Chapter 24
He held out his hand for her to shake, not wanting to be responsible for how wary she looked. “My name’s Jake,” he said. “And I’m not a cop.”
“Oh, cool,” she said and seemed to relax a bit. She even shook hands with him, although she looked weirded out by it. Her palm was damp. “I’m Hype.”
“Hi there, Hype,” Jake said, thinking of his niece and how she liked it when people used her name. Hype was older but a kid was still a kid, he figured. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Sure,” Hype said. “You’re here waiting for Gabe, right?”
“Yeah.” Jake said. No point in denying it. “He’s, uh…he’s designing a tattoo for me.”
“Yeah, I saw it,” Hype said. “That Black Hawk Downthing.” She circled one of her hands in the air in a vague imitation of turning helicopter blades. “Pretty intense.” She cocked her head. “Did that, like, really happen?”
Jake nodded. “Yes, it did.”
“No way.” Hype was staring at him with eyes as big as the Canadian two-dollar coins. “How come you’re still alive?”