The Man Who Crossed Worlds (Miles Franco #1)

Chapter Eleven

I took Vivian to my primary Tunnel in the basement of my apartment building with all the enthusiasm of a man digging his own grave.

Logically speaking, I knew she already knew where it was, since she and Todd had set up the raid that got me arrested. That seemed so long ago, but it was only what, a day and a half? Was that all? I seemed to have packed an awful lot of excitement in. Time flies when you’re being threatened with gruesome murder, I guess.

Vivian called up Detective Todd on her cell phone as she drove, despite the possible legal ramifications. I suppose in a city with murder rates as high as Bluegate, minor traffic laws take a back seat.

She gave him a brief run-down of the fun times we’d been having together, and the plan for now. She left out the bit where the two of them had lied to me about the nature of Chroma. I was still pissed about that. Justifiably, I thought. They’d manipulated me into this whole damn enterprise without giving me the whole picture.

Now I didn’t even have a chance to back out. The train had gone right past that station without slowing. I just had to be ready to jump before the thing derailed.

After about twenty minutes, she pulled up outside my apartment. “Do you need anything from your apartment before we go?” Vivian asked as we stepped out of her car and made her way into the building.

“Maybe I should go get a plan, since you didn’t seem to bring one with you.”

That felt sweet. I enjoyed the sense of smugness for a moment before she grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me up against the front door.

“Hey…what…” I tried to shove her away, but she was surprisingly strong, and despite everything I was still hesitant to push her away by her chest.

“Listen here,” she said, her voice low and spooky enough to convince me to do as she said. “This isn’t a joke. I don’t know what we’re going to find there, but it’s sure as hell not going to be nice. We’re going anyway, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to stop this thing before it starts. Whatever it takes, do you understand me?”

I licked my lips, tore her hands from my shoulders, and pushed her backward. My eye was twitching, never a good sign. “What do you think I am, Vivian? I’m not your pet Tunneler, and I’m certainly not one of your uniforms you need to bully into doing their jobs. I’m sure as fuck not doing this because you’re telling me to. Not anymore.”

“Then why are you here, Miles?” She planted her hands on her hips.

“Because,” I said, “this is my goddamn city, understand? This is the city that raised me when my mother dropped dead and my father bailed. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let it be burned to the ground by some asshole like Andrews or this doctor of yours. You think I don’t know what’s at stake? Then why don’t you fucking tell me what you’re hiding from me?”

My face grew hot, but I forced myself to look her in the eyes anyway. To hell with her. If she didn’t want to deal with me, I’d leave her behind and go to Heaven myself. She needed me a hell of a lot more than I needed her.

Vivian’s face was almost comical to watch. If her frown got any deeper I’d be able to swim in it. When she finally opened her mouth, I could almost feel the flames pouring out. “You want the truth? Fine. Doctor Dee sent a message to the gangs. Several messages. With bodies attached.”

I blinked. “What?”

“In the last month we had a spate of gang murders. High-ranking gangsters, all of them, from every major gang in the city. Executed, all of them. Same method of killing: small caliber, right between the eyes.”