Sacrifice

'She likes me. What's her name?'

'She's your pup, kid. So you name her, okay?'

'Okay,' the child said, his face all concentration, patting his dog. 'Prince,' he said. 'Prince. Prince the Puppy. My good old puppy.'

He was rocking back and forth on the floor, holding the puppy, face wet with tears. 'Don't take Prince!' he screamed, rolling over, trying to shield the pup with his body. Teresa started toward him. The front door opened, three men in business suits. Mama barked something at the waiter standing across from the register. He leaped up, his body between the customers and us, chesting them out the door into the street, door closing behind him. Two more of her men ran from the kitchen, the first one pulling an automatic from under his white coat. Teresa had the boy in her arms. The kid was sweat-drenched, mouth open, no sound, veins popping on his neck.

Luke went rigid. Teresa crooned, stroking him like he had the puppy. The boy's eyes closed. A shudder shook him. The puppy stood next to him on its stubby legs, guarding.

Luke's eyes opened. His fine hair was matted to his scalp, blood in one palm from his nails.

'It's okay, Luke,' Teresa said to him. 'A bad dream, that's all. You're safe. The puppy's safe.'

'My puppy…'

'Ssssh, child. It's all over now.'

'They killed his puppy.' Toby's little wiseguy voice coming out of Luke's body. 'They hung it upside down. They cut it open. The man with the hood, he cut out the heart and he ate it. He said he'd cut out Luke's heart too. If he ever told. Luke swore he never would. Luke's a little fucking pussy.'

I dropped to my knees, my hand on the back of Luke's head, the way you support a baby who can't hold his head up yet. 'Tell what, Toby?'

'Baby baby baby,' the child babbled. A murderer's mantra. I watched his eyes. The shift came. 'Baby,' the voice hissed. 'Bad baby. Killed my puppy. Baby wouldn't play like they wanted. I am…'

He launched himself off the floor, scrambling for one of the table settings. Where they had knives. I took him down, smothering his rage with my body, smelling his blood.

He went rigid again. Then I felt him soften beneath me, let him loose. He shook himself, sweat droplets flying. Teresa was talking to him. One of Mama's waiters swept the restaurant with the barrel of his pistol, looking for the evil with a blind eye.

124

Luke sat on Mama's lap, sipping from a glass of ice water. One of the waiters put a Closed for Repairs sign in the window— no customers today. The puppy plodded around on the tabletop, investigating all the smells.

'Luke, listen to Mama,' the dragon lady said, soft-voiced. 'Nobody hurt puppy. Nobody, understand? You take puppy with you. Everyplace you go, people watch you. Safe, okay?'

'Sure, Mama,' the kid said, watching the puppy lick up a mixture of tuna flakes and rice from a saucer.

I stepped away from the table, spoke to Teresa in a corner.

'Dissociation. Trauma-memories. He was reliving, reexperiencing.'

'Did he have a puppy…before?'

'I don't know. Now's not the time to ask him. He comes back more quickly now…we're getting closer.'

'Is it safe to leave the puppy with him?'

'You saw for yourself. It's babies he thinks are the enemy…a part of him, but he doesn't see that yet.'

'Remember what we talked about…? I want to bring that woman tomorrow. To talk to you. Not here, but a place close by. One of Mama's people will take you there, okay?'

She nodded.

I went to the pay phone in the back.

'This is SAFE. How can I help you?'

'You buy my clothes yet?' I asked Noelle.

'Oh, Burke! Not clothes, just a jacket. You didn't give me enough money for…'

'Never mind. Is your mother around?'

'No. She went somewhere with Storm.'

'Okay. You know Wolfe's number?'

'Sure. She's so stylish. She's going to take me to the…'

'Noelle, listen to me. Give her a call. Tell her to go to a good phone and call me. Understand?'

'Sure. Want me to do it now?'

'Yes.'

'Okay. When you come over I …'

'Now, Noelle.'

Well, fine!'

She hung up.