The usual sounds of the garage carried through into the office,
through its open door and thin windows, and right to Otto Halliwell and his
wife. The dog lay snoring on its side under a bench, and one of its four
legs kicked every now and again in the frantic chase of a dream.
Otto sat at the workbench, glasses perched on his nose as he skimmed some recent paperwork, the radio playing in the background, but inaudible over the clanking of tools, the conversing and the revving of engines.
With a groan, Otto pulled his glasses off his face and let them hang around his neck as he rubbed his tired eyes. He sighed, seeing the inquisitive look of his wife. Otto smiled. Junie smiled back.
It was at that moment that Memphis appeared in the doorway, looking rather frustrated, maybe even a little concerned... perhaps angry.
"What's wrong?" Junie asked, and the sound of her concerned voice awoke the slumbering dog. It gazed about lazily and yawned.
Memphis looked down at Otto. "Hank just arrived. He said he saw Kip and Tumbler downtown," he revealed. There was an unmistakable look in his eyes.
"Are they okay?" Otto found himself asking, turning on his stool to face his friend.
Memphis shrugged. "Apparently, they were admiring a Lexus."
Otto glanced briefly to Junie, stood, and led the way out of the office, leaving his wife and dog behind. Memphis followed.
"Do you think they were... up to something?"
Memphis let out a long exaggerated breath, and shook his head. Sway came up beside him as he replied, "It's hard to tell. Kip's been clean for over a year, but Hank said they looked a little... suspicious." His eyes met Sway's, and the woman's brow knitted.
"Well there's no way to tell what they're really doing," Sway stated, using a stray rag to wipe her grubby hands.
Memphis raised his eyebrows. "I can think of one."
Otto nodded, and watched Memphis and Sway move off to change.
* * *
Tumbler watched Kip with a furrowed brow and a considerable frown. He didn't want this. It was wrong... Kip had tried so hard, as had he. The temptations had been unbearable at times, but he had beaten them... they both had.
Kip stood next to a silver Lexus, admiring its sleek, beautiful form and finish, touching it lightly with one hand. His eyes floated back to his friend.
Tumbler looked away, and shook his head slowly. He felt a little guilty, letting himself be used against Kip like he had. But he knew how Kip thought of him as family... close family. He would never let anything hurt Tumbler, and vice versa. It had been that way for years.
Tumbler heard the rumble of a familiar car, and even as Kip managed to pop the door on the Lexus, his blue eyes caught sight of a Shelby Mustang approaching at a considerable speed.
"Um... Kip?"
Without looking back, removing his tool from the car door, Kip asked, "What is it? Is the owner comin' back?"
Tumbler shook his head, just as the Mustang pulled up on the opposite side of the street. There was an unmistakable blonde in the passenger seat, and an angry-looking man behind the wheel.
"No... but that might be better," Tumbler managed to stammer shortly before the door of the silver Mustang opened. The man climbed out at once, and started across the street.
"Kip!"
Tumbler swallow, throat suddenly dry, and saw his friend whirl in panic as recognition set in regarding the owner of the voice.
"Memphis..." he muttered, seemingly in disbelief, even as his brother stalked swiftly up to him, and shoved the door of the Lexus closed right behind Kip.
Kip started slightly, and opened his mouth to explain. Memphis held up a hand.
Tumbler felt the desperate urge to turn and walk away, seek sanctuary, but Sway's glare kept him frozen in place. He avoided her angry gaze, and his eyes found an interesting non-existent point on the floor.
"Don't say a word, Kip," Memphis growled, and without looking from his brother, addressed Tumbler; "Where's your car?"
Tumbler fumbled for a moment, digging his keys out of his pocket. "Right around the corner," he mumbled in response.
"Sway. Go with Tumbler," Memphis said stiffly, "drive him back to Otto's."
Sway nodded, and moved to Tumbler, who unclipped his keys and handed them to her shamefully. He was more embarrassed that he could remember being in a long time. The look Sway gave him didn't help any either. She took the keys, and walked beside Tumbler, keeping an eye on him.
Just as they were about to round the corner, Tumbler heard Memphis say, "Kip, get in the damn car."
* * *
The drive back to the shop didn't take long, and when Memphis pulled 'Eleanor' up outside, the red and black '67 Nova was already there, parked and empty. Sway and Tumbler had beaten them here... quite surprising at the speed Memphis had driven.
Memphis climbed out; waiting until he saw Kip get out as well, and then shut the car door. His brother did the same. Memphis led the way into the garage, his anger swelling more and more by the minute. This was more than a problem. This was unbelievable... he had thought Kip was over this, Tumbler too. Apparently not.
Pushing his way through the door, Kip right behind him, Memphis caught sight of Otto, who nodded to him. Junie was hanging back in the office doorway. The shop was quiet.
"I had a feeling you'd head back here," Otto explained, his voice low, dog at his side, "I sent the others home for the rest of the day."
Memphis nodded, and let his eyes search for Sway, who he found leaning against the wall across the room, near to a desk, her arms crossed over her chest, face pensive. Tumbler sat with a frown in a wheelie chair, which he shoved lightly back and forth with one foot. The chair spun a few centimetres and stopped, before he gave the ground another gentle nudge, sending him spinning ever so slightly the other way. His arms were on the rests at the side of the chair, and his eyes never left the floor.
The air was silent for a while, the tension high. Everyone just sat and looked at everyone else, save for the two culprits who had just been caught red-handed, so to speak. The only sound was that of the dog as he panted in the warm afternoon, eyes droopy and lazy.
Memphis gave a momentary glare to Tumbler, and then turned on Kip, who looked to be expecting whatever his brother had in store. He looked ashamed, and for a very good reason.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Memphis blurted finally, no longer able to keep it inside, feeling his anger flow free throughout his body. His eyes found Kip's and locked them there.
Kip said nothing. Memphis glanced back at Tumbler, who avoided his gaze, and also kept silent.
Memphis paced one intimidating step closer to his brother, and said in a low voice, "I asked you a question."
"We..." Kip began quietly, somewhat feebly, "we were..." he sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets, "we were stealing a car."
At the sound of movement from behind him, Memphis turned his head to see Tumbler merely leaning forward in the chair, a hand rubbing through his hair.
It was the sentence Memphis had feared. He had known it was coming, but something deep inside of him had told him foolishly that maybe there was another explanation.
For a few moments, Memphis wasn't sure what to say or do, before he managed to ask, "What the hell for? I thought you were done with that... didn't you learn your lesson the last time!"
Kip squirmed under his brother's icy glare, and shook his head, stammering for a second before offering, "You don't understand."
"You're damn right I don't," Memphis agreed whole-heartedly, looking to Sway, who shrugged. Tumbler had taken to standing from the chair, hands in his pockets also, eyes locked on the classic Ford, obviously trying to find something else other than the debate to concentrate on.
Memphis continued, "Here I was thinking you had finally learned your lesson, gotten over all of this, and moved on. You told me you were going to buy a car, not boost one. I mean... a Lexus? In broad daylight!"
"No," Kip mumbled, shaking his head, "it's not like that. I didn't have any other choice..."
Memphis felt his brow furrow, and his eyes narrowed in confusion and consideration briefly, before he demanded, "What are you talking about? You could have chosen not to steal the damn Lexus. You're lucky I got there before you did something stupid and got yourself in more trouble than you'd ever know what to do with."
Kip took his hands out of his pockets, and gestured vaguely to the door as he said, "No, I mean, I didn't want to steal the Lexus-"
"What? Someone told you to steal the car?" Memphis exclaimed, waving his arms, leaning forward to say it right in Kip's face.
Kip wasn't intimidated anymore. Memphis waited for the excuse.
"I had to, Memphis," Kip told him firmly; words clear and crisp, eyes locked with his. "I didn't have any other choice."
Sway moved over a few feet, standing behind Memphis, and asked, "Kip, what are you talking about? What do you mean you 'had to'?"
Kip hesitated, and Memphis saw him glance to Tumbler, who was trying his hardest not to get involved.
If I'm not going to get anything out of him, Memphis thought, regarding his brother momentarily, before stalking over to the Ford, then maybe I can find out what's going on from Tumbler.
He arrived at Tumbler's side, and visibly saw the younger man shrink away slightly, as if he had thought Memphis was going to strike out at him... and it wasn't like Tumbler couldn't defend himself. What the hell was going on here? Something was wrong.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Memphis asked, keeping his eyes firmly locked on Tumbler.
Tumbler threw a look to Kip, and said, "Nothin'."
Memphis almost burst out laughing at the pathetic attempt. There was no emotion in Tumbler's voice. He had just shaken his head and mumbled a simple word, one that Memphis already knew meant squat.
"Don't lie to me," Memphis warned, and Tumbler looked him in the eye.
The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but what were only moments in reality, and their gaze was intense, daring even. Memphis wanted to know what was going on, and Tumbler wasn't going to say.
"Did you put him up to it?" Memphis inquired after a long minute, not surprised when he saw Tumbler snap his head to him in disgust and shock.
Tumbler's gaze hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. "Hell, no."
"Then what? Some dumbass dare?"
"Yeah, right," Tumbler scoffed quietly, "you think we're that stupid?"
"I dunno," Memphis retorted quickly, "I caught you breaking into a Lexus in the middle of the street."
"You've got no idea what's goin' on," Tumbler practically growled back, inches from Memphis now. He had clearly made him a little angry... good, just what he wanted. Maybe now he would get some answers.
"Then why don't you tell me?" Memphis pondered aloud, sarcasm evident.
"Because it's none of your damn business!" Tumbler exclaimed, and before long, he and Memphis were tangled up in a rather heated argument that jumped back and forth. Their words increased in volume, and the intent moved from inquiry to insult quickly.
Sway moved over to try and break Memphis away from it, and Otto was trying to calm Tumbler down. Apparently, it didn't take long for the young man's temper to boil. He was furious. Memphis wasn't much better. Junie stayed back in the office, rubbing her eyes, and the dog retreated through the small doorway behind her with a low pine.
"He was going to kill him!"
At the sound of Kip's almighty shout, everyone froze, their voices failing and stopping altogether. Memphis turned to his brother first, followed by a confused Sway. Otto glanced between Kip and Tumbler, who sighed loudly, and rubbed his hair again, glancing away, seemingly ashamed again.
Kip was staring intently to his brother, and he was breathing hard, as if he had just been running.
Memphis' eyes narrowed. "What?"
Calmer, Kip repeated his words, "He was going to kill him."
"Who?" Sway inquired, tilting her head ever so slightly, with a furrowed brow.
Kip paused, and Tumbler's eyes darted to meet him. There was a subtle shake of the head, one that Kip apparently chose to ignore.
"He... he said he was going to kill Tumbler," Kip managed after a moment. "That's why we... why I was stealing the Lexus."
Memphis glanced to Tumbler, who groaned, rubbed his face, and slumped back into the chair. He paced over to his brother, and took a hold of his gently by the shoulders. "Who said he was going to kill Tumbler? Why?"
"Um... I... I can't remember," Kip murmured, shaking his head in serious confusion.
Sway glanced to the other young man, and raised her eyebrows. Tumbler saw her regarding him, and let out a sigh, saying, "Lyle Shepherd. His name was Lyle Shepherd."
Memphis whirled to Otto, and quickly said, "Get hold of Atley, see if he's heard of this Lyle Shepherd guy."
Otto gave a swift single nod, and disappeared into the office at once. There was the sound of his picking up the phone.
"What did he want you to do?" was Memphis' next question, and he turned back to his brother, anger faded, concern ebbing and flowing freely. The situation was more complicated than he had thought.
"He wanted me to get everyone together, and then he was gonna give me a list of cars he needs," Kip explained, and there was an edge of exhaustion to his voice. He scratched the back of his head slowly, and sighed. "I didn't want to get anybody else involved."
"Then how come you went after the Lexus if you didn't even have a list?" Sway queried, not sure who to look to: Kip or Tumbler.
Tumbler chose to reply, and Kip perched himself on the edge of a workbench carefully as the other young man said, "We thought that if we could show this guy we could manage to boost a car without anyone's help, then no one else would have to get involved."
"I know how much this all mean to you, Memphis," Kip added, glancing around the garage, "and I didn't want you to have to risk losing it all again. I thought this was all behind us, you know?"
"Then how did this Shepherd guy get the chance to offer you the deal?" Memphis asked, hands akimbo, eyes looking between Kip and Tumbler.
Kip and Tumbler explained carefully, trying not to leave out a detail of what they knew, and Memphis and Sway listened carefully. It was a little confusing, and more than a little worrying. Someone had been able to drag up information about the crew's names and skills. Someone had told them, and they even had photos of every member of both young and old crews. Someone had been doing their homework.
Memphis saw Otto emerge from the office, and heard him say, "Atley's gonna see what he can dig up on this Shepherd guy. He'll give us a call when he finds something."
Memphis nodded, mind made up, and turned full on to his old friend and associate, saying, "Otto, we've got some calls to make."
Otto sat at the workbench, glasses perched on his nose as he skimmed some recent paperwork, the radio playing in the background, but inaudible over the clanking of tools, the conversing and the revving of engines.
With a groan, Otto pulled his glasses off his face and let them hang around his neck as he rubbed his tired eyes. He sighed, seeing the inquisitive look of his wife. Otto smiled. Junie smiled back.
It was at that moment that Memphis appeared in the doorway, looking rather frustrated, maybe even a little concerned... perhaps angry.
"What's wrong?" Junie asked, and the sound of her concerned voice awoke the slumbering dog. It gazed about lazily and yawned.
Memphis looked down at Otto. "Hank just arrived. He said he saw Kip and Tumbler downtown," he revealed. There was an unmistakable look in his eyes.
"Are they okay?" Otto found himself asking, turning on his stool to face his friend.
Memphis shrugged. "Apparently, they were admiring a Lexus."
Otto glanced briefly to Junie, stood, and led the way out of the office, leaving his wife and dog behind. Memphis followed.
"Do you think they were... up to something?"
Memphis let out a long exaggerated breath, and shook his head. Sway came up beside him as he replied, "It's hard to tell. Kip's been clean for over a year, but Hank said they looked a little... suspicious." His eyes met Sway's, and the woman's brow knitted.
"Well there's no way to tell what they're really doing," Sway stated, using a stray rag to wipe her grubby hands.
Memphis raised his eyebrows. "I can think of one."
Otto nodded, and watched Memphis and Sway move off to change.
* * *
Tumbler watched Kip with a furrowed brow and a considerable frown. He didn't want this. It was wrong... Kip had tried so hard, as had he. The temptations had been unbearable at times, but he had beaten them... they both had.
Kip stood next to a silver Lexus, admiring its sleek, beautiful form and finish, touching it lightly with one hand. His eyes floated back to his friend.
Tumbler looked away, and shook his head slowly. He felt a little guilty, letting himself be used against Kip like he had. But he knew how Kip thought of him as family... close family. He would never let anything hurt Tumbler, and vice versa. It had been that way for years.
Tumbler heard the rumble of a familiar car, and even as Kip managed to pop the door on the Lexus, his blue eyes caught sight of a Shelby Mustang approaching at a considerable speed.
"Um... Kip?"
Without looking back, removing his tool from the car door, Kip asked, "What is it? Is the owner comin' back?"
Tumbler shook his head, just as the Mustang pulled up on the opposite side of the street. There was an unmistakable blonde in the passenger seat, and an angry-looking man behind the wheel.
"No... but that might be better," Tumbler managed to stammer shortly before the door of the silver Mustang opened. The man climbed out at once, and started across the street.
"Kip!"
Tumbler swallow, throat suddenly dry, and saw his friend whirl in panic as recognition set in regarding the owner of the voice.
"Memphis..." he muttered, seemingly in disbelief, even as his brother stalked swiftly up to him, and shoved the door of the Lexus closed right behind Kip.
Kip started slightly, and opened his mouth to explain. Memphis held up a hand.
Tumbler felt the desperate urge to turn and walk away, seek sanctuary, but Sway's glare kept him frozen in place. He avoided her angry gaze, and his eyes found an interesting non-existent point on the floor.
"Don't say a word, Kip," Memphis growled, and without looking from his brother, addressed Tumbler; "Where's your car?"
Tumbler fumbled for a moment, digging his keys out of his pocket. "Right around the corner," he mumbled in response.
"Sway. Go with Tumbler," Memphis said stiffly, "drive him back to Otto's."
Sway nodded, and moved to Tumbler, who unclipped his keys and handed them to her shamefully. He was more embarrassed that he could remember being in a long time. The look Sway gave him didn't help any either. She took the keys, and walked beside Tumbler, keeping an eye on him.
Just as they were about to round the corner, Tumbler heard Memphis say, "Kip, get in the damn car."
* * *
The drive back to the shop didn't take long, and when Memphis pulled 'Eleanor' up outside, the red and black '67 Nova was already there, parked and empty. Sway and Tumbler had beaten them here... quite surprising at the speed Memphis had driven.
Memphis climbed out; waiting until he saw Kip get out as well, and then shut the car door. His brother did the same. Memphis led the way into the garage, his anger swelling more and more by the minute. This was more than a problem. This was unbelievable... he had thought Kip was over this, Tumbler too. Apparently not.
Pushing his way through the door, Kip right behind him, Memphis caught sight of Otto, who nodded to him. Junie was hanging back in the office doorway. The shop was quiet.
"I had a feeling you'd head back here," Otto explained, his voice low, dog at his side, "I sent the others home for the rest of the day."
Memphis nodded, and let his eyes search for Sway, who he found leaning against the wall across the room, near to a desk, her arms crossed over her chest, face pensive. Tumbler sat with a frown in a wheelie chair, which he shoved lightly back and forth with one foot. The chair spun a few centimetres and stopped, before he gave the ground another gentle nudge, sending him spinning ever so slightly the other way. His arms were on the rests at the side of the chair, and his eyes never left the floor.
The air was silent for a while, the tension high. Everyone just sat and looked at everyone else, save for the two culprits who had just been caught red-handed, so to speak. The only sound was that of the dog as he panted in the warm afternoon, eyes droopy and lazy.
Memphis gave a momentary glare to Tumbler, and then turned on Kip, who looked to be expecting whatever his brother had in store. He looked ashamed, and for a very good reason.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Memphis blurted finally, no longer able to keep it inside, feeling his anger flow free throughout his body. His eyes found Kip's and locked them there.
Kip said nothing. Memphis glanced back at Tumbler, who avoided his gaze, and also kept silent.
Memphis paced one intimidating step closer to his brother, and said in a low voice, "I asked you a question."
"We..." Kip began quietly, somewhat feebly, "we were..." he sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets, "we were stealing a car."
At the sound of movement from behind him, Memphis turned his head to see Tumbler merely leaning forward in the chair, a hand rubbing through his hair.
It was the sentence Memphis had feared. He had known it was coming, but something deep inside of him had told him foolishly that maybe there was another explanation.
For a few moments, Memphis wasn't sure what to say or do, before he managed to ask, "What the hell for? I thought you were done with that... didn't you learn your lesson the last time!"
Kip squirmed under his brother's icy glare, and shook his head, stammering for a second before offering, "You don't understand."
"You're damn right I don't," Memphis agreed whole-heartedly, looking to Sway, who shrugged. Tumbler had taken to standing from the chair, hands in his pockets also, eyes locked on the classic Ford, obviously trying to find something else other than the debate to concentrate on.
Memphis continued, "Here I was thinking you had finally learned your lesson, gotten over all of this, and moved on. You told me you were going to buy a car, not boost one. I mean... a Lexus? In broad daylight!"
"No," Kip mumbled, shaking his head, "it's not like that. I didn't have any other choice..."
Memphis felt his brow furrow, and his eyes narrowed in confusion and consideration briefly, before he demanded, "What are you talking about? You could have chosen not to steal the damn Lexus. You're lucky I got there before you did something stupid and got yourself in more trouble than you'd ever know what to do with."
Kip took his hands out of his pockets, and gestured vaguely to the door as he said, "No, I mean, I didn't want to steal the Lexus-"
"What? Someone told you to steal the car?" Memphis exclaimed, waving his arms, leaning forward to say it right in Kip's face.
Kip wasn't intimidated anymore. Memphis waited for the excuse.
"I had to, Memphis," Kip told him firmly; words clear and crisp, eyes locked with his. "I didn't have any other choice."
Sway moved over a few feet, standing behind Memphis, and asked, "Kip, what are you talking about? What do you mean you 'had to'?"
Kip hesitated, and Memphis saw him glance to Tumbler, who was trying his hardest not to get involved.
If I'm not going to get anything out of him, Memphis thought, regarding his brother momentarily, before stalking over to the Ford, then maybe I can find out what's going on from Tumbler.
He arrived at Tumbler's side, and visibly saw the younger man shrink away slightly, as if he had thought Memphis was going to strike out at him... and it wasn't like Tumbler couldn't defend himself. What the hell was going on here? Something was wrong.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Memphis asked, keeping his eyes firmly locked on Tumbler.
Tumbler threw a look to Kip, and said, "Nothin'."
Memphis almost burst out laughing at the pathetic attempt. There was no emotion in Tumbler's voice. He had just shaken his head and mumbled a simple word, one that Memphis already knew meant squat.
"Don't lie to me," Memphis warned, and Tumbler looked him in the eye.
The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but what were only moments in reality, and their gaze was intense, daring even. Memphis wanted to know what was going on, and Tumbler wasn't going to say.
"Did you put him up to it?" Memphis inquired after a long minute, not surprised when he saw Tumbler snap his head to him in disgust and shock.
Tumbler's gaze hardened, and he narrowed his eyes. "Hell, no."
"Then what? Some dumbass dare?"
"Yeah, right," Tumbler scoffed quietly, "you think we're that stupid?"
"I dunno," Memphis retorted quickly, "I caught you breaking into a Lexus in the middle of the street."
"You've got no idea what's goin' on," Tumbler practically growled back, inches from Memphis now. He had clearly made him a little angry... good, just what he wanted. Maybe now he would get some answers.
"Then why don't you tell me?" Memphis pondered aloud, sarcasm evident.
"Because it's none of your damn business!" Tumbler exclaimed, and before long, he and Memphis were tangled up in a rather heated argument that jumped back and forth. Their words increased in volume, and the intent moved from inquiry to insult quickly.
Sway moved over to try and break Memphis away from it, and Otto was trying to calm Tumbler down. Apparently, it didn't take long for the young man's temper to boil. He was furious. Memphis wasn't much better. Junie stayed back in the office, rubbing her eyes, and the dog retreated through the small doorway behind her with a low pine.
"He was going to kill him!"
At the sound of Kip's almighty shout, everyone froze, their voices failing and stopping altogether. Memphis turned to his brother first, followed by a confused Sway. Otto glanced between Kip and Tumbler, who sighed loudly, and rubbed his hair again, glancing away, seemingly ashamed again.
Kip was staring intently to his brother, and he was breathing hard, as if he had just been running.
Memphis' eyes narrowed. "What?"
Calmer, Kip repeated his words, "He was going to kill him."
"Who?" Sway inquired, tilting her head ever so slightly, with a furrowed brow.
Kip paused, and Tumbler's eyes darted to meet him. There was a subtle shake of the head, one that Kip apparently chose to ignore.
"He... he said he was going to kill Tumbler," Kip managed after a moment. "That's why we... why I was stealing the Lexus."
Memphis glanced to Tumbler, who groaned, rubbed his face, and slumped back into the chair. He paced over to his brother, and took a hold of his gently by the shoulders. "Who said he was going to kill Tumbler? Why?"
"Um... I... I can't remember," Kip murmured, shaking his head in serious confusion.
Sway glanced to the other young man, and raised her eyebrows. Tumbler saw her regarding him, and let out a sigh, saying, "Lyle Shepherd. His name was Lyle Shepherd."
Memphis whirled to Otto, and quickly said, "Get hold of Atley, see if he's heard of this Lyle Shepherd guy."
Otto gave a swift single nod, and disappeared into the office at once. There was the sound of his picking up the phone.
"What did he want you to do?" was Memphis' next question, and he turned back to his brother, anger faded, concern ebbing and flowing freely. The situation was more complicated than he had thought.
"He wanted me to get everyone together, and then he was gonna give me a list of cars he needs," Kip explained, and there was an edge of exhaustion to his voice. He scratched the back of his head slowly, and sighed. "I didn't want to get anybody else involved."
"Then how come you went after the Lexus if you didn't even have a list?" Sway queried, not sure who to look to: Kip or Tumbler.
Tumbler chose to reply, and Kip perched himself on the edge of a workbench carefully as the other young man said, "We thought that if we could show this guy we could manage to boost a car without anyone's help, then no one else would have to get involved."
"I know how much this all mean to you, Memphis," Kip added, glancing around the garage, "and I didn't want you to have to risk losing it all again. I thought this was all behind us, you know?"
"Then how did this Shepherd guy get the chance to offer you the deal?" Memphis asked, hands akimbo, eyes looking between Kip and Tumbler.
Kip and Tumbler explained carefully, trying not to leave out a detail of what they knew, and Memphis and Sway listened carefully. It was a little confusing, and more than a little worrying. Someone had been able to drag up information about the crew's names and skills. Someone had told them, and they even had photos of every member of both young and old crews. Someone had been doing their homework.
Memphis saw Otto emerge from the office, and heard him say, "Atley's gonna see what he can dig up on this Shepherd guy. He'll give us a call when he finds something."
Memphis nodded, mind made up, and turned full on to his old friend and associate, saying, "Otto, we've got some calls to make."
