Chapter 26

Where was his boss? Mallory knew he was in town. So far, he had avoided running into him. It was a good thing this old car ran or he would have been at the trailer when his boss got there. The cops were looking for the stolen one. Still he could feel the weasel breathing down his neck. He took a swig of water. His eyes darted to the parking lot entrance as a car drove in. He frowned and ducked low. He strained to hear any sound, his hand on his gun under the seat. The car pulled into a parking spot a few spaces down from him. Doors opened and shut with a slam.

“Be careful! Don’t shut your brother’s fingers in the door,” a woman yelled. He sneaked a quick look. It was a woman with two young boys.

“Mom, he hit me.” The smaller of the boys pulled on his mother’s shirt and started screaming.

“Toby, leave your brother alone.” She sounded exasperated. The hitting and screaming continued.

“If you two don’t stop it now, I’m going to lock you both in the car,” she yelled at them.

Mallory covered his ears. Damn kids, they were all too noisy. He pushed the gun back under his seat as the mother grabbed one by the shirt collar and thumped the other on the back of the head.

He groaned and crouched out of sight. Once again, it was his mother’s hand reaching out to grab him. She slapped the back of his head, as she pushed him toward the dark, dank closet. His body twitched with the memory of the sound of the turning lock and the slide of the bolt from the outside. How long would it be this time? He never knew. Some days he would get food, and sometimes they forgot him altogether. The darkness surrounded him; the loneliness was his companion, and the smells turned his stomach. His breathing became rapid, his face flushed, and anger coursed through him, bringing with it awful memories. Hell, he hated this feeling. He never knew what would set it off, but his mother’s screaming was always there, at the edge of his mind. Her belittling words were there, even though she was long dead. He would never be free of her. Never! His hand clenched.

It took many years, and several foster homes, but he finally was able to take care of business. He smiled slowly and ran his tongue across his lip. Oh, he had hurt them. They had treated him like some damn animal, not their son. In the end, they had begged and pleaded. He had simply done to them what they had done to him. An eye for an eye! He had given them the same, all right. He smiled. The last thing they saw was his angry face as he locked them away. The last thing he saw was the fear on her face.

Tonight he would follow Jessie because Irwin would. Only the Game Changer could determine her fate. He had to get to her first and hide her.