Whore.

Chapter 33: Polystyrene

My heart continued thumping as I leaned against the wall. What was actually going on? Had the loan sharks tracked me down to Malone's place? Was he in any sort of danger? He just let the man in, genius. Of course he's not in any danger. Or maybe he doesn't know who he's dealing with. The sound of laughter interrupted my thinking. I grew a new shock, overriding my fear. Were they friends? Wait, did Malone tell this guy to keep tabs on me? Oh God. I'm so screwed. I tried to listen to what they were saying but I could barely make out anything, I remained at the side of the house. The cold winds blew against me. This was way less than comfortable. At least ten minutes passed before the man emerged from the house.

"Thanks man," he said.
"Don't mention it," Malone replied. "Try not to kill anyone out there."

I gulped. Apparently, Malone also knew what the man did for a living. I was startled as the power bike jerked noisily and the man rode off. I looked at the floor in front of me to hide my face from the cold and contemplated my next move. I wasn't safe here. I wasn't safe anywhere. If these people could track me down here, then I was truly fucked. I looked at the street. There were no cabs coming through this area. It was really cold too. I'd have to brave the winds for at least twenty minutes before I would be able to get a cab from the main street. But considering my current position, it seemed like the only logical course of action.

"You can come out now."

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I looked back up. Malone was peering around the corner from the front of the house. He knew I was here all along. Maybe I didn't jump out of the way early enough. I was trapped now. There was no escape. I felt fear, which slowly got replaced by curiosity and anger. Mal had a lot of explaining to so.

"What was that about?" I asked, not moving from the corner.
"Come inside the house Mike. It's freezing out here." He was only wearing a tee shirt. I couldn't blame him. Yet I didn't want to budge until he answered my question. If we were outside, I could easily make a run for it if things got too sticky.
"How do you know that guy?" I could barely hide my anger now.
"Never met him before today." He stood fully in front of me now, hugging his arms.
"I heard both of you laughing. Don't lie to me."
"His name is Mallory." Malone chuckled a bit. "I thought it was a girl's name. But he told me it was for both sexes. Everyone calls him Mal though."
"Really." I relaxed a bit, but I wasn't fully convinced I could trust him. "And what were you guys talking about?"
"He wanted to know..." Malone’s teeth were chattering now. I noticed that his hair was wet. He had likely just taken a shower before Mallory showed up. He was going to catch a cold if he stood here any longer. I couldn't have him fall sick on my account.
"Let's go inside," I sighed.

The living room was warm. Malone rubbed himself a few times to warm up and sat on the couch across from me. He smiled and looked at me. I wasn't in a happy mood.

"Hey, cheer up. They won't be coming for you any longer."
"What?" I blinked. I wasn't sure I had just heard right.
"He and his guys. He came here because he heard I was in a relationship with Jeff and he wanted to know his whereabouts. I told him I hadn't seen Jeff in a long time. He told me he met Jeff yesterday at a museum with some guy and a kid."

I gulped and he noticed. He laughed lightly.

"I have a pretty good memory, Mike. I remembered seeing a kid in the car with you the last time, so I had to ask if he was sure it was Jeff. He seemed confused and I explained that you two looked a lot alike. It took a bit of explaining, but now he gets that you guys are different. He won't be bothering you anymore, you can be sure of that."

I felt relief. I couldn't help smiling. I wanted to jump for joy but I still had a few concerns.

"How would he know the difference? I don't want to get threatened with a knife again."
"He threatened you with a knife?" Malone looked shocked. I guess he really didn't know what the guy did for a living.
"Yeah, when he met me. So how am I sure I'm safe?"
"Jeff has dark brown eyes. Yours are light brown, almost grey. I told him he has to look at the eyes if he can't tell who is who."