Frankenstorm: Chaos Theory Read Free Page A

that she was the one who’d called the police. Now she wished she hadn’t. She should have just gotten the hell out of there while she could, gotten back into her car and driven into the storm. She slowly turned her head back and forth in response to Giff’s question.
    The headache had gotten worse and was making her ears ring, and her shoulders, arms, and legs ached. She had a sinking feeling she was getting sick. At the worst possible time.
    “Well, far as I know, he’s got nothing on us,” Giff said. He turned around to find that the man and woman were now standing right behind him. “You think he followed Hank? Maybe that’s it. He was chasin’ Hank. Y’think?”
    The man nodded. “It’s possible.”
    “Giff, I think you should sit down,” the young woman said. “You’re sweatin’ like a pig. Shaking, too.”
    “I’m gonna be okay, Mia,” Giff said. “The bullet went straight through, it’s just a flesh wound.”
    “But you look like shit.”
    “Leave him alone, Mia,” the man said.
    “Well, look at him, Miguel, he looks like he’s gonna pass out, or something!” She lifted her hand to Giff’s face and placed her palm over his forehead, then his cheek. “Jesus, you’ve got a fever.” She shook her hand a few times, saying, “And you’re soaking wet.”
    “I’m not feeling so good, you wanna know the truth, but I think maybe I’m just getting a flu bug, or something. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Shit, this is bad, ’cause the cop’s gonna want to see Hank. Goddammit, we don’t have time to clean up that mess in the kitchen and hide the bodies.”
    “ Bodies ?” Mia said. “The fuck’s goin’ on here, you didn’t say nothin’ about no bodies in the kitchen.”
    “He’s gonna see Jimmy out in the front yard, anyway,” Miguel said. “He’ll know something’s up.”
    “What the hell are we talking about?” the woman said. “He’s going to see that !” She pointed at the bloody bandage on Giff’s arm. “You gonna tell him you cut yourself shaving?”
    “Fuck.” Giff turned to her. “Oh, uh, Latrice, this is Miguel and Mia. They live in one of the trailers out front. Guys, this is Latrice.” He turned to Mia and said, “Go to my room. Dresser drawer, second from the top, grab me a sweatshirt. Hurry.”
    Mia ran from the room.
    They all jumped at the loud pounding on the door.
    “Sheriff’s department!” a voice shouted just outside the door.
    “Jesus fucking Christ, ” Giff hissed.
    “You okay, Giff?” Miguel said. “You do look pretty bad. You got sweat dripping down your face.”
    He wiped a hand down his glistening face. “Yeah, I’m not feelin’ so good.”
    “What’s wrong?” he said.
    Giff shook his head. “I don’t have time to worry about it now.”
    Mia returned with a sweatshirt. She helped Giff remove the sweatshirt he was wearing, with its missing sleeve, and then helped him put on the one she’d brought. It was clean and had both sleeves and concealed Giff’s bandage well.
    “What do you want to do?” Miguel said.
    More pounding on the door.
    “Sheriff’s department, open up!”
    Giff clenched his teeth and growled through them, “Son of a bitch .” His forehead cut with deep frown lines, he frantically looked around the room, as if the solution might be right in front of him. “Okay, okay. Mia, go to the bedroom and get the kids. Bring ’em out here and put ’em in front of the TV. Turn on cartoons, or something. Do it now.”
    Mia looked uncertain. She’d had a slightly sickened look on her face ever since she’d learned there were dead people in the kitchen.
    “I don’t know, Giff,” she said, talking fast, “if you got bodies in the kitchen, are you sure you want me to bring the kids—”
    “Do it!” Miguel snapped.
    She hurried out of the room.
    Giff said, “Tojo, go sit on the couch and read your fuckin’ book.”
    Tojo quickly did as he was told.
    He turned to Marcus, who stood nearby in his wet raincoat