Page 48 of Glass
“Shit.” Frank looks at Gabe, eyebrows so high they’re nearly in his slicked-back, oily hairline. “Hand me my phone.”
Gabe narrows his eyes, but Felix says, “It’s okay, let him have it.”
I have to remind myself that Felix let Gabe and I work out our stuff, so I owe him the same courtesy to deal with Frank. I want to screamnoas Gabe hands over the phone reluctantly, but I rub my lips together to keep them closed instead.
The flip phone isn’t impressive, but what comes out of Frank’s mouth is. “Dr. Henrik Arnoult.” He reads off an address in Manhattan.
“Is that where he lives?” Felix asks.
“No, it’s his research lab. The good doctor has spent the better part of a decade trying to pinpoint the gene mutation that lets you fuckers turn yourself into big dogs. I guess he had some willing volunteers in the beginning, but they all kept getting sick or dying. I don’t know, the guy loves to hear himself talk. That’s all I know; I mostly tune him out while he’s writing the checks.” Frank shrugs casually and tucks the phone away into his jacket pocket.
Felix and I turn and look at each other. The panicked rush from the middle of the night is gone. Now we know where to find the head of the snake any time we want. I struggle to hold back a yawn before ultimately failing, and his face softens.
He glances at Gabe, nodding in Frank’s direction. “Get this guy out of here. And keep your phone on; we’ll call you after we decide how we want to handle this.”
Gabe looks to me for confirmation. A plan that no one will like is already forming in my head. “Felix and I could use some sleep. Then we can decide what comes next when we’re not all sleep-deprived and emotional. Come back tonight for dinner.”
I stand to hug my brother, wanting to make sure that’s the memory he leaves here with before I do something that’s potentially really, really stupid.
Felix stands and waits for me to detach myself from Gabe before he slings his arm possessively over my shoulder. I’m sure the lingering issues between him and I are still in the back of his mind, but it seems we’re both pretending those don’t exist for the time being.
“Let’s get some sleep,” he murmurs to me.
“Okay.” My heart rate picks up, and I hope like hell that he can’t sense it.
Felix leads me away from Gabe, who stays in the living area to deal with Frank. “Hey, what about my money?” Frank calls out angrily as Felix and I step into the bedroom. Felix slams the bedroom door shut, and I know, thanks to Gabe, that will be the last we ever hear of Frank.