Page 25 of Beautiful Villain
“Find someone,” I snapped.“Anyone.A witness.Or not.A dog who can talk.I don’t care.Just findsomeonewho saw something!”
Silence followed.Then Judd spoke.
“You know what we need?”
I turned my head slowly.Judd lounged against the wall, chewing his gum like this was a brainstorming session and not the aftermath of my public humiliation.
God, let this moron have a good idea.Otherwise, I was going to have to shoot someone again, and cleanup was exhausting.
“We need a kid,” Judd said.
I stared at him like he’d grown two heads.
“The street’s full of families,” he continued, undeterred.“I bet kids were outside.Riding bikes.Playing soccer.Being annoying.Kids see everything.”
Morrison frowned.“Kids lie.”
Judd shrugged.“Not as much as adults do.”
I blinked.Once.
“…Go on,” I said.
“Let’s bribe them with sports cards,” Judd said confidently.“And gum.”
I hated that this made sense.
Ten minutes later,we had the elusive crown jewel.Judd had produced a kid.
A skinny boy with scabbed knees and a bike helmet hanging off one elbow like it was optional equipment.He froze when he saw us—three men in dark coats, scary looking, and I guess his parents taught him to avoid strangers.
I crouched in front of him, smiling the way adults did when they wanted something and didn’t care how obvious it was.
“What’s your name, champ?”
The kid didn’t answer right away.He shifted his weight, sneaker toe scraping against the pavement, eyes flicking between the three of us like he was trying to calculate the fastest escape route.He looked like a smart kid, weighing up his odds against three grown men with guns beneath their coats.
“Leo,” he said at last, chin lifting a touch, cautious in a way that suggested he’d learned early not to trust unfamiliar faces.
Judd stepped into his line of sight before I could say another word.
He crouched slightly, casual as a man tying his shoe, and reached into his jacket like he was about to perform a magic trick.When his hand emerged, he held a neat stack of pristine Pokemon cards—edges crisp, corners sharp, the kind of condition collectors had wet dreams over.
“You like Pokemon?”Judd asked, easy.
Leo’s eyes betrayed him instantly.They widened, locking onto the cards like heat-seeking missiles.His breath hitched.He leaned forward before his brain caught up, curiosity bulldozing straight through whatever self-preservation he’d brought with him.
“Is that a Scorbunny—” he started, then froze.
Too late, his mouth snapped shut, hands curling at his sides like he could physically restrain the words from spilling out.
Judd smiled, satisfied.
“And gum,” Judd added, producing a full, unopened pack like it was contraband.He held it up between two fingers, letting it dangle just out of reach.
Leo swallowed.Hard.
“Jesus Christ,” Morrison muttered behind me.“We’re bribing children now?”
