“You think maybe eventually they’ll build up here?” Henricks asks. “Everyone acts like they should be preserved, but the views are rockin’, and if there’s gonna be more to look at down valley, with all the development and all—hell, I’d build up here if I had the money.”
Please tell me this asshole isn’t hitting me up for more money, Jordy thinks. Is he actually asking me for a raise after he fucked up so badly?
“How long you lived here, Henricks?” Milo asks.
Their driver, Jordy’s right-hand man, is almost too large to fit inside his own truck. Milo has a thing about disclosing his height. Like the actual number is a source of strength so long as it’s a secret, sort of like Samson’s hair if Samson always wore it in a bun. Six foot four, that’s Jordy’s guess. There was a time, back when he and Milo fought together in Iraq and then Afghanistan, when Milo was all lean muscle; now he’s bulk and a bit of bloat, most of it from steroids, but they’ve turned the man into a human wall, and Jordy likes that just fine. Because that’s what Jordy needs around him now. Sturdy, protective walls.
“My whole life,” Henricks answers, “you know that. Didn’t I tell you that?”
Milo looks in the rearview mirror, probably so he can gauge whether Henricks is actually annoyed. Sunset’s a few hours away, but it’s already near dark on this side of the mountains, so it’s not easy to make out Milo’s expression in the deepening shade. But with Milo, it’s the eyes that do the trick. There’s something that always looks sympathetic about them, even when he’s getting ready to bash in a guy’s skull. Sympathetic and steady. Strangely inviting.
If Henricks is starting to get suspicious—they’ve never offered to swing by his place and pick him up before—one look into Milo’s steady, welcoming gaze should calm him right now.
“Just got a lot of details floating around in my head, is all,” Milo says. “No offense intended, my friend.”
“None taken. So listen, we should probably talk about other ways I can be helpful to you guys. You know, since the incident at the station. I’m sure there’s stuff I can do. I mean, I don’t know if you want me on your crew, but I’ve got some construction in my background and I’m always up for learning new things. But maybe . . . I don’t know, I was thinking . . .”
“What?” Jordy asks. “What were you thinking?”
“I know things didn’t go totally as planned, but she did leave, right? I mean, I was able to convince her to walk out so . . . I don’t know. Maybe I’ve got a future with you guys as kind of an ambassador or something.”
“An ambassador,” Jordy says. “That’s an interesting thought.”
“You know, like a representative in town. That kind of thing. And I just have to say, again. I mean, I know you’ve heard me say it before. But honestly, most of the folks in town are really happy you guys are here. You gotta forget about cunts like Sanchez and Prescott. There’s no convincing folks like that of anything. But the rest of them, they’re easily won over.”
“I see,” Jordy says. “So what you’re suggesting is that you take on a new job for us. That’s easy.”
Milo gives Jordy a warning look. That’s why he needs Milo. He’s his balance. His focus. The lens through which the righteous fire in Jordy’s soul will soon be unleashed upon the world.
“Oh, no, man,” Henricks says. “I mean I’d be willing to do anything just about.”
“Just about, huh?”
“Yeah. I mean, I’ve told you how important I think you guys are. You know that, right?”
“Of course, Henricks,” Milo says.
They’ve left the valley far behind. Slowing down some, Milo takes a sharp left, and suddenly they’re traveling a narrow dirt service road Jordy’s crew only cut through the brush a few weeks before. Some of the branches have grown in a little, and they thud lightly against the roof of Milo’s truck, mostly when the rutted road sends the truck bouncing up into them.
Henricks stares out the back window with a nervous-looking frown. For the first time, he looks afraid.
That’s a good thing, Jordy thinks. It indicates the presence of at least one small shred of humility. And given how fucking clueless he’s acted over the past few days, some humility about now would be a very good thing.
“Where we going?” he finally asks.
“Found this great view spot up ahead,” Milo says. “You can see straight through the mountains, straight to the Pacific. Good place to talk without anybody overhearing us, you know?”
“You guys . . .”
“What, Pete?”
“Seriously, you guys . . . I mean, I don’t . . .”
“Hey.” Milo hits the brakes, puts the car in park, then turns in his seat to face the passenger in the back seat, all with the smooth authority of a car pool mom; that’s how good the guy is. “It’s not like that, Henricks. We’re just talking. Promise.”
“I mean, I know you probably aren’t that happy with me right now.”
Now you fucking say it, asshole, Jordy thinks.
“Henricks,” Milo says with a gentle smile. “Come on, man. Get those thoughts out your head. It’s a small town. We just wanted some privacy and some space. That’s all.”