A NEW ALLY PART 2
I fall into thought, focusing on that when the door opens. My head turns and I stare at the tall boy with red hair and skin pale as milk, who looks at me with curiosity, holding a chimpanzee in his arms.
"Shit, your face is ugly as hell!" he says seriously, eyeing me nosily. "And I’m not even talking about the scarred side of your face. I think that side looks better than the other..."
"Oh, Christ!" Fredo sighs, rubbing his temples. "Clown, this smart-ass is Charles."
I didn’t need Fredo to tell me—I'd recognized the brat the moment I laid eyes on him, seeing that same defiant look on his face, the one he wore ten years ago.
"Hello, Charles," I say softly, offering a smile as I look at the young man he’s become.
Tall and well built, with muscles—no longer the filthy, scrawny thief who used to glare at me with rebellion.
"So you’re the circus’s fresh meat." He slowly steps into the wagon, releasing the chimpanzee to the floor. "What can you do?"
"Work," Fredo answers for me. "Unlike some people who seem to vanish when there’s heavy labor."
"Was that a dig at me?" he asks, feigning false sadness, placing a hand over his chest and looking at Fredo.
"No, Charles, that was a direct shot. Where was your damn lazy ass all day while we were working?" Fredo snaps seriously.
I chuckle, watching them exchange looks as I tuck the ballerina into my jacket pocket and spin the apple between my fingers.
"I was working. What do you think?!" Charles winks at Fredo.
"Just in a different way..."
The slow, almost imperceptible movement at my side makes me react on impulse when I feel the pocket grow heavy from a hand sneaking in and grabbing it quickly. My eyes turn to the chimp trying to steal my ballerina.
"You’re robbing the wrong guy," I say firmly, locking eyes with the monkey, who stares back at me, startled.
"Mister Crow\\..." The stuttering voice, mumbling the words, makes me look up quickly and see Charles with his mouth agape, pointing at me.
I shake my head, letting go of the chimp’s arm and standing up, giving Fredo a serious look. He exhales through his nose and rubs his face.
"Fredo..." Charles breathes rapidly, taking a few steps back. "Fredo, this is Mister Jack, Mister Jack..."
"No, I’m Clown," I growl, shaking my head. "I don’t know any—"
"Yes, it’s you..." the boy repeats, parting his lips and glancing at the monkey. "Only once in my life did someone catch me stealing, and no one ever caught Chile before..."
He breathes even more heavily, inhaling through his mouth and running his hands over his head, laughing.
"Shit, you’re Jack Cr—"
Charles doesn’t finish his sentence—not when Fredo climbs onto the stool and hurls himself at him, knocking him to the ground, his hand smashing over Charles’s mouth, whose eyes widen as he stares up. Fredo lifts his face to look at me and exhales sharply through his nose, shaking his head.
"I like them, but it’s your call." He glances at the chimp. "Wanna toss them off the train?"
I walk slowly, stopping near Charles’s face and crouching down, locking eyes with him, watching him look at me in fear.
"You think I’ll have to throw you off with your monkey, kid?" I ask seriously. "Or would you rather keep your mouth shut and help us take back our circus?"
Fredo lets go of the boy’s face as Charles hyperventilates through his mouth, glancing between the two of us.
"Just tell me what you need, Mister Crow." His words are firm, though they come fast from his ragged breath.
I look from him to Fredo, who smiles at me and gives a wink before stepping off Charles. I grab the boy by his shirt, hauling him up and gripping his hand tightly.
"Start by forgetting that name and calling me Clown," I grunt, staring deep into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there as he nods. "That’s it, kid. Now let’s talk about those light fingers of yours. Think you can steal something for me?"
He straightens up, glancing from Fredo to me, then smiles, adjusting his shirt and smoothing it with his hands.
"Just tell me what it is and where it’s at," he says with pride. "And you’ll have it."
"I want a key, Charles," I tell him firmly. "More specifically, the key to the bear’s cage. I need you to bring it to me."
He chuckles softly, reaching down to pick up the chimp and hold it in his arms.
"Dior’s no safe—stealing his key will be easy. But I’ll have to wait until nightfall, when he’s drunk enough to pass out. He won’t even feel me take it," he says quietly.
"Perfect. Do it," I say, inhaling deeply and slowly turning toward the window, watching the afternoon fade and night approach.
I’m going into that cage to see what they hid in there—but I didn’t want to break it open. Having Charles on my side will be useful, because if he brings me that key, I’ll go in and out of that cage without anyone knowing I did it.
And I need to. I need to see what’s inside—what cost the lives of two innocent, magnificent animals. Because when I go after that son of a bitch who killed the elephant mother and her calf, I want to know what price he paid to take their lives.