Page 40 of Savior
“Thank you.” I say.
He pushes my door closed and steps back, lighting up another cigarette. He watches me depart the medical complex. As I drive off, I wonder if maybe he was here for some kind of meeting. The chain smoking, could be indicative of an addictive personality...
But that’s none of my business. And it shouldn’t be any of my concern, either…
I’ve got enough going on in my own life to worry about now.
It’s ten pm before this prick leads us back to another shitty motel across town. Axel’s driving, I’m in the passenger seat with the set of binoculars Viper keeps handy, and Viking’s lounging in the back, crunching away on fuck knows what. I barely hear it now, though. It’s become white noise to me. That’s how fucking long we’ve been in here.
“Maybe the front desk will give us his name?” Axel suggests. “How much could they be making an hour? I doubt much more than minimum wage. Let’s toss them a c-note and find out. They don’t actually give a shit about their tenant’s privacy.”
“I’m almost out of snacks, I’ll do it. Get this bullshit over with.” Viking grumbles, wiping his hands off on what I hope is a napkin of some sort, and nothing belonging to Viper. I don’t want to hear it when we return the van to him.
“Fuck it. Just don’t bring any attention to yourself.” I say. “He’s up on the second floor, room two forty-eight.”
“Be right back.”
The side door of the van slides open and shuts as Viking exits and trudges towards the check in window. Axel and I sit and watch as he stands, leaning against the counter, obnoxiously tapping the little silver service bell for about thirty consecutive seconds. A woman finally appears in the window, immediately taking the bell away from him. They begin to have a conversation, and I shift my focus back to the motel room door the scumbag disappeared into.
“He’s coming back.” Axel says after a few moments.
Viking gets back into the van, tucking a piece of paper into his pocket.
“That his info?” I ask.
“Nah, her number.” He cockily grins.
“Why am I not at all surprised?”
“She said the room’s registered to a chick, and was paid for in cash.”
“And a seedy place like this is willing to look the other way and bend the rules for cash payments.” I sigh.
“Pretty much.”
“Now what?” Axel asks.
I scowl at the discolored door of his motel room. “Plan fuckin’ B.” I mutter impatiently, exiting the van. Axel and Viking’s doors open and slam shut again. Their boots stomp up behind me hurriedly to follow.
“Pretty sure I can guess what Plan fuckin’ B is, but you wanna run that the fuck by us before we get up there?” Viking says, as we head for the metal grate stairs beside the shitty, gated pool.
“Room service. House-keeping.” I reply. “Take your pick.”
“Oh, I see. We’re gonna give his room a good turn down.” Viking chuckles.
“Precisely.”
“Would you like a mint for your pillow?” Axel jokes in a feminine sounding voice. There’s an excitement I can hear in his tone as we make our way up the steps.
“Or a fist for your face?” Viking jokes back. “How about a hot dose of whatever shit you’re pedaling?”
“We’re not here to off the fucker. We’re here to get information.” I remind him.
“Well, we have the murder van, just in case.” He chuckles.
As we get nearer to the prick’s door, I put out my arms to stop them, and turn to Axel. “Knock on the door and say house-keeping again, in that chick voice you did before.”
Axel shoots me a wry look.
