Zip had a white plastic laundry basket tucked under his arm as he exited the laundry mat. The mohawk was a little longer than when I’d last seen him, but the skinny build and ugly face were the same. Dirty cargo shirts hung from his waist and a gray tank top showed off his pipe-cleaner arms.
I froze when I saw him. I should’ve ducked. But he caught me by surprise. I was two-thousand miles away from San Diego and the last thing I expected was to see someone who knew me.
I’d gone to Fort Walton because it was a long way from San Diego and because Carter was able to put me in touch with Ike. I knew no one there and no one knew me. It seemed like a world away from everything I’d left behind.
But apparently it wasn’t.
I sat there, motionless, hoping he wouldn’t glance in my direction. Hoping he wouldn’t recognize me if he did look this way. Hoping he would keep moving to wherever he was headed.
But his eyes swept over the car and I read the recognition in them.
Shit.
He squinted at me, ducking his head to get a better look through the windshield. A weird smile crept over his face and he walked over to my window.
My heart jackhammered in my chest and my stomach dropped.
He held up a hand and waved.
I couldn’t roll down the window so I opened the door and stepped out.
“Noah?” he asked, a little disbelieving. “What’s up, man?”
“Nothing,” I said.
We weren’t friends. In fact, I barely knew him. The last time I’d seen him, Carter was threatening him within an inch of his life for ripping off Liz’s brother. We were barely acquaintances.
But he knew me.
His face clouded over and he peered around me into the car. “Carter’s not here, is he?”
“No. He’s not.”
The cloud lifted and he smiled again. “Oh, cool. So. What gives? Why are you here?”
I hesitated. “Just working a case.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? All the way out here? Thought you stayed pretty local.”
“Not always.”
“That’s cool,” he said, nodding. Then he narrowed his eyes. “I remember hearing some shit went down with you awhile back.”
“What are you doing down here?” I tried to redirect him.
He adjusted the basket under his arm. “Heading for Miami in a few days. Staying with a friend while I get my act together.”
I knew that his act used to involve drugs. I had no reason to assume that had changed.
“Ah, cool,” I said, glancing over his shoulder, looking for Bella.
She was nowhere to be seen.
“That your kid?” Zip asked, nodding at Jackson.
“No. A friend’s.”
He studied me for a long moment. There was something in his eyes that indicated he was trying to figure something out. I wasn’t just being paranoid. I could see it.
His eyes cleared and he nodded. “Ah, okay. Right on.”
We stood there awkwardly. I wasn’t sure what else he wanted from me and I sure as hell wasn’t going to give him any more information about why I was there or what I was doing.
The door to the laundromat opened and Bella emerged, holding a blue leather bag. She stopped when she saw us.
“You ready?” I asked.
She looked at Zip, confused, but nodded.
A dirty smile slithered across Zip’s face and I wanted to slap it away.
But I couldn’t take that chance.
“See you around,” I said, sliding back into the car.
His eyes stayed on Bella as she got behind the wheel, assessing. Finally, they settled back on me.
“Yeah,” he said, backing up. “See you around.”