and even in the darkened car, I could see him roll his eyes, fed up. Now he was just telling us anything so we'd give him money. Ferret looked at me; his eyes were wide, glassy and empty. He licked his dry lips.
"Tomic's men are still workin'," he said with a shrug. "But I stay away from 'em. They come in, and I'm gone."
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Point of No Return
NR Walker
"Was there someone working with Tomic?" I asked, though I'm not sure why. He was hardly making any sense, and I'd asked him this before.
He looked at me and blinked. His whole face
twitched. "I told ya, not that I ever saw. No word of anyone else. His men answered to Tomic. Everyone answered to Tomic. No one else."
"His men are still working?" I asked him, clarifying something he'd said before.
Ferret nodded hard. "Mean sons of bitches. I hide real good when they come 'round."
He started looking out the window, scouting his surroundings, and I knew our time was up. It'd be too suspicious if he were away too long.
I slipped a fifty out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Get something to eat," I told him, knowing damn well he wouldn't. Without another word, Mitch and I opened the doors and got out. Ferret scampered out after me, looked back at us, wiped his mouth for effect as though he just gave two blowjobs, and he was gone.
We headed back to HQ, not really any better off.
Kurt and Tony arrived not too long after us.
"Think he's losing it," Mitch told the others when we told them what Ferret had to say. "Drugs have got him."
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Point of No Return
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I sighed. "He's never let us down yet," I countered quietly. "But maybe there is some truth somewhere in his madness."
Mitch leaned back in his chair and frowned.
"Matt…"
I sighed again and nodded. Ferret was losing it, he was as high as a kite tonight and not making a great deal of sense. "I know. I know."
"What's the word on your side?" Mitch asked Kurt and Tony.
Both men exhaled at the same time. "Just what the boss said," Tony explained. "Business as usual."
Kurt agreed. "We take down one ring, and another just pops up in its place." He rubbed his hands over his face. "There's always another asshole wanting to make a name for himself as the kingpin."
"But not Tomic," I said with a sigh.
Mitch shook his head at me. "It's not Tomic. The bastard's behind bars, Matt." He was clearly sick of having this conversation with me. "Ferret doesn't even know what day it is."
"Right," our boss said with a finality that meant we were done with this for tonight. "It's two AM. Go home."
Mitch, Kurt, and Tony all stood up and when I
grabbed the file on my desk and opened it, Mitch sighed.
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Point of No Return
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"Let it go, Matt." He clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Go home. Go to Keira's."
Kurt and Tony stopped in their tracks and turned to look at me.
I stared at Mitch. "Nice, Partner. Real nice. So much for 'Partner's Code of Silence'."
"Keira?" Kurt said with wide eyes and a bewildered smile. "As in Keira Knightley?"
Mitch laughed. "Nah, apparently it's not."
Tony looked at Mitch. "Does she have an English accent? Because then we'd know for sure."
Mitch laughed. "No, I never spoke to her." Then my partner looks at me. "Is she English?"
I cleared my throat and shook my head. "Um, Japanese…" I stopped myself short on adding Spanish. I didn't know why I even told them that much.
All three men stared at me. Mitch grinned, then looked at Kurt and Tony. "This is new. I didn't know that before now."
"Didn't know what?" Berkman asked, walking in on the conversation.
Kurt was quick to spill. "Matt's new love, Keira, is Japanese."
Berkman looked at me for a long second, then
shrugged like he couldn't give a shit and kept walking.
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Point of No Return
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Kurt and Tony both joked with Mitch, and I could hear him explaining as they walked toward the elevator how he'd only got a first name and now he had a nationality. "I'll know who it is soon enough, boys."
I rolled my
"Tomic's men are still workin'," he said with a shrug. "But I stay away from 'em. They come in, and I'm gone."
71
Point of No Return
NR Walker
"Was there someone working with Tomic?" I asked, though I'm not sure why. He was hardly making any sense, and I'd asked him this before.
He looked at me and blinked. His whole face
twitched. "I told ya, not that I ever saw. No word of anyone else. His men answered to Tomic. Everyone answered to Tomic. No one else."
"His men are still working?" I asked him, clarifying something he'd said before.
Ferret nodded hard. "Mean sons of bitches. I hide real good when they come 'round."
He started looking out the window, scouting his surroundings, and I knew our time was up. It'd be too suspicious if he were away too long.
I slipped a fifty out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Get something to eat," I told him, knowing damn well he wouldn't. Without another word, Mitch and I opened the doors and got out. Ferret scampered out after me, looked back at us, wiped his mouth for effect as though he just gave two blowjobs, and he was gone.
We headed back to HQ, not really any better off.
Kurt and Tony arrived not too long after us.
"Think he's losing it," Mitch told the others when we told them what Ferret had to say. "Drugs have got him."
72
Point of No Return
NR Walker
I sighed. "He's never let us down yet," I countered quietly. "But maybe there is some truth somewhere in his madness."
Mitch leaned back in his chair and frowned.
"Matt…"
I sighed again and nodded. Ferret was losing it, he was as high as a kite tonight and not making a great deal of sense. "I know. I know."
"What's the word on your side?" Mitch asked Kurt and Tony.
Both men exhaled at the same time. "Just what the boss said," Tony explained. "Business as usual."
Kurt agreed. "We take down one ring, and another just pops up in its place." He rubbed his hands over his face. "There's always another asshole wanting to make a name for himself as the kingpin."
"But not Tomic," I said with a sigh.
Mitch shook his head at me. "It's not Tomic. The bastard's behind bars, Matt." He was clearly sick of having this conversation with me. "Ferret doesn't even know what day it is."
"Right," our boss said with a finality that meant we were done with this for tonight. "It's two AM. Go home."
Mitch, Kurt, and Tony all stood up and when I
grabbed the file on my desk and opened it, Mitch sighed.
73
Point of No Return
NR Walker
"Let it go, Matt." He clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Go home. Go to Keira's."
Kurt and Tony stopped in their tracks and turned to look at me.
I stared at Mitch. "Nice, Partner. Real nice. So much for 'Partner's Code of Silence'."
"Keira?" Kurt said with wide eyes and a bewildered smile. "As in Keira Knightley?"
Mitch laughed. "Nah, apparently it's not."
Tony looked at Mitch. "Does she have an English accent? Because then we'd know for sure."
Mitch laughed. "No, I never spoke to her." Then my partner looks at me. "Is she English?"
I cleared my throat and shook my head. "Um, Japanese…" I stopped myself short on adding Spanish. I didn't know why I even told them that much.
All three men stared at me. Mitch grinned, then looked at Kurt and Tony. "This is new. I didn't know that before now."
"Didn't know what?" Berkman asked, walking in on the conversation.
Kurt was quick to spill. "Matt's new love, Keira, is Japanese."
Berkman looked at me for a long second, then
shrugged like he couldn't give a shit and kept walking.
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Point of No Return
NR Walker
Kurt and Tony both joked with Mitch, and I could hear him explaining as they walked toward the elevator how he'd only got a first name and now he had a nationality. "I'll know who it is soon enough, boys."
I rolled my
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