Page 18 of Wrecked By a Devil

“This doesn’t seem right,” I park and get out of my car.

It’s already late and aside from a few cars I passed by on my way over, there isn’t anyone on the street. The diner across the street is supposed to be open, but all the lights are off and the neon sign in the front is flickering as if it hasn’t been used in ages.

I pull out the note from my pocket and reread the address, making sure I came to the right place. For a moment I entertain the idea that maybe the guy on the phone gave the wrong address, but my GPS didn’t show another ‘Granny’s’ diner anywhere in town and there’s a Target just a block away from here, exactly as he said it would be.

“Hello?” I call out after crossing the street. “Looking for the pig in a blanket! Is anyone here?”

After Riley left my office earlier, I received a call from a payphone that Levi traced to be not very far from Eden. The caller didn’t give me their name, but they swore to have valuable information. They told me the code was “pig in a blanket” and that once I get to the diner, I should say the code in order to meet with them.

I expected it to be a working diner with customers and maybe a drunk dude in the corner booth, not what looks like an abandoned place in the middle of a very quiet street.

“Screw this,” I turn around to return to the car when I feel something heavy and metal crash against my back.

For a brief moment I can’t move from the pain, but I pull myself together just on time to evade the next hit. The heavy metal pipe falls to the asphalt making a clatter.

“Big mistake,” I crack my neck twice, still feeling the aftermath of that hit, before I lunge at my attacker, knocking him to the ground.

I don’t even need to pull out my gun, he stands no chance against me. I drive my fist into his face, my body pinning him to the ground. He tries fighting back, but he looks more like a bug trying to get back on its feet.

“Who sent you?” With my hands on his neck, he struggles to breathe, so I let him loose just enough to be able to answer. He stays quiet, forcing me to bang his head on the pavement once again. “Who. Sent. You.”

“Fuck off.” The guy starts laughing as if he’s just won something, and before I can smash his head completely, I feel something heavy jump on my back. Whoever it is, he must be a lot bigger than this guy because there aren’t many people strong enough to knock me down.

This one manages to, before getting on top of me. I feel his fists on my face, my blood boiling. I don’t want to interrogate them anymore. Yes, they probably have valuable information and questioning them would be a smart move as they’ve clearly been sent here by someone to ambush me. But I also know that the chances of them speaking at this rate, are really small.

So I don’t wait around, I pull the knife from my ankle sheath and stab the bigger guy. He fights back, strong enough to challenge me. The other guy is back on his feet and he rushes towards us. I don’t have enough time to react. A sharp pain explodes between my ribs as if something incredibly sharp and unpolished was just forced into my body.

Instead of keeping me down, this only makes me angrier. I sucker punch the weaker guy, using the small knife to cut his throat open. His body falls to the ground with a wet thud.

Before the other guy gets another chance to knock me down, I circle him, grabbing him in a chokehold. He does his best to shake me off, but I’ve done this more times than I can count, I know how to incapacitate someone when I want to.

I continue squeezing until he goes completely limp, then watch the life leave his body. I only let him go once I’m sure he’sstopped breathing. He falls to the ground immediately, not an ounce of life left in him.

“No one lives to attack Ezekiel Kavanagh and tell the tale.” I wipe the blood from my face and dial Elijah’s phone. “Hello?”

“I need you to take care of something.” I quickly fill in my brother about the ambush. “They’re at the address I just sent you.”

“I’m on it,” he says from the other side of the line. “Is the wound deep?”

“He’s dead, what does it matter?”

“I’m talking about your wound, smart-ass!” Elijah is probably the only person who gets to call me a smart-ass without me ripping them to pieces and turning them into dog food.

“It’s fine,” I suppress another sharp pang coming from my ribs. “Nothing a little alcohol can’t solve… Maybe for the wound too.”

“Okay, but you need to stop being reckless and get that checked out.”

“Elijah, this isn’t my first time getting stabbed,” I point out. I mean, just a few weeks ago we ended up stabbing each other during a training session. “I’ll be okay.”

“If you don’t go and see a doctor tonight, I will bring one to your house.” His voice is determined. “Do you want to act like a child in front of our brothers?”

“Fine,” I roll my eyes. “There’s a hospital near here.”

I know how worried my brother is and how much losing our parents has affected him. When I told him about the potential clue that this mysterious guy was offering, he warned me not to come alone. I didn’t listen and it got me injured. The least I can do tonight is to see a doctor for Elijah.

“Good, I’ll take care of the rest.”

When I arrive at the hospital, the ER is crowded with patients and I immediately regret not going straight home instead. One of the nurses approaches me as soon as I set foot inside.