Arachna

Chapter 7: Murderer, but Not a Deserter

Lance couldn't sleep. He lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, flinching at every creak of the bedsprings. He didn't know how he could hear such small noises when his own thoughts screamed at him. The memory of that man's begging face melded with Kaela's shocked, accusing glare. Together, they stared at him from behind his eyelids. His nightmare had come to life.

Monster.

Guilt weighed down more heavily on him than the bitter cold of the room. He closed his eyes, and the man's face was there, eyes widened in shock then empty and glazed over.

He'd wiped the splatter of blood off his face; the shirt had already dried.

Lance rolled out of bed and dragged himself to the computer chair. The only light in the room came from the string lights spilling in from the entrance and circling the light switch. It was comforting, if only in that it prevented him from being trapped in the dark, underground.

In the dim lighting, Lance scanned his reflection in the dark glass of the computer. He leaned closer, searching for what Kaela had seen that scared her. Maybe it was the same murderous flicker that sparked behind Eric's eyes, or the hollow gaze of a common criminal. Lance had seen enough of those in his days in the slums.

But nothing was there. Just his own eyes, given to him by his mother, if Eric's information was correct. Small flashes of memory were all he had left of her. Just the silhouette of a woman cradling him, and even that might've been the fuzzy memory of the matron from the orphanage. He chose to believe it was his mother, if for no other reason than to have something left of her. She owed him that much, especially after leaving him behind to overdose with his father.

Can I really blame them? he thought. He'd almost done the same thing just a few years ago.

The chair groaned as he leaned back and rubbed his eyes.

Those men that had tried to kill them must have been Landreau Corp agents. Maybe Eric was dead already. Worse yet, maybe he'd made a deal with Landreau Corp and left them in the dust. And Derek still hadn't returned. Lance chewed on his nails.

As if on cue, the ladder creaked. Lance froze.

But when Derek reached the bottom of the ladder, he relaxed.

Now it was just a matter of telling him what had happened.

* * *

"So you think it's Landreau Corp?" Derek asked once Lance and Kaela recounted the events of last night.

After a moment of hesitation, Lance nodded.

"Well, if they attacked you at the hill, then they're trying to be subtle about it. The Red Rose is always busy, and so is the bar, so our businesses should be fine. I doubt any of Landreau Corp's assassins would try to attack us in broad daylight... Then again, they did burst into Eric's place, so maybe nothing is off limits." Derek sighed and looked up at the sickeningly white lights above him. "Has anyone contacted the cleaners to get rid of the bodies?"

Kaela shrugged. "I don't know how to get a hold of them."

"We figured you would know," Lance said.

Derek shook his head. "Eric usually handled that... Well, you said it was a secluded spot, so maybe they won't be found... hopefully."

"Did you meet with Rob?"

Derek nodded. "We met in an alley not far from what's left of Eric's place, and I laid out new patrol routes for my men. We can't prioritize all the other information in the city with Landreau Corp after us, so I told Rob to shut down my bars for now and only focus on Landreau Corp. He gave me his email, and he'll be sending me updates on anything he and my men find. I... may have made that decision without your approval, Lance. So, are you fine with only getting info on Landreau Corp?"