Brick Page #4

snap at hearing your tale?

I don't know.

It starts out same as before.

I mean, this floor ain't carpeted.

We're cooled off.

Your muscle seemed pretty cool

putting his fist in my head.

I want him out.

- Looky, soldier...

- The ape blows or I clam.

So clam!

What've you got I can't beat out

of you back in the basement?

Give us a few minutes, Tug.

I'll call you if whatever.

So?

About a year ago, I had a small-time

dealing partnership with Jerr Madison.

- Know him?

- Till he took the fall for you.

Yeah, well.

I didn't ask him to,

but he was a straight player,

and I got out clean, almost.

Nothing on my official record, but

the VPs play it like I owe them one.

When I made it clear I wasn't gonna

be playing their hound dog,

well, they didn't like it.

They keep badgering me,

calling me in.

Gee, that's tough.

I don't like being told

whose side I'm on.

So now they think I'm on your trail.

I'm in a nice spot to know their movements,

feed them yours.

- I got you.

- You haven't got me, yet.

What? Price?

Considering the benefits

my services could yield,

I don't think that's unreasonable.

And what are your services exactly?

So I can be specific on the invoice.

Whatever serves your interests.

Fair enough.

I'll have my boys check your tale,

and seeing how it stretches,

we'll either rub or hire you.

You'll know which by the end

of the day tomorrow.

We're done.

I'll drive you back.

Just drop me at school.

How long was I out?

Half an hour.

It took all of it for me

to cool The Pin down.

Thanks.

You trust me now?

Less now than when

I didn't trust you before.

Maybe if you can tell me your

angle in all this, I could.

Emily tried to get with Brad

and I about three months ago.

Three months ago.

And you stonewalled her.

Oh, all right.

If you've already got

the world's address...

Three months ago.

And I liked her, but she

wasn't us and it didn't work.

And when she left, she took

some souvenirs with her.

Dirty habits she wasn't

strong enough to control

and a connection to The Pin

to keep them going.

A few months pass,

and the next I hear,

The Pin's raging over

a certain situation with

the junk Em's partial to.

And it's all coming down on her head.

You're saying Em scraped

the junk off The Pin?

I don't care how hard she was

hooked, I don't buy that.

You weren't there. She wasn't

herself. It had dug deep.

It was awful.

And whether she scraped or copped

or just ran her tab around the

world and into her own back,

it must've been grand.

I've never seen The Pin so hot.

And when he thought his precious,

his bricks of whatever it was,

when one of them was missing,

he scared me.

Why are you telling me

all this? What's your play?

You think nobody sees you.

Eating lunch behind the portables.

Loving some girl like she's all

there is, anywhere, to you.

I always seen you.

Or maybe I liked Emily.

Maybe I see what

you're trying to do for her,

trying to help her,

and I don't know anybody

who would do that for me.

Now you are dangerous.

Devlin, should I actually kiss her here?

No, no.

Move on to the next scene.

Brendan. Brendan. Brendan.

Where's Dode flopped?

I know you two are cozed up,

so you tell me or you won't.

Now, last time I checked,

you were giving me ultimatums.

It worked. You went

to Laura, told her my tale.

- Part of the plan?

- Turned out to be.

I just feel so cheap and used.

Gol, I must seem a real cad.

Sometimes I just hate myself.

- Whatever happened to us, Brendan?

- Where's Dode flopped?

We used to be a pair and a half.

Sometimes I miss having someone to talk to.

Do you ever miss having someone to talk to?

Oh, yeah.

You must.

I need to hear Dode's tale

about Emily. It's important.

Well, you better be sure you

wanna know what you wanna know.

Laura's working with me now,

and I'll have The Pin

and Tug in my corner soon.

The sooner I get the truth from Dode,

or the truth about Dode from you,

the safer you'll both be.

No?

Pass it on to Dode, anyway.

Maybe he'll have the sense

to get out from under you

before he gets hurt.

You didn't.

Did you?

So Dode and Kara are shacked up,

but what's their play?

I don't know,

Dode passed Emily the note.

He knows something.

Now Kara's got him under her thumb,

she's gonna use him somehow.

But I don't know and I don't know.

So all we can do is wait

until she shows some cards.

Anyway, tomorrow we see if The Pin

hires me or breaks my knees.

I give us 70-30.

And if we're in,

I get under his skin and see what's what.

You stick to Kara. Keep your

specs peeled for Dode.

And stay away from Laura.

I think she's with us, Brendan.

I'll let you know when she is.

Okay.

You the Pin's?

What's his answer?

Chuck Burns. Long-haired lug,

deals, shines a blade.

I know him.

I just can't pin him to any crowd.

He's definitely not muscle for anyone.

He taps the Carrows crowd,

but doesn't hang with them.

I mean, if you've got a guess,

I could check it out.

Pin. If he's with The Pin

everything's kablooie,

and I gotta blow the burgh.

I'll check it.

I'm in third now.

Never mind.

If I don't call by 3:00,

call in the bulls.

So?

So.

That's what you'll get

every week for your services.

Unless, of course, there's

some specific job,

in which you'll get sliced in with my crew.

- Square?

- Yeah.

We're doing a thing tonight

down at the Hole.

Know it?

South of T Street. Yeah.

It's a little welcome-you-in thing.

I know what you did.

I was in the tunnel.

I saw you hide her.

Dode.

Anyone I tell,

it would ruin you some way.

And I'm gonna tell someone.

- Are you making an offer?

- Maybe.

Or maybe I'll just do you in.

Hire another hash head to blade me?

Don't need no blades, shamus.

- I just gotta squawk.

- What do you want?

Just to see you sweat.

- Brendan?

- Brain.

Are you all right?

So I'm gonna start you on the dope circles.

Anyway, there's not much else doing.

I'm tailing out this big deal,

but it's almost done.

Oh, yeah, what was it?

It was big time.

Biggest I ever done.

And there was a snag in it,

but it's almost done now.

What was it?

You're going to make

me curious, being so curious.

I want to lay something out.

You're coming into a certain situation,

and I'm sort of bringing

you in because of it.

I didn't tell Tug to hit you

for the Brad Bramish thing.

He got hot and he just hit you.

He's been doing that.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Muscle you can't control's no good at that.

You're working for me,

not for Tug. That's all.

All right.

It's tough sometimes.

It's twisted.

Complicated. I don't know.

Everyone's got their thing.

- You read Tolkien?

- What?

You know, The Hobbit books.

Yeah.

His descriptions of things are really good.

Oh, yeah.

He makes you want to be there.

- Don't go to class.

- What?

Fifth period, Trueman and the

VP come in, asking for you.

Did they call your mom?

Probably, I got in late.

Get out of there, too, then.

Meet me behind the library.

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