by Sara Hubbard
I raise my gun and point it at Brent’s nose; Vik calls out to me to try and stop me.
“Just wait a minute. I need to think.”
“There’s nothing to think about,” I snap back at him.
“Yuri needs to listen to what he just told us.”
I growl at my brother. I knew this was coming. “Viktor, I made a promise and I’m keeping it. Nothing he says will have any value to Yuri. It’s his word against Reed’s, and Yuri is going to believe Reed. He’s his son.”
Vik shakes his head and starts chewing on his thumbnail.
“Okay?”
He nods but doubt is written on his face.
“I have to do this. You know I do.”
“Fuck! All right.” Vik closes in, moving toward Brent before cocking his fist and punching him in the nose. Blood spurts from Brent’s nose and he wails in pain. Vik grabs a dirty sock off the floor and shoves it in Brent’s mouth to silence him. His eyes go wide. He knows the end is coming. I’ll admit it’s not easy to watch. That moment when someone knows this is their last few minutes. I was there once before and it really makes you think about what’s important. For me it was Vik and Ivy. And being a man that people respect because I deserve it, not because I demand it.
“I don’t like you,” I tell Brent. “But I didn’t want to kill you. Until you threw Jack under the bus and your fucking sister, too. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
His words are muffled but I’m pretty sure it’s another apology.
“I can’t walk away from this. I wish there was another way. It’s you or Jack and you’re nothing to me. This isn’t personal. Not for me, anyway.”
I pull the sock out to give him his last words. The sock is wet and covered in blood. He coughs and hacks before turning his head and spitting out blood. “Tell my sister I’m sorry.”
“If only I could.” I open my hand and pat him on the shoulder in sympathy, gripping it before taking a step back. Then I shove the sock back in his mouth. I raise my gun, close one eye and tip my head to the left as I look at him over the barrel of my gun. Slowly I put my finger on the trigger.
“Please,” he says one last time through the muffling of the sock.
I adjust my hold on the gun, my finger applying gentle pressure. A little more. You can do this. You have to do this. I roll my shoulders and my head and stare down the barrel again. Do it. Just do it, goddamn it. I swallow hard. My hands are sweaty and so is my brow.
Then bang!
14
NIKO: Vik pulls the truck into the garage and puts it in park. He leaves it idle a moment while we stare straight ahead at the tools on the wall. The cab smells like smoke and my hands are covered in soot after torching the farmhouse with Brent’s body inside it. A Dolly Parton song plays low and it’s depressing the shit out of me.
Vik and I barely said a word to each other the whole drive home. But we have to talk about what Brent said and what that means for us. If Vik goes to Yuri about Reed, my future is fucked.
He turns the car off and runs his sweaty palms along his jeans. I watch him from my peripheral. Waiting.
“I never told you about this, but…Yuri went to Ivy’s work,” I say. “Grabbed her by the wrist.” No matter how much I try, I can’t get the image to leave my mind. I want to go after Yuri, shoot him dead for threatening her and for threatening me. I won’t. There’s too much at stake. But I fucking want to. God help him if he tries something like that again.
Vik’s eyes go cold. He may not like her, but he cares because I do. “What the fuck did he want?”
“He wanted to remind me that I hadn’t agreed to kill Brent yet.”
He leans back in his seat and lets out a long sigh. “That’s why you pushed for it. It didn’t make sense to me. I thought you’d be jumping for joy when I suggested we let the fucker live.”
“I told Yuri I’d kill Brent. No matter how things turned out, if we took him to Yuri he’d still consider that disobedience. I love her, Vik. I fucking love her still. The thought of him touching her…hurting her… I can’t ever let that happen.”
He nods as he stares straight ahead. “Then Brent had to die.”
I clear my throat, feeling a little choked up. Vik can be a bastard and he can take lives without remorse, but he loves me. Him saying this is just another example of him supporting me, of him protecting me. So was him pulling the trigger and suggesting we torch the place so it’d be harder to know if, or how badly, we tortured him—which never really happened at all.
“Thank you. For letting it happen…and for doing it when I couldn’t.” I hang my head, ashamed, which is completely insane. I should be ashamed for almost killing the guy, not for my inability to follow through.
“Mom was wrong. You ain’t Dad…and that’s not a bad thing.” He reaches out a hand and lays it on my shoulder. I put my hand over it and keep it there until he slides his hand out from under mine.
“So, what now? This whole situation is fucked. I don’t like surprises like that, and when Brent said Reed’s name, he rattled me a little. And you know I don’t rattle easy.”
No, he doesn’t. His face is strained. He scratches his head as if trying to make sense of it all. I’m not proud of what we’ve done, but Vik is struggling with how things played out. And I need to help him get right with that. In a way that makes sense to him.
“Listen to me.” I turn in my seat so I’m mostly facing him. “It’s a good thing that Brent named Reed when he talked.”
My brother looks at me like I’m insane.
“When they find Brent’s body in the rubble, they’ll be looking for suspects. Who do you think will be their prime suspect?”
He shrugs. “Reed, I guess.”
“Exactly. This will sort itself out. Yuri will want to know why he’s the prime suspect and that means he’ll do some digging. So, either Reed goes down for the murder and he gets put away, or Yuri digs Reed a grave. Both situations solve our problem. Then you don’t have to be the one to tell Yuri his son is a traitor. You don’t have to deal with the fallout. You got me? Because Yuri is never going to take our word over Reed’s without proof.”
He shakes his head and lets out a growl. “I don’t like this.”
Him and me both. “You know that’s our best play, right?”
He nods. “If Yuri finds out we knew…”
“How? No one could possibly know that. I’m not going to talk and I trust you won’t either. We’re golden. As long as we stick together. So, brother, are we sticking together?”
He reaches out to cup the back of my head and forces me to look him in the eyes. “Always.”
15
IVY: Ten hours and counting. That’s how long I’ve been running around on my feet. One of the waitresses called in sick today and I ended up staying late to cover for her. It’s almost suppertime and we’re going to pick back up again. I can’t move fast enough to keep up with the demand. I’m sweaty and tired and one of my customers has complained about everything I’ve given him this afternoon. The only good thing about today is it’s a welcome distraction from everything going on in my life. I’m still worried about Jack—how could I not be—but there is nothing I can do right now. Nothing except trust Niko.
Wow. A week ago, I could never have imagined myself saying that.
It’s scary letting myself trust him again. My head fears he’ll only disappoint me, but I believe in second chances and how can I not give him one? After what he’s been through? Can I really judge him for shutting down? For pushing me away? I’m not sure I can.
Dishes crash and I spin around. Poor Tasha. She just can’t seem to get the hang of this place. I help her clean up just before Henry comes out and asks to see her in his office. Now is not a good time, but I don’t tell him that. I suck it up and keep going.
After dinner, I finally take my break. No one else is in the small break room, so I sit in the kitchen by the open back door, preferring to be near the cooks as they fry, bake, and grill.
The sound of them bantering with each other over the steady hum of the industrial fridges and the sizzle of the meat on the grill distracts me from my thoughts. There is no air conditioning back here and with the oven going, it’s hotter than a heat wave. The cool air blows in and it’s a welcome comfort to my sweaty skin. I fan myself and one of the cooks smiles at me before dinging the bell at the window to get Tasha to come and get another order.
Henry comes around the corner and strolls to the open door. “Is this the first break you’ve taken tonight?” he asks.
I nod before stifling a yawn.
“Sorry, kid. Those new people I hired just aren’t working out. I think I’m going to have to start looking again.”
I glance over at him. “Tasha is really sweet.”
“I’m going to go bankrupt on the losses I’m taking from broken dishes if I don’t let her go soon.”
I sigh. He’s right. I know it. Tasha is a sweet girl but this isn’t her calling. Still, I believe in second chances. “Another week? You never know. She might be perfect in a week. Remember how awful I was when I started?”
He laughs while he runs a hand through his short brown hair. He pats it down, as if it might have moved, but since I’ve known him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen his hair look dissimilar from how it looks now. “You picked things up in a day, if that. Smart as a whip and stuck in this godforsaken town working as a waitress.”
“I like it here.”
“Mmm. That’s what worries me.”
Henry has known me since my family moved here. I was only ten years old and he developed a friendship with my mother soon after. I don’t think anything ever happened between them, but I’ve always felt he cared for her more than she cared for him. It makes me sad for him. Because my mother never loved anyone but my dad. Even after he humiliated her and abandoned all of us.
“You still applying to those fancy schools?”
I shake my head. “I used to call every year and ask to defer, but I never did that this year. I don’t even know why.”
He pulls up a milk crate and flips it over to sit beside me. “Why is that?”
“What am I going to do? Leave Jack here to fend for himself?” I didn’t want to do that before he stole from Yuri, how the hell could I do that now? And then there’s Niko. I don’t want to factor him into my decision, but I can’t help myself.
“Sure, you could. And you should.”
I crinkle my nose and shake my head. “I can’t. When Mom passed, she told me to watch over Jack. What will happen if I’m not here to help him?”
“He’s a grown man. He’s responsible for his own choices. If he’s going to smarten himself up and set his life right, then it will be him deciding it and doing it. Ain’t nothing you can do to force him to make that choice. He has to want it.”
“I know you’re right, but it’s hard to just step aside.”
“Mmm.” He reaches out and pats my arm. “Think about it. And don’t decide for anyone but yourself. Be selfish for once in your life, Ivy. While you’re still young and single, and able to do it.”
“I’ll try.”
“And get yourself a fella. If you don’t already.” He gives me an exaggerated wink.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I hide my face, and refuse to let him see me blush.
“You know what I’m talking about,” he says, elbowing me.
“Niko?” I say quietly.
“Mmhmm.”
“Six years,” I say softly. “That’s a long time to go without speaking to someone, but then he comes back and I…I don’t know… This is going to sound so corny, but…did you ever give your heart to someone and never really get it back?”
He thinks on that a minute as he tips his head to the side. He clears his throat and scratches the side of his neck. “Some people never find love. They search all their life and never get so much as a taste of it. I don’t like that boy, Ivy. Not now and certainly not when he was a kid. But life is too short to ignore something like that.” He adjusts on his seat, groaning a little, like he’s uncomfortable. Then he stands. “Think about school some more, will ya?”
I smile up at him. “Sure thing.”
“And if you decide you don’t want it, maybe we can talk about you doing more around here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been thinking of retiring for years, but I need someone to run this place when I’m not here. I got no kids and no family. Only person I trust is you. I would have asked you sooner, but I didn’t want to give you another reason to stay.”
I look at him, incredulous. I can’t imagine this place without him in it. “Really, Henry? This place wouldn’t be the same without you.”
He lets go of a yawn and removes his glasses, rubbing them clean with the hem of his shirt before putting them back on. “I’m almost seventy and it’s about time. So if you decide you want to stick around, the job is yours. Okay?”
This place is his baby and he’s poured his sweat and tears into it for over thirty years. And he trusts me to take it over? I feel all choked up and I want to thank him for his faith in me, but I worry I won’t be able to get the words out. Instead, I stand and wrap my arms around his neck and give him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Don’t go getting all sappy on me. It’s a business decision,” he says, pointing a finger at me, as he tries to sound firm.
I pretend to agree with him, smiling and nodding.
He walks away from me, growling at one of the cooks as he passes him by. Henry sticks a spoon in the Chicken Noodle Soup. “More seasoning,” he says. Tony raises his middle finger to his back after Henry disappears down the hall, just before cursing and tossing more salt and pepper in the soup.
“You’re the only person he’s nice to,” Tony says.
I let out a quiet laugh. I’m not sure if that’s true. Or maybe it is. He’s like a cranky old dog, barking out commands and dishing out sarcasm in spades, but it’s all an act. Underneath, he’s a pussycat. He’d do anything to help someone in need. He just holds his softer side a little closer to his chest, kind of like Niko.
The rest of my shift hurries by. I leave late after giving Tasha a hand cleaning up the floors. On the way to my car, I give my brother a call. I haven’t heard from him since yesterday. I need to hear Jack’s voice for reassurance. Four rings and no answer. I try again once I’m in my car. Still nothing. So I leave a voice message for him to call me.
I’m almost home when he finally calls back. Glancing back and forth from the road and my phone, I manage to put it on speaker.
“Hey, Jack. Is everything okay?”
He breathes in the phone and the crackling noise pricks at my eardrum, making me wince.
“It’s fine. I guess.” His tone is clipped, irritated.
I can’t help but worry. “You guess?”
The phone goes silent. I’m not ready for what he says next. “I saw my lawyer today and he had some interesting things to say.”
“Such as?”
“Brent is claiming the drugs they found on him were mine.”
I glare at the phone sitting on the dash, as if Jack could see it. “Drugs? What drugs? No one said anything about drugs.”
“It didn’t matter because they found them on Brent. It’s his word against mine, but that don’t matter because the DA is still trying to get us on resisting arrest.”
My voice turns icy. “This is just fantastic. You need to stay away from him, Jack.” I told you so is on the tip of my tongue, but I hold it back. I never liked when Mom said it to me and it wouldn’t help this situation one bit.
“Not sure what that deal was because he’s not returning my calls, but…he also told them that the theft was my idea and I forced him into it.”
This is someone he calls a friend. “Oh, my God. Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s an asshole. Hayley said she’s not surprised. She told me not to trust him and I did.”
I turn on
to my street, stopping at a crosswalk for a couple of kids to cross. “The drugs were on him,” I say. “And it’s his word against yours. They can’t pin that on you unless you admit it was yours. And it wasn’t, right?”
Silence.
“Right?” I say, a little louder.
“Right!”
I accelerate until I reach my apartment, turning in slowly to share the narrow space leading to the lot out back. “The other stuff…I don’t know what to say about that. You did resist, so there is no way to avoid that.”
He sighs into the phone. “He was my friend and he’s Hayley’s brother. But I guess I didn’t mean shit to him, huh?”
I sink into my seat, wishing I could say anything to make him feel better, but I know there is nothing I can say to take away the sting of disappointment. People let you down sometimes. It happens to all of us. I just hope next time he puts his trust in someone who deserves it.
“I’m sorry this happened, Jack.”
“You and me both.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Nah, Hayley is with me. We’re commiserating.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re with someone.” I stop the car and grab my purse before getting out. I head to my apartment with my phone tucked into the crook of my neck while I sift through my bag for the keys to my apartment. The ring they were on was attached to my car keys, but the ring kind of snapped off and now they’re in the bottomless pit of my purse. “If you want to stop by tomorrow we can talk more.”
“Sure. I’ll talk to you then.”
After some more digging I find my keys and pull them out while crying ‘aha!’ The outside light shines just enough for me to easily slide the key in the lock. When I open the door, the place is quiet. Too quiet. I almost wish Jack was still here. We’d drive each crazy for sure, but I don’t love coming home to an empty house. It makes me think of Mom. I lived with her up until she died. Selling the house Jack and I grew up in almost paid off her medical bills and funeral. Her insurance paid the rest. I miss that house. Sometimes I drive by and tell myself I’ll buy it back someday, but that’s a pipe dream. Besides, it’s too big for me, anyway.