Chapter Nine
I am still simmering and don’t want to even be in the same room as Greeley, let alone brainstorm with him. Who the hell died and made him god? How dare he intimate that I have done something to bring this upon myself. That’s like telling a rape victim that she shouldn’t have worn that outfit or shouldn’t have been walking in that area at that particular time when the bottom line is, she shouldn’t have been raped. I was simply trying to do my job. Period. What this asshole doesn’t understand is that I don’t have the same options that he has, and now that I’ve finally found something I’m good at—that doesn’t include me spreading my legs for hours on end—I’m not going to let some assholes stop me from doing it. I will never be the president of the United States or CEO of a fucking corporation or even an executive secretary for the CEO of a fucking corporation. I have neither the education nor the skills for such lofty jobs. What I’m good at is repossessing possessions that shouldn’t have fallen into the wrong hands in the first place. It’s ironic that it’s my skills as a repo man that have gotten me into this mess, but perhaps it will be the same talents that help me get out of it as well.
“We need a plan,” Vandalia says, snuggling next to Greeley. She is idly stroking his leg which causes him to look at her as if to jump her bones right there in front of Mowgli and me. “I’m worried about what Blanche told the assholes before they killed her. I mean, if she told her coworker about meeting with you, then maybe she told them where you guys met. And the coworker described us, too!” Her eyes open wide. “Are we going to have to go around in disguises, too?”
“No one can tell it’s you guys from Melody’s description,” I reply. “I think she did that on purpose, by the way. Only wants to fuck me up, not you guys.”
“I don’t know,” Vandalia says. “It would make more sense to describe us completely to get closer to you. I think she only really paid attention to you.”
“Shit, this is getting too complicated,” Mowgli mutters, rubbing his forehead. He doesn’t look as fresh as he normally does, which is understandable under the circumstances. “Why can’t we find them?”
“I wonder,” Greeley says slowly.
“What do you wonder?” I ask sharply. I haven’t forgiven him yet, but this isn’t the time for retribution.
“What if Andretti isn’t his real name, either? I think we need to concentrate on O’Reilly.”
“I wonder if there’s any way of getting close to the mayor,” Vandalia adds. “Maybe volunteering or something? I really think he’s the key to this whole thing. Even if he’s not the one handing out the orders, he has to be aware of what’s going on.”