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Chapter Twenty-one

I was driving north on the 57 Freeway

I checked withcontentedly The doctors seemed pleased that he was stable, but there was still mild concern, most notably that his body teree lower than nor toto have a conundrum on their hands, much as they had with o

My sister asked what I was up to, and I told her that it was a very important case, a matter of life and death She understood, but just barely Her husband, atching Ta her up soon I made it a point to be there when the sun set

After all, tonight would befar different than he was before

I exited on Orangethorpe and worked my way over to Hero&039;s in Fullerton I checked the tiht

As I dashed in frovery unbartender-like He was texting Just as I stepped into the bar, my cell phone chimed

I paused just inside the doorway and fished out the cell It was a text, of course, fro It read: Good afternoon, Moon Dance, how are you?

I wrote: I could say I&039;uy at the end of the bar needs another beer, so quit texting and start working

I hit send and waited

Fang had just spotted the guy at the end of the bar, who had justpaused and read the screen, and I watched with some satisfaction from the doorway as hisaround until he spotted inning to think you were everywhere, Moon Dance," he said

"Is that a bad thing?"

He winked "Not for uy a draft of beer and caer"

"How so?" I asked

"I was texting you as you came in"

"Could have been a coincidence, and is texting even a word?"

"If not, it should be," he said "Anyway, there are no coincidences, Moon Dance"

I grabbed a stool at the far end of the bar Privacy, for ood I said, "That would sound deep if it wasn&039;t bullshit"

"Bullshit, huh? Then how do you explain that for the past half hour I&039;ve been feeling increasinglytroubled"

"Maybe you had some bad Chinese"

"Not bad Chinese, Sarief co profound had ended"

I thought of sley "Ended?"

He shook his head "Crazy, I know But, toeic had ended Of course, I assu to do with your son"

Jesus,"My son is fine," I said

He narrowed his eyes "How fine?"

I nodded, confir his suspicions

His jaw dropped "You really did it?"

I nodded again

"And how is he?"

"He&039;s fine He&039;s great, in fact"

Fang leaned on his elbows The grisly teeth around his neck - definitely not shark teeth - clacked together with the sound of knuckles striking knuckles

"But you&039;re not fine," he said

"My job&039;s not over"

He nodded "Thethe striking difference between the way he handled the news and the way Kingsley had There was no judg&039;s voice There was only concern forI felt was the end of your relationship with Kingsley"

"Maybe," I said

"I&039;m sorry"

"No, you&039;re not I&039;lad he&039;s out of the picture"

Aaron Parker, aka Fang, shook his head "I would not be much of a friend if I wished for you to experience pain on any level"