by Wyatt, Dani
“Told you. Don’t worry, though. He will have her in here soon enough — fitting in a nice fuck with your girl now and then in-between all his other interests. He’ll teach her how to be a good little slut. Work on putting a baby in her belly. Of course, if she’s got one cooking already — he’ll be sure to take care of it.”
Flynn exploded down the hall, his right leg rising up to stomp one boot into Gideon’s chest, knocking him back.
The hall filled with the crash and break of an ivory-colored porcelain vase that had stood on the now toppled hall table, the shards scattering all over the dark floor as Gideon stumbled backward, his face turning from shock to a smile.
“Yeah? We’re finishing this, brother, right fucking now.” Gideon pushed forward but Flynn spun again, sending him flying passed while hitting a perfect elbow to his unguarded face.
The jolt of pain from the impact driven punch shot up Flynn’s arm and into his chest as Gideon’s already broken nose exploded. The drip of blood soaked in perfect circles on his white t-shirt.
“Fuck!” Gideon’s yell filled the empty cavernous house, and Flynn saw the little figure of Molly standing stunned at the top of the stairs. “Get out of here! GO!” he ordered. She didn’t need to be here, to see whatever this was going to be.
He watched as she looked back, her eyes sad as she retreated.
For a second, Flynn thought of the cold press of metal on his back, but no. That wasn’t how this was going to go. It was time, Flynn buried his head to his chest and shot at his brother like a cannonball.
Flynn’s arm pulled around his neck, locking Gideon between his legs as the trapped man tore into his forearm, trying to release his windpipe. Flynn roared and crushed his throat. They fell to the floor, shaking the mirror on the wall.
Gideon lay in his arms, wheezing, gasping like a fish out of water, his mouth gaping large as he worked desperately to suck in air.
Kill him. KILL HIM!
Every part of Flynn’s body screamed in pain. Gideon struggled, the meager remnants of his oxygen burning away until Flynn felt his fight drain. He should kill him, he should.
It was the way.
Gideon deserved it.
Gideon was his brother. Raised in the same hell.
Flynn couldn’t be what they wanted him to be, what he had been trained and raised to be.
He couldn’t.
He wouldn’t be. Not for Gideon. Not for Lilly.
Flynn’s head cleared, showing him his brother for what he was — a child as brutalized and brainwashed as himself, an innocent dipped by the heel into the river of filth that was their father.
Flynn gave his neck a centimeter, and Gideon drew in a breath, his lips a dim hint of bluish purple.
He’d finally won. Finally beaten the unbeatable. The blood son, the favorite, the chosen. The broken. The damaged.
But, the real victory lay in Flynn’s choice to stop. To free himself from his father’s hold and the life that breathed in violence and spat out hate.
Flynn threw Gideon into the floor, releasing Gideon's neck and body as he himself crawled backward — away from the moment when he would have become what his father always wanted.
“Fuck,” Flynn spat.
He struggled to his feet. Pure adrenaline had carried him through the scuffle with Gideon, but his body quickly reminded him his reserves were running on empty.
Gideon’s hands rubbed his throat as he stared at Flynn.
“Do you know about this stuff with these kids? The girls?” Flynn glared at his brother.
“What the fuck?” Gideon said, his eyes still wide, trying to catch a full breath, but he didn’t come back at Flynn.
“Do you know?”
“Know what? That he brings them here, gives them fucking jobs and maybe has some fun? Jesus, who the fuck cares?”
“No, the business, the girls. The young fucking girls.”
“Seventeen’s not young, man. Big fucking deal,” he rasped. “They just look young. In their blood. They wanna be here, begged to be here, their big chance to get out.”
Flynn squatted down to get to eye level with Gideon. “I’m not talking about the seventeen-year-olds. I’m talking about the fifteen-year-olds, the twelve-year-olds. The ten-year-olds.”
“What?”
“He lies to their parents, brings them over, rapes them, beats them, trains them as sex slaves. Then he sells them.”
“Fuck you… Fuck you, he does not,” Gideon spat, his brain working through all that he thought he knew. “Fuck you. He’s got a taste for ‘em looking a certain way. Fuck you. It’s not like that.”
Flynn could see in Gideon’s eyes that he really hadn't known.
“You’re going to fuck everything up like you always do. I wish you were never fucking born, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know that.”
Flynn turned to the stairs. He had something to do, and it wasn’t going to get done here.
“She died because of you! She hated you. Hated having to look at you every fucking day. Reminding her!” Gideon’s tortured voice tried to yell.
“I didn’t fucking ask for this!”
Flynn wanted to keep walking, but this had been coming for a long time.
“Why he took you in—” Gideon spat blood onto the floor. “You always fucked everything up. Fucked her up. Piece of shit bastard around for her to raise.”
“And whose fucking fault was that? Huh? HIS! He’s the fuck! He’s the one who plays with lives and fucks with heads! Fucker pitted us against each other since the moment he brought me here. Don’t you see that? He played you as much as me. He wants this—” Flynn flung his hand between them until his wrist cracked. “— wants us to hate each other. Who gets the power then? Huh? Not fucking us.”
“You’re the one with no fucking power.” Gideon’s eyes shot hate at Flynn.
“Don’t. He’s going to bring us all down. Lilly too. This can’t be our legacy, this can’t be — just think for yourself for one fucking second.” Flynn pointed to his head. “What are you getting set up for, huh? You think he gets caught with the girls, he’s the one going down? No fucking way, trust me. I’ve seen it. He’s got your name all over those files. He’s got you on video with some of them.”
“I never fucked any kids. They’re all over eighteen. I’ve seen their papers!”
“Really? Who gave you those papers? Them?”
Gideon stared hard at Flynn. “Video? What fucking video?”
“Of you. And some of the maids. He’s got your room bugged, and there’s video. He’d kill you just as fast as me. Don’t you doubt that for a second. He’d send you down to save himself without a moment of lost sleep. Why didn’t he kill me himself? Huh? Ever wonder?”
“You’ll never belong here.”
“I don’t want to fucking belong here!”
“Fuck off. I’m not telling you shit.”
“You want more. I know you do. I’ve seen it. You want the real success, the kind that brings us out in the open, that shows what you can do. Do this for yourself. This other shit, that sick shit, it’s going to bring everything down, everything we could be. You’re fucking smart. You put SPIN together, the whole business plan, not him. Don’t let him take that away from you. From Lilly. From the whole fucking family!”
Gideon sat in silence, still struggling for air, and then said, “I don’t know where he is. He was supposed to be back. I was supposed to go find you.”
“I’m right fucking here, bro.”
“Get out.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, but if you don’t leave, I’ll do what he told me to do. Finish what I didn’t last night.”
“No, you won’t.”
Flynn dialed Lilly as he hit the stairs, leaving Gideon leaning against the wall, the blood from his nose soaking his shirt, one hand holding the front of his neck.
***
“Good, you’ve got your phone.”
“Yeah, it was ringing from my messenger bag, stuck inside that suitcase from the hotel.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m fucking fine, babe. Promise. Tying up loose ends.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, you need to work and let me do what I need to do. No more fucking questions. I’m fine. You work, got it?”
Silence on the other end.
“Lilly, not fucking now. I don’t need any shit from you.”
Flynn felt an overwhelming exhaustion settling in as if it grew out of his bones. He knew she was pouting, but he didn’t have time for unnecessary drama right now.
“I dealt with Gideon. He’s not coming for me. You—” Flynn swallowed, turning the Bronco down toward the gym. “— you work until I come there for you. Keep this phone on you. Not in your fucking bag or on the damn desk. Shove it down your shirt if you have to, but keep it on you, got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good, now stay put until I come for you. No questions. I love you, Lilly. I’ll take care of you just like I promised.”
“I believe you. I love you.” Lilly gave him a crooked smile. “I trust you.”
He heard the words, but more, he felt that gift of trust that he’d longed for, and Flynn knew they’d finally come through the darkness.
“Good girl. Back to work, I’ll be there soon.”
Flynn wasn’t sure where he should be, but he knew where he was going.
The place that always knew him, the place where he felt most at home.
Flynn walked through the back doors at Southside, the immediate sound of grunts and punches washing over him like warm water.
He could even hear Roger screaming orders at someone and Flynn smiled.
What the fuck am I doing here? I need to find Colin, finish this.
He’d stuffed the black 9mm under the seat in the Bronco, the pull of it calling him, the adrenaline coursing within as he thought of ending his father’s life.
“Well, what the hell. You look like hammered shit, still.”
“Yeah, I feel worse.”
“No shit.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Take what?”
“The contract. If you’ll be my coach, I’ll take it.”
“Took you long enough. You’re fucking lucky; Simon was here earlier, said he’d be back tomorrow. Said if you didn’t sign, he was moving on. Saw you last night, too.”
“Yeah? Saw me get my ass kicked and almost die.”
“Yeah, that, too. But, you didn’t fucking die. And you were half fucking dead when you got in the damn ring. You’re the toughest son of a bitch I ever seen. Stupid, but tough. He saw that too. No fucking defense, but you gotta be half cat, cause you sure as shit got nine lives.”
“Yeah, something like that. I feel like shit, though, I gotta tell you.”
“Of course you do. You need rest. A lot. I’m not working you out for at least a week, so go. Get out of here. I’ll call Simon and let him know. Then, we’ll figure out when you can come and make this official. You’re a crazy ass, kid, but you can take a beating and dish it out — even in your shape. It’s gonna be a wild ride with you; I can see it.”
***
Flynn couldn’t stop the dangling ends gnawing at him. He had to figure out how to get Lilly’s mom here, how to save the one person that Lilly needed besides him.
It was his responsibility. His promise. Somehow, he had to unravel this piece of the puzzle before anything else had a chance to go wrong.
The gym parking lot was full of blowing trash and Flynn made his way to the Bronco, his head swimming with ways to get enough cash to get Abigail here, how to get her the treatment she needed.
To save her.
To keep his promise.
He had the codes for the accounts, but getting at the money would take at least a few days. With what happened last night, he wasn’t sure how much time he had. Colin was out there somewhere, and he would finish things eventually.
And, he still needed to find his father before he found him. Now that Flynn knew he wanted him dead, the timeline for achieving his goals had become tighter, with less room for error.
Who knew if Colin had ever even intended to bring Abigail? He had been pushing Lilly to complete the critical juncture of her part of the project before the wedding. The code inside her brain would already have been written in, then it would have been just a matter of maintaining it. Maybe he’d never intended to bring Lilly’s mother at all. Or worse, maybe he'd intended to continue to hold Lilly's dying mother as his own personal bargaining chip for as long as she'd lived.
All Flynn knew was that he was on a damn short fuse, and somehow he needed help. Money and help. Some things you can’t do alone.
Standing in the back parking lot of Southside, Flynn walked slowly toward the Bronco. His head still filled with all the ways he needed to bring this shit storm to a close.
He had to get to the old man. Somehow, they would figure something out. Topher had to have enough to pay. Then, it was just getting her here and convincing the doctors to keep up their end of the bargain, whatever it was that Colin had set up.
He leaned on the hood of the Bronco, his ribs still giving him quiet reminders they needed time to heal.
The white paint on the hood dotted with small, shiny circles. He didn’t feel the rain, but he knew it was raining.
Then, there was another sound. Low and distinctive. Flynn caught the long, black movement out of the corner of his eye.
Flynn thought that it must be Colin’s limo coming for him so he slipped around the side of the Bronco. He reached behind him, wrapping his fingers around the cold metal, moving the gun to the front of his jeans before pulling his t-shirt over and taking a deep breath. His mind slowed, buzzing but ready to do what needed to be done.
Flynn cocked his head to the side, getting a glimpse of the sleek, black paint. The sound of the engine. He could even feel the heat from the long, black Lincoln’s exhaust as it pulled next to him.
Here it fucking is. The moment.
He didn’t turn quickly. If Colin wanted to run him down or shoot him down, that would already be done.
No, his father liked to do things with style, so he knew he would have at least a minute to think before he sprayed his brains all over the pretty, black interior of the stretch Lincoln.
He drew in as deep a breath as the pain would allow. Then, he spun on his left foot and tried to make sense of the unexpected face that appeared as the blackened window lowered.
“Get in.” Topher said as he jerked his head toward the inside of the car.
The limo smelled like wet cigar. Colin and Topher both had black limousines, but Colin would never allow anyone to smoke inside his.
The car was warmer than it need be.
Topher’s round, red face stared straight ahead, and Flynn lowered himself into the seat across from Lilly’s father.
Neither spoke but instead sat in silence, measuring each other for a long moment. Topher chewed the ever-present cigar butt, and Flynn wondered if it was always the same one or if they did actually get smoked and sucked on between the big man’s fat lips.
Flynn’s leg began to twitch and shake up and down. The adrenaline high was still rushing blood from his extremities to his heart. He had been one trigger pull away from sending a bullet into his father’s head but instead, he was quietly sitting in a limo with Lilly’s sperm donor.
“So. We got some business to discuss.” Topher’s tone stayed level and low, but Flynn could still hear the tension.
“Do we?”
“Don’t be a fuck. I’m not here to paint some damn picture, so I’m going to give you the short version.”
Topher leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees, and Flynn felt the spinning start in his head again, shadows of Lilly’s face in front of him. He was looking into her eyes seated in her father’s face and it pushed him off his g
ame for a moment.
“I have shit to do to.” Flynn said. He didn’t have time for dick swinging. “You came to me, so don’t you be a fuck and prance around like a damn peacock. You got something to say, get it the fuck out. I’ve had a long, fucking night,” Flynn said.
“Yeah. I was there; I watched you die. Damn near heard your neck snap from where I was sitting. How come you ain’t dead?”
“Because I have shit to do. You here to finish me off? Because, just so you know, I’m not going.” Flynn reached into his belt, pulled his T-shirt up and over the black handle.
“Put your dick back in your pants, kid. I’m not here to do your father’s dirty work. I ain’t the one whose been his bitch all these years.” Topher threw that out there like a baited hook, but Flynn didn’t bite. “There’s something I need to know. What kind of man are you? Does that sick shit run in your blood?”
“No. I was here, waiting for him to take care of it myself. So, no, that shit doesn’t run in my blood.”
Flynn kept his eyes keened on the old gangster, with his insipid hat and his enormous belly hanging over his straining belt. His suit jacket was open and his pressed white shirt pulled at the buttons. The old man looked calm, but Flynn knew his senses were sharp. He was evaluating, testing.
“Here’s the deal,” Topher continued after the silence had done its job and raised the tension in the back of the car. “I know about you and Lilly. I’ve been a shit of a father, but I telling you, you ever hurt her, you’ll be taking the same trip as your father. Got it? But, you and your brother need to step the fuck up, you understand? Keep this deal moving, keep this SPIN business on the rails.”
Flynn blinked. His leg stopped thumping up and down as he tried to process what he was hearing in the old man’s cryptic code.
“A trip?” Flynn asked, zeroing in on that one word.
“Yup, a trip. A long fucking trip.” Topher pulled the wet cigar butt from the corner of his mouth and stared at Flynn.
“Okay.” Flynn kept his composure. But, it almost killed him not to break into a damn song, he was so fucking relieved. Clearly, Mac had done his job. Gotten to Topher and whoever else, and the clear decision was that there are things that even cross the line in our world.