 8----

With a few last drops and a final peel of lightening the rain stopped and I found myself standing on a street corner trying  to wave down a passing taxi cab.

 

"You ever feel bad, Justin, about all the taking you do?"

 

Charles was looking off in the distance still trying to figure out our current problems, why he was bringing this up again was a mystery to me.

 

"Not really, I used to, but it's not like I rape or tell people to just die. The things they give me are never that hard to replace. I knew people like me that have used what they were given to nearly destroy the world, you knew them too. So, honestly I don't feel bad for a free dinner or a free ride."

 

Another cab passed me, the driver staring straight ahead, ignoring me in my dripping clothes and crestfallen looks so I snapped my fingers and smiled as he slammed on his brakes, nearly causing my second car crash of the night.

 

The heavy set, bearded man had the piece of mind to act like stopping suddenly was his idea and he greeted me and Charles like brothers from the old country,

 

"Ho, sorry for not stopping sooner. I did not see you at first look!"

 

Charles slid in next to me and tucked the long tail of his coat beneath himself and setteld in with another distant look.

 

"Where to?"

 

"The airport, and make it snappy, sir!"

 

The good spirits were a surprise to me but I decided to go with it, assasination attempts and residual morphine high making me jittery. The rain had stopped but the streets still had that slick wet look that reflected all the many lights, the inside of the cab smelled like incense and cigar smoke that had been lingering for years in the cracked leather seats.

 

"It's a trap."

 

 I drummed my fingers on the cover of my book and tried to look serious,

"What is? The cab? Should I burn the driver alive or just eject us like two baby birds from the nest?"

 

"No, the whole thing. The attack at your penthouse, the intersection earlier, they knew you would take the shot and they knew you would survive. They must be counting on you being doped up for when they tried us on the road earlier. Trust me if you want to do someone in and not be seen there are fewer places as convenient as an airport, or maybe just wait for us to board the plane. You can't do anything fancy on a plane or the whole thing might crash. It feels like were being led into something bad."

 

"Like beating a bush to get the deer to run into the clearing so, Bang."

 

Charles nodded and rubbed his hands in concentration.

 

I looked out at the street as the cab crept through the congested traffic towards the on-ramp. I could deal with people trying to take me out, but feeling like someone is controlling me always made my hair stand on end. I said a silent prayer that whoever was trying me would slip up and I would meet them face to face.