Hit And Sprint

seven

"Oh, damn, are you breaking up with me, Coldwell?" Morris asks me, chuckling. "Was it my girlfriend?"

I sigh, realizing that he didn't understand how serious this was yet. "Listen, when's the last time you talked to Smiley?" I ask. I can feel the chills I had given him over the phone.

"Why?"

He would give me information, rest assured, but it wouldn't be instant. He would need some motivation, and perhaps a little push, in order to get somewhere.

I cock my head, asking, "Do you wanna be at liability risk, or do you just wanna tell me?"

I was only going to get him hurt if he didn't give me what I wanted, and I needed him to know that.

He audibly exhales, conflicted. Normally, staying quiet worked. Now, though, he was dealing with someone who would kill him for silence. "Does this involve me at all?" he inquires.

I tilt my head to the left, feeling the ponytail based at the back of my head swing when I do such. "After this call, you won't hear about it again," I ensure.

The only thing I hadn't been completely honest about was Roy and Robert. Morris probably wasn't aware that they would be listening in, but, hell, he would never have to know.

"Talked to him last week," he responds, giving in. He was clearly referring to Smiley, and that caused me to gain interest.

The men near me also seemed more attentive. Maybe they had been doubting the validity of the connection.

I run my tongue across my top teeth, making a clicking noise with my mouth before asking, "Did he say anything about any plans he had?"

That causes him to fall silent for a moment. "This is about Slinger, ain't it?" he gently queries.

I roll my lips in and nod slowly, having gotten exactly what I wanted. "What'd he tell you about Slinger, Reily?"

My eyes wander to Roy. His expression had gone serious, his eyes like ice and his jaw tightly clenched. His arms were crossed as well, pulling together the entire look.

Robert looked slightly less pissed and a little more curious. He was upset about his friend, but he didn't show it in his face.

He must have always been that way. Work over feelings. I respected that.

"Said he was gonna kill him. Asked me to help him con his way into it, actually," Reily smartly answers, clearly feeling a little proud about his information, and the fact that he was doing me a favor. "I knew if I touched him, I'd have you and his son on my ass."

That gets Roy to loosen up a bit, chuckling under his breath and readjusting in his seat.

I look back toward the painting of dogs playing poker, bemusedly asking, "Okay, why's he wanna kill him?"

I'm sure that I would be seeing a shrug if I was speaking to Morris in person."He cut his coke or something. I dunno. I stopped listening when I realized I wasn't getting money."

"Is that it?" I return, hoping that it wasn't. That was still barely anything to go on.

"He's in Houston for the week."

I can feel my eyes widen. That gave me... us... time. "Where's he staying?"

"He mentioned a hotel. No clue which one."

I nod curtly and stare at my phone, bringing my voice down until it was absolutely flat."This call never happened."

I can tell that the statement provides Morris with reassurance. "Great."