Blade immediately slides off to the side, coiled to strike like a cobra.
“Take it easy, hotshot,” the old guy warns, his cold gaze squarely on Blade. “I’m on your side.”
Ripper’s positioned in front of Faith, watching the old guy coolly. “Why the fuck should we believe you,Uncle Razor?”
Faith cringes. “I was a little kid, okay?”
“I let you out of the fucking cells, didn’t I? How fucking stupid would I have to be to let you fucks outnumber me three to one if my plan wasn’t to fucking help you?” He shakes his head like we’re a bunch of fucking morons and he’s already regretting letting us out.
“Why?” I ask.
“You make a habit of looking gift horses in the fucking mouth, son?” Bushy eyebrows rise in question. “Tell Eagle-eye that Razor hasn’t forgotten him.”
“That’s fucking sweet and all, but we’re still prisoners. You unlocked a couple fucking doors, but we’re still missing our bikes, all our shit and then we have to actually get out of this shithole.” I throw my hands out. “So you’re going to have to throw us a better bone than that, if you’re really a friend of Prez.”
“Fucking young people,” he grumbles, holding up the saddle bag. “Here. I can’t promise it’s everything, but I managed to grab your guns. They just tossed them into the armory. Those fancy knife holsters, though, you’re lucky I found them. A couple of the guys were playing around with them, but had to go on watch.”
Blade fucking snarls as he takes the bag from Razor and opens it. Only moments later, he’s got his knives strapped back on. Ripper pulls his big fucking pistol out of it and tosses the bag to me. A moment later, we’re all armed again, and it feels fucking good.
“I need the videotape,” says Faith. “Unc—Razor, do you know where it is?”
“And our bikes,” says Ripper. “We’re not getting any-fucking-where without them.”
“Don’t let the beard confuse you, I’m not fucking Santa Claus. I did what I fucking could for you. The keys to your bikes are probably in the garage, but the videotape? I imagine Crow’s got it.” Razor shrugs.
“Fuck. And we’ll have to get the damn gate open. If we can’t do that, we’re stuck.” I pace the hallway, trying to figure a way out of here.
“Can’t help you there, son,” says Razor. “I got ya out of the Clink. The rest is up to you. Now knock me out.”
“What?” Faith looks at Razor with big eyes. “Knock you out?”
“Yeah, and not one of those pussy-ass love taps. Make it look good.”
“But… we can’t just—”
“I’ll do it,” I say. “Thanks, old man.”
“I’m not so fucking—”
I punch him in the fucking face, knocking him back into the wall. He hits it hard, then slides down it, out like a light.
“Alpha!” Faith gasps. Her fists are clenched in fury, and if she could, she’d be blowing steam out her fucking ears. “He helped us! I know him!”
“Relax. He asked for it. When the Vipers find out we’re missing, he needs them to believe he didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“But did you have to hit him so freaking hard?” She kneels down and puts a hand on Razor’s wrist, feeling for a pulse. “What if you did serious damage?”
Jesus Christ. I grab her arm and pull her close. Her thigh presses against mine, and she’s fucking sexy when she’s mad, but we don’t have time for this shit. “Faith, we need to get that tape and get the fuck out of here. Razor played his part, and if we don’t, it will all have been for fucking nothing. Let’s go.”
She looks like she wants to argue, but she bites her lip and scowls up at me. “Fine.”
“Shut the fuck up, both of you. Unless you want the Vipers to come crash our party.” Blade pushes past us towards the door. “I have an idea where Crow might have the tape, but it’s better if I go alone. I know this place. You guys secure our way out, and I’ll do my part.”
“Got it,” Ripper and I say at once. We’ve played this game before. “Stay breathing.”
Blade nods and opens the front door. After a quick check, he’s gone, vanished into the darkness.
“Is he going to be okay?” Faith peers into the night while I shut the door behind us.