by B L Mute
“I’m fine. It’s just… too quiet.” Once the words leave my mouth, I feel even stupider than when they were only a thought. Who can’t sleep because it’s too quiet?
He nods in understanding but doesn’t ask anything more. “The Garcia family wants to meet. We haven’t had any problems with them before, but you can never be too safe.”
I stand tall, then turn toward the door. “Let me grab some shoes.”
Teddy’s rough hand wraps around my arm before I can move. “You aren’t coming, Monkshood. We don’t know what they want. I’m not going to put you in the crossfire of something bad if anyone tries something stupid.”
I yank away from him and lean my head up to look into his eyes. “I am going. This is precisely why I’m here, isn’t it?”
He doesn’t try and argue with me anymore. He drops his hand from me and motions toward the door before speaking again. “Put on something nice. If you’re going out with me, you will look decent.”
I curl my lip, ready to hurl an insult, but I think better of it. I don’t want to lose the opportunity of going and maybe learning more about my father. I rush out of the kitchen and hustle toward my room. I throw open the door and hurry toward the closet, flipping through all the dresses on the hangers once I’m inside.
I settle on a simple red dress that hugs all my curves with black heels that strap around my ankle. Once everything is in place, I go into the bathroom and let my hair down. My soft waves fall around my shoulders. I comb through them with my fingers, then push them back out of my face.
“This is it, Charlie. Show him what you’re capable of,” I tell myself in the mirror before turning off the light and walking out.
My heels tap on the marble floor, sending a soft clap throughout the house with every step I take. I straighten my shoulders and lift my head, trying to seem confident in my own skin. About halfway down the hall, a door opens to my left and Lucas steps out.
“Hey, pretty boy,” I tease, but he doesn’t speak. “Oh. You’re Julius, huh?” He nods.
My cheeks flush with embarrassment once I realize my mistake. “Why don’t you talk?” I ask, trying to steer away from my comment, but it does nothing more than make it worse.
“I’m sorry, that isn’t any of my business,” I blurt out.
I kick myself and continue walking as he follows. He’s silent, but I can feel his presence behind me. A shiver runs down my spine, but it isn’t in a bad way. It is more of an eerie yet comforting feeling of safety.
Before we make it to the kitchen doorway, I stop in my tracks and turn back to Julius. “Can I trust him? I know you’re probably the last person I should ask considering you work for him, but I would like to think you’re honest. You don’t speak. You watch and listen. I’m sure you pick things up no one else does. So, tell me, can I trust him?”
His stare is passionate, and the illumination into his soul is almost hypnotic. The connection and energy between us is surreal. He pauses for a brief moment, before standing straighter and tugging at the bottom of his suit jacket. With an affirming nod, he responds to my question, meanwhile never letting his dark eyes leave mine. For a second, it’s almost like we get lost in each other’s gaze. I see something in him, something good, and I want to ask a million other questions. I want to know his story, but I have to remember, he’s bad. They’re all bad here.
Teddy steps out of the kitchen’s doorway, silencing the auras between us and drawing my attention from Julius. “Are we ready?” He scans our faces one after another.
Julius gives the cue, crossing his wrists, exposing the corner of his Glock tucked neatly at his side. Teddy acknowledges him, then buttons a single button on his suit jacket before stepping in between us and leading the way to the front door.
Carl opens the door and stands behind it, sweeping his arm in front, urging us to exit with a smile.
“Wait!”
I turn with one foot on the threshold and see Lucas sprinting for us. I had wondered where he was hiding. He stops behind me, pulling a gun from behind his back. “Here, Flower. We can’t let you go unprotected.”
He extends his hand to me, holding the barrel of the gun toward him and the butt toward me. I wrap my hand around the familiar metal. “This is mine,” I remark. I notice the small scratches along the barrel that I did myself when my dad was teaching me to clean it. I flip it in my hand and look below the grip, where the magazine slides in. Sure enough, there are my sloppy initials carved into the metal. Seventeen-year-old me thought it would be cool. I chuckle at the memory.
“It is. I snagged it from your apartment,” he says gingerly. I raise my head, anticipating the articulate comeback I have prepared, but before my brain can send it to my mouth, I notice something different about him. His face is almost soft. I pause and nod, then turn back to the doorway and step out. He follows, bringing up the rear.
Teddy is to my right and remains a step behind, allowing me to take the lead. As we approach the all-too-familiar SUV, I take in a deep breath, trying to figure out where I can conceal my gun. Grasping at ideas, I hike my dress up and tuck it in the elastic of my lace panties on my hip. I smooth my dress back down only to realize there is a perfect imprint on my hip visible through my dress.
I roll my eyes before I reach back under and pull it out. If Teddy wants me to dress a certain way, he’s going to have to find a solution for me to hold weapons. I glance behind me and see both Lucas and Teddy staring at me intently. “What?” I blurt out in frustration.
Lucas laughs before shaking his head and walking by me, disappearing toward the car.
Teddy advances in my direction, closing the gap between us. He kneels in front of me, and I can feel my heart start to race. His hand reaches for my foot, and my body flinches in return. He looks up to me, slowing his hands to a hover. His blue eyes are soft and subtly ask for approval. My muscles relax, and I can see that he isn’t going to hurt me. He looks back down and gently grasps the undone strap of my heel.
I was in such a hurry, I guess I never secured it right. He loops one side of the thin strap through the other, then buckles it in place. His fingers brush my ankle, sending the same jolt through me as they did in the bathroom.
He stands, towering over my small frame, then heads toward the car to accompany the others. I lick my lips and follow. He stalls at the door, waiting for me. I can see Julius in the front seat next to Carl. Lucas smiles from the opposing side of the back seat and gently pats the seat beside him in a teasing manner. Realizing that I have no other option, I duck down and slide across the leather. Teddy settles in next to me, closing the door, and we are off.
After about thirty minutes, we’re pulling up to one of the best-known clubs in Northridge Heights. It is a French Quarter–style building with balconies overlooking the sidewalk below. Red Eye shines in neon lights at the top left corner. Black velvet ropes attached to stainless steel posts line the entryway, snaking down the sidewalk, keeping everyone in their place against the wall. A hefty bouncer with a bald head, dressed in a suit, stands between them and the front door.
“We will call when we are done, Carl. Are you good to wait?” Teddy questions.
Carl turns over his shoulder with a smile before holding up a knife. “All good, boss.”
The sight of Carl with nothing more than a knife not only shocks me but worries me as well. He needs more than that to protect himself. All the men start piling out of the car. Julius exits the front seat while Teddy and Lucas slide out of the back.
I scoot from the middle, then lean forward. “Here, Carl. I think this will be better than that knife.” I smile, handing him my gun.
He shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle before flipping his knife in one hand and grabbing me around the base of my neck with the other. It all happens too quickly for me to even react. He lets the cold point of his knife dig into my throat just enough to cause discomfort before releasing me and laughing.
“I may be old, but this isn’t my first rode
o, Charlotte. I know how to defend myself. I’m quicker than I look. Why do you think these boys keep me around?” He tilts his head and smiles at me.
I reach for my neck and run my finger over the spot his blade was only moments ago. “I was mistaken.” I nod, then slide the rest of the way out to join the others.
“The biggest mistake you can and ever will make is thinking Carl is some old geezer. That man has probably killed more people than all of us combined,” Lucas remarks with a grin.
I suck my lip into my mouth and swallow the lump in my throat before tucking my gun under my arm, trying to hide it the best I can. Carl was the only one I thought I could maybe count on and trust, but he’s just as deadly and devious as the others.
Teddy looks to me with concern but wipes it from his face before anyone else can notice. As Lucas and Julius make their way to the door, he stands back with me.
“Don’t do that,” he says, reaching his hand to my face, using his thumb to tug at the bottom of my lip.
I release it and jerk my head away, pushing my shoulders back. “Let’s see what they want.”
Teddy’s eyes widen a bit, stretching the healing stitches in his face tight before he lowers his brows and nods. “Shall we?” He extends his hand in front of him, motioning for me to go first.
We walk past the velvet ropes and crowds of people approaching the bouncer. There is not a word exchanged, yet he steps aside and silently ushers us through the door.
Lights flash across my body and face as the music pulses through the intoxicated crowd like a heartbeat. It’s a typical nightclub with a dance floor in the middle. Booths with buckets of ice line the outer walls, each manned by a bartender dressed in the same cheap suit as the bouncer. At the top of a small flight of stairs sits a VIP section encased in glass overlooking it all. I follow Julius and Lucas as they navigate through the people with ease. It’s like their presence demands respect and everyone can feel it. All the partygoers move out of their way as they approach, not even realizing they’re doing it, as their bodies bump and grind to the music.
A hand falls to the small of my back as I try to keep up with the twins and fail. I look over my shoulder and see Teddy staring straight ahead, almost daring anyone to step into my path. He ushers me forward until we reach the bottom of the stairs. His hand falls and in some weird, fucked-up way, it makes me feel almost empty and I find myself longing for its return.
I push away the thoughts and focus on my footing. One step after another, we make our way up the uncommonly narrow stairwell. Teddy reaches around me, opening the door at the top.
Along the back wall sits two leather couches. There, sitting beside the twins, are two additional men I have never before seen. Both are well dressed in slacks and button-ups with slicked-back raven hair. Silver jewelry adorns their necks and fingers and flickers against the lights of the club invading the ill-lit room through the glass.
“Theodore!” one bellows as he stands stretching his arms wide.
“Emil.” Teddy nods and embraces the man for a second, patting around his back in a harmless manner, but I know better. He’s looking for the gun he has tucked in his pants belt hidden by his shirt.
Emil goes still for a second before putting his arms on Teddy’s shoulders and pushing him away. “It’s been too long, friend.”
Lucas and Julius are watching the encounter between the two almost as intently as me, only looking away for small seconds to watch the other man on the couch next to them.
Teddy does nothing and flashes the man a smile as he lowers his eyes. Almost as if the man understands he’s been caught, he reaches to the back of his pants.
Before he can pull his gun all the way out, I have my right hand around the grip of my own, and in a threatening manner, I step in front of Teddy and aim it at Emil’s head. “Bad move, friend.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lucas and Julius crowd closer to the other man on the couch, ready to pounce if it comes to that. I am protecting Teddy, and in turn, they’re protecting me.
The music from below seems to fade away as I think about what I’m doing. Am I really going to shoot this man? I ask myself. And honestly, the answer is yes. Teddy knew my father. Teddy has answers I need. Trying to go about things the right way has gotten me nowhere, so why not stoop to everyone else’s level and do what I have to do?
Emil moves his hand from behind him and holds them both up in a surrender. “Whoa. I’m afraid you got the wrong idea. In order to do business, I know Theodore’s rules. I was simply going to hand it to him.” He turns his back toward me and looks over his shoulder. “There. Grab it yourself. We are not here to start trouble.”
I glance at Teddy, and he nods. Stepping forward, I keep my gun held to Emil’s head. I lift his shirt and grab the pistol from the waist of his pants. I tuck my gun back under my arm, then pull back the slide of his, making sure there isn’t a round in the chamber before pressing the magazine release and throwing it to the ground.
I flip it, letting the barrel fall in my hand before handing it to Teddy. He smiles, a real, true, genuine smile, showing me all his teeth. “Good job,” he mouths, before pointing to the couch and tipping his chin toward the twins.
“Sorry about that, Emil. You know how it goes.” Teddy spreads his feet wide and shakes out his shoulders.
I plant myself next to Lucas and watch as they talk in hushed whispers.
“I’m Desiderio, but you can call me Desi.” The man between Lucas and Julius pushes his hand in front of Lucas and dangles it toward me.
I shake it. “Charlie.”
“Nice to meet you. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
I shake my head and look back to Teddy and Emil. “That’s because I don’t like to be seen.”
“Ah.” He leans back into the couch and crosses his ankle over his knee. “Touché.”
The room grows quiet as the pathetic excuse at small talk dies.
“You know I don’t deal to anyone here,” Teddy states quietly, but not quiet enough for me not to hear him.
“I know that, but I need to make sure my girls are safe. I can’t go anywhere and buy twenty-five rifles without people asking questions, and you got me fucked-up if you think I’ll go to the Morenos,” Emil replies with conviction.
Teddy inhales deep through his nose, then releases it. “I’ll get you ten, and I’ll send my boys.” He motions toward the twins and continues. “Luke and Jules to keep an eye out. If you need a racket, I can help.”
Emil laughs. “I have my own men, but thank you. I’m only worried about people the cartel sends.”
“What do you mean, ‘the cartel sends’?” Teddy looks to the twins to make sure they’re hearing what he’s hearing. Both stand and walk to where Teddy and Emil stand.
“The cartel has been wanting our territory for years now. Why do you think I bought the old casino in the first place? The spot we had over on McAdams was burnt to the ground. I don’t have solid proof, but I know they did it. They want to move in and push their drugs to the area.”
“Who?” Lucas asks.
“There is no who. They sent Hugo and Daniel to me to negotiate. Motherfuckers wouldn’t talk and tell me a name of who sent them. They just kept saying it was the cartel, so I put a bullet between Daniel’s eyes, then left him downtown for the cops to find and sent Hugo on his way with the message. I don’t fuck around with that bullshit.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of Marlboro Reds and lighter. He brings one to his lips and lights it, taking in a big breath, then letting out a cloud of smoke. “Look, if I knew more, I would tell you, and you know it. But the truth is, whoever the fuck is running that shit is smart. It’s like anytime anyone gets close to figuring out who he is, they go silent and lay low.”
“I know. I’ve been hunting him for years,” Teddy responds.
“Years?” Emil shakes his head. “I tell you what, get me fifteen and I’ll put out my feelers for you. Any shred of evidence or information I co
me across I’ll send your way.”
“Fifteen?” Teddy looks to the twins, who stand silently and static beside him. “You have a deal.” He extends his hand to Emil, and they shake.
Emil waves his hand, inviting Desi to join him. “As always, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Theodore.” He smiles, then turns toward the door. “Oh, and anytime you’re in my area, come by and let my girls show you a good time.” He winks, then pulls open the door and disappears down the shadowy staircase with Desi following close behind him.
The twins look to each other, then to me, like they’re waiting for something. I raise a brow at them, but they don’t say anything.
“Let’s go home, boys,” Teddy says, drawing my attention to him.
Lucas and Julius exit the room without a second thought, leaving me and Teddy alone.
“Good job tonight, Monkshood.”
I flash him a smile and start toward the door.
“But next time—” He grabs my wrist and squeezes it tightly. “—be careful what you do. I could have lost that information he’s willing to try and get.”
I nod and pull my wrist from his hold while glaring at him. This all just seems like a terrible, fucked-up nightmare, and I’m ready to wake up.
The drive back to the house was the same as the way there. Quiet. When we pull up, I waste no time hurrying inside and to my room. I slam my door behind me, then pace the floor.
Who does he think he is? He wanted me here to protect him but gets mad when I do just that. I thought I was in the right doing what I did. How dare him make me believe the same thing, smiling at me, telling me good job, just to bitch at me about it later.
My door swings open and Teddy walks in. He’s still in his slacks, but his suit jacket is gone, and his shirt is unbuttoned, showing off the curves of the muscles on his stomach.
“Get out, Teddy! I’m not in the mood to deal with this bullshit right now,” I yell.
He steps further into the room and closes the door behind him. “Not in the mood?” he questions. “I’m not in the mood either, but we need to discuss what happened.” The veins in his neck throb as he speaks. I can tell he is pissed, but he’s doing his best to hold it together.