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I crack my knuckles and put on some leather gloves, not wanting to leave any skin exposed in case something unforeseeable happens. Not that I’m worried…my old man will just have to clean it up.
“Look, you don’t have to do this with me if you don’t want to.”
He shrugs. “I’ve got nothing better to do.” Bax hasn’t reacted to the news of our families. He was quiet and stoned during our conversation, and vowed silence. He knows Remy and I are vying for Didi, and he doesn’t want to get caught in the middle.
He’s helping me now because Remy’s involved in this, too.
I reach into my bag and pull out two burlap masks I stole from FreshMart a few minutes ago when we dropped Remy off. Mrs. Holly has a lot of them sitting out the back of her market. Kids used to put these masks over their faces and call themselves Shadowface. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d eventually become him.
Earlier, I used my knife to cut two holes for my eyes and a hole for my mouth. I made one for Bax, too.
Bax gives me a quirky look as I hand it to him. “Aw, man…” he grumbles but puts it on anyway. “It’s itchy.”
“Quit your whining.”
He turns to me, and wow, he looks creepy. His long hair hangs down, making him look like a freak. It’s perfect. He just stares at me, and I stare back, completely stoned.
“Boo,” he says, and I jump out of my skin.
I punch him hard in the shoulder. “Dude, don’t do that.”
“Ouch…” he says, rubbing his shoulder. “You need to chill, man. You’re always so jumpy.”
At least the mask should scare the shit out of Didi’s mama.
I pull my mask over my head and stare at my reflection in the window. Bax is right, this thing is itchy, and I look just as creepy as he does. I adjust it to make sure no part of my face is showing.
“Let’s go,” I whisper, and we quietly leave the car.
We stalk toward the house side by side. It’s pitch-black outside, even more so out of town, and especially in these parts.
I walk up to a small window, framed by worn curtains, and peer inside. Didi’s mama is in there, I can see movement inside. It looks like the house is lit by candlelight, and I wonder if there is any running water.
The house is an absolute shithole.
“Are you sure about this?” Bax asks. “I’m like, super stoned, man, and this place gives me the heebie-jeebies. What if your girl’s there?”
“She’s not. She’s with Remy. Remember, we dropped him off?”
“Oh. Yeah.” He grins to himself.
“Alright, here’s the plan. We’ll break down the door. You tie her up, then just leave everything else to me.” I stick my fist out. “Got it?”
He fist-bumps me back. “I got you, man, but remember, I’m more of a lover, not a fighter.”
“Just tie her up, Bax, please.”
Bax shakes his head and ties his long hair back and tucks it under the mask. “Alright. Tie the crazy broad up. Then what?”
“Then I’ll find what I’m looking for, and we leave.”
“What if she recognizes us? This town is small, man.”
I open my supply bag and dig through it. “She won’t.”
His eyes draw down to my hand as I grab my knife. “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”
“I’m going to scare the Jesus out of her, that’s all.”
