I heard talking in the background. It sounded like Thrice. I agreed that he could call me later and hung up. I met Wardon’s gaze.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Wardon shrugged. “Stuff’s going down. Boss wanted you here.”
“Seems like boss always finds a reason to get involved when I’m about to be alone with Lock.”
I launched my suspicion at him to see if I could gauge the truth from his response. Nothing gave him away. Wardon held his hands, palms up, face innocent.
I sighed. There would be other times. But I wanted the now with Lock.
Thrice and Bowen came to my room, presumably after Lock was off campus. They requested to search my room for bugs and cameras.
It wasn’t until I saw Bowen entirely ignore an ant that I realized they meant a bug, like a tiny microphone hidden in something. They combed the place, and finding nothing, left. Wardon stayed, sitting in my desk chair with his elbows on his knees and his hands folded.
“So he’s your new boyfriend. You’re all in?” Wardon was interested.
I gave him a shrug that matched the one he gave me earlier. “Maybe? I like friends. He’s a friend.”
“That you kiss. Are we friends?” His eyebrows lifted around his hopeful gaze.
“You’re a friend. For sure. But I’m all kissed out, sorry.” I sat on my bed and gave him what I hoped was a moment to leave. I wanted to be alone. Instead of taking the hint, Wardon seemed to settle in. “You got any snacks around here? I’m feeling munchy.”
I pointed to my stash of pretzels and water bottles. Instead of asking Wardon about why he was still in my room, I texted T.
Ember: Is everything okay?
T returned my text right away:
Sit tight. We are dealing with something. Need to have all the assets safe.
I said my text out loud, “Okay.”
I narrowed my eyes while watching Wardon eat my pretzels. “You’re my only hope. Tell me what’s going down.”
“Are you kidding? I like my balls right where they are. I’m not trying to piss off your brother or Animal or worst of all T. My job is to sit here and shoot anyone who messes with you. Including me.” He stuffed four more pretzels into his mouth. His crunching was driving me crazy, so I cued up a few songs on my phone to drown him out.
I contemplated texting Nix or Animal, but if T wasn’t telling me anything, the chances of them explaining the situation were slim.
I picked my history textbook up off the floor and settled into my required reading. I’d never been as closely watched at home before. It made me wonder what the hell was going on.
Chapter 24
Animal
WE WERE NOT THRILLED to say the least. The Feybi organization had been on the fringe as of late. Striking out on their own. Doing a few gigs without approval. It was almost like they had someone else giving orders. Not us.
I was the ultimate boss, in the eyes of our enemies and allies. Of course, anyone that knew us knew Nix and I functioned as one entity. Our close bond was unfailing. But the Feybis had been a simmering pot ever since Nix killed their patriarch. I knew this. I knew they had weak links in their personnel. Family was family. When you burned a man alive in his favorite chair with his favorite alcohol, even the second cousins seemed to hang onto a grudge.
After the third murder of a Kaleotos man, it was time to buckle the fuckle down. Nix, T, and I were in the basement war room, where we had the most sensitive of documents. I could also see Ember’s new room from where I sat. Maybe it was time to relocate our base of operations.
Nix stood, hood yanked over his head. “I think it’s time I paid a visit to the Feybi compound.”
T crossed her legs. “Do they have a new one yet? Because they’re still rebuilding most of the one you burned down. Contractors keep coming up missing.”
“What have you found out in there?” I pointed to the computer. Nix knew how to get to the shadiest parts of the Internet with ease.
“That’s the problem. Nothing. I’m not seeing any coordinated movement on their part. If this is a parting of ways, they’re being uncharacteristically quiet about it.” He picked up a pen and started clicking it repeatedly.
We were all silent for a while. I looked at the various surveillance monitors around the room. I recognized Ember’s college dorm. I watched as Becca tatted a female client down at the shop. And then there was a camera on a house I wasn’t too familiar with. Christina. A while back, Nix rescued her from kidnappers. She was little, and very fond of her skeleton savior. Her name was inked on his heart, along with Becca and Ember. Nix viewed the monitor that had my attention.
My unasked question was, how’s the girl? Nix answered it, guessing it correctly. “They just moved into that place. Christina went with her mom after the divorce. They’ve moved to Maine. I kind of like that she has some distance from her father’s family now.”
I nodded as I processed this. We had a lot to juggle. But right now, the most important knowledge was that downtown Valston just had a few buildings snapped up by Feybis. New money. No approval from us.
It was a guess, but an educated one, that they were looking to expand their territory far enough away from us that we couldn’t be involved.
Nix didn’t like how close they were getting to Ember. And he didn’t believe in coincidences— we’d both come to trust his gut. He was leaning toward pulling her out of school and bringing her home.
I knew she was seeing that kid. And that she was head over heels.
Nix was going to get kickback from her. I looked at my gorgeous wife. She was more of a roll with the punches kind of person. Nix, if he could, would rather know the future.
It didn’t bode well for our little independent coed.
Chapter 25
Lock
I SPENT THE REST of the day lurking around Ember’s campus with my hat pulled low. I wanted to see if we could get more time together. Dice kept texting me that I had to get back, that there was a meeting in the morning. I ignored him.
I liked it better here. The grass was like a carpet and everyone was walking around like they had all the time in the world. It just felt...privileged. Calm. It reminded me of the art section in the library. I was drawn to it. And, of course, she was there, too. I could barely think of anything else. I kept chuckling out loud, thinking of something she’d said when we were together.
I didn’t know that love would make me a big pile of cheese, but it did. I caught myself walking with my chest puffed out, so proud that she’d kissed me and liked it. Seemed like she wanted more of it.
I wandered around until sundown. I inched under her window. Surely, the guys were watching, but were letting this happen. I hoped desperately that she would tell me to come up. I wanted more of her. More of her skin. Her laughter. Her sex. I scooped up a handful of pebbles and began the process of annoying her enough to open her window. It took seven tries. The large glass was heaved to one side and her head popped out. There was a light two floors up and to the side of the building, beaming down on her, like she was on stage. Just for me.
“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?”
“Here. Down below your gorgeous fucking face.”
“Don’t curse at me.” Even from this far down I could see her fluttering her eyelashes.
I immediately apologized until she laughed. “I’m teasing you, lover boy.”
The old-fashioned nickname had the word “love” in it. I wanted more.
“Can I come up?” I took my hat off and held it in my hand. I tried to do it with flourish, because if she wanted Shakespeare, I could try to be as fancy as possible.
“You can’t. But I wish you could.” She rested her chin on her hands, looking legitimately disappointed.
“The guards say no? ’Cause I’m pretty sure I can climb this.” I walked up to the brick wall and slapped it. I tried my luck on the grooves and edges. I got about three feet up before I was forced to hop down. The side of h
er dorm would not be something I could free-climb.
“Why do you want up here so bad?” She shifted her arms so her boobs were propped up on them.
“Aw. That’s not fair. Shit. Those tits. I want to just live in between them.” Then I remembered the fancy Shakespeare and added, “For your bosom is like two setting moons on heaven.”
It took a second but Ember disappeared and reappeared with an apple core. She threw it at me. “Boo! You’re a horrible poet.”
I caught it; it looked fairly fresh, so I took as much of a bite as I could. “Thanks, baby! I love snacks.”
“I want to see you again. Soon. When can we do that?” She flipped her hair so it was tumbling over one shoulder.
“Let me up there. It can be now.”
She didn’t elaborate but shook her head.
“I have a meeting I have to get back to, but if I don’t have anything lined up, I can be back two days from now.”
Her smile started out as a peek of her tongue between her lips until she was full-out grinning. “Sounds good. You’ve got my number.” She went to close the widow and I threw a panicked question at her.
“What’s your favorite color?” She stopped and shot me a funny look before answering, “Purple. What’s yours?”
“Whatever color your beautiful pussy is.” I gave her my biggest smile.
“Oh stop. The flattery is so overwhelming.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulders and went back to closing the window.
“Favorite animal? Favorite band? Favorite guy?” I came up to the bricks again, gazing up at her.
She leaned out. “Panda, 30 Seconds to Mars, and…” She reached over and grabbed the window; just before she closed it all the way, she tossed out her final answer, “And you.”
I flung my hat in the air and then caught it. Me. I was her favorite. I waited a few more minutes to see if she would come back to the window. She didn’t. I walked away backwards just to be sure.
It felt like the start of everything good. And she would be in it. I had money for my mom and sister, a beautiful girl who was looking like my future, and forever in front of me.
_______________
I made the last bus to the train station, so Dice didn’t have to pick me up this time. It wasn’t too bad of a ride. I was getting in my mind, making sure I could allot the time for commutes. Back to Ember.
I just couldn’t wait to kiss her again. I kept imagining her naked body and making myself uncomfortable in my pants.
When I let myself in my apartment, I was ready for a nice long, alone time shower. My mom was asleep with Rhy. I checked on them and felt a pang of guilt. Mom’s only real break on weekends came when I was around to take over. The light knock on the door behind me had my guard up. I grabbed the baseball bat by the front door. It was our alarm system and defense all in one.
The peephole revealed two guys from the Cokes, Snake and Fat Tony. It made me nervous. They knew where I lived. Of course. We all knew where everybody lived. It was how the neighborhood was. I cracked open the door and found a few more guys standing in the hallway. I didn’t slide the chain.
“What’s up?”
“Let us in.” Snake curled his lip up.
“No can do. My sister’s asleep.” I wasn’t letting these guys in my home if I could help it.
“Man, his sister’s got problems and stuff.” Worm, a guy that I hadn’t seen in the peephole, spoke up. I recognized him from downstairs. He was a year younger than me. Normally, I’d take issue with a statement like that, but not this time. Because Worm was trying to protect Rhy, and I appreciated that. I gave him a man nod.
“Booker wants to see you. Now,” Snake demanded.
They all seemed to accept Worm’s assessment that no one was getting me to open my door.
“I just got in. What time?” I set the bat down and let them see me do it through the crack. I wanted them to know I was willing to participate. Just not right now.
“What the fuck with this prick? I swear to shit. If he doesn’t listen one more fucking time.” Okay. So Fat Tony wasn’t so thrilled with me.
“I need to make some things happen in here. And it has to be me. My ma has to do the food shopping and everything. I’ll see him after that. What the hell does he need me for when he has all of you guys? Seriously. I’m the lowest person on the totem pole. Every single person outranks me there.” I was busy putting myself down, but hopefully letting them feel bigger in the meantime. I wanted some sleep. And I wasn’t lying about Ma needing to go to the store.
Fat Tony grabbed the back of his neck. “Well, after your mother is home, you do it. Get there. And bring Ball Sack with you.” He pointed at me through the crack. I nodded and thanked them for the message.
My response clearly baffled them. They had come to deliver one message and left with another. This was not a game I could play for long. Soon, I’d have to step up and earn the money I was getting. I closed the door and locked it back up. I hoped that I could stay the same person with what they were going to make me do. Schoolyard brawls and late night fights were child’s play for the Cokes. I’d have to make it to the big leagues for Rhy to get what she needed. I was going to have to move merchandise. Threaten storeowners in our territory to buy our “protection.” People I’d known my whole life would see me in a different—probably much worse—light. I would now be an enforcer and a protector. No longer a kid from the neighborhood. It was a tricky transition for everyone.
_______________
In the morning it was my turn with my sister. She was patient with me. More so than with Ma. It took me longer to swap out her shirt. Usually she would start fussing as soon as her head was in the body of the clothing, but for me she would hold.
I appreciated it; I always went slowly. I didn’t want to hurt her. Her limbs were rigid and didn’t bend easily. So the process took a bit. Of course, I cracked jokes and made her laugh the whole time. Then the bib. Then the readjustment from her wheelchair to the table to eat. It was part of her routine and very important. Some people would think that once she was in the wheelchair, she’d stay in it for everything. That wasn’t true. She used different muscles to hold herself up at the kitchen table.
It took her about thirty minutes to get her special cereal down. That part was my favorite. For some reason, when it was mealtime, we had more eye contact. And there was a special zing when she looked at me and I knew that she saw me. She’d hum and bounce her fist around. I’d always say hello to her, every time—like we were seeing each other for the first time all day. And she would laugh. Because she knew it was a joke. I’d had friends in the past that had come over to my house and wondered why we worked so hard with Rhy. But they didn’t know how smart she was. How in tune she was to Ma and me and Dad, when he’d been around. We knew when she was happy or sad and vice versa. She was part of our family unit. And she did even more for us than we did for her. She was sunshine and hope. And endless joy. I touched her fist to mine, encouraging her to eat more. Keeping weight on her was vital. Life in a chair was best when she had a little bit of cushioning.
When Rhy was finished, I cleaned her up again and set her on the couch with her iPad. It took a few minutes positioning it before I could put on her favorite show. Ma and I knew all the words and songs by heart. After she was settled, there was a thump against the door. I answered it, ready for the groceries. It had been a good haul. Ma used coupons and everything, but she still had bags on top of the pull cart she used.
She smiled at Rhy and gave her a huge hug as soon as her arms were free. “Missed you, pretty girl.”
Rhy giggled in return. We listened intently over her program. Sometimes when Ma came home from the store, it seemed like Rhy said “Mama.” Today was one of those times, so we danced around to make her laugh before putting away the groceries.
Lots of fresh food. There was a fruit or vegetable in almost every color of the rainbow.
“So many vitamins, Sherlock. Look at all of this stuff. Thank you
.” Ma grabbed me by my face and shook it with love.
I was both proud and scared at the same time. I wondered if this was how my dad felt before going to prison. I let myself out of the apartment after saying goodbye to my girls. Mom wanted to know if I’d be back for dinner, but I didn’t answer. I had a meeting and I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.
After I was sure she was set, I texted Dice. He seemed to be waiting for it, because he hit me back quickly. Not with the normal ball busting though. The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I got into his car. He was stiff. Formal. Like he was on a job.
“We going to Booker?” I needed to connect with him. Get an idea about what the hell was going on.
“Yeah.” He didn’t look at me. His knuckles were white. I fixed my gaze out the windshield. I knew it then—Dice had flipped on me somehow. Probably to save his own life. I forced myself to stay calm. Rhy and Ma. They wouldn’t have me anymore. Dice was driving me to my execution. I could tell.
At least I’d paid in advance for Rhy’s school. But if they couldn’t buy groceries… I had to stop myself from going down that path. Weakness would be feasted on where Dice was taking me. Then there was Ember. Couldn’t do that either. I was tempted to run, but they knew where I lived. They would make my loved ones pay if I ran. So I sat through the red lights with Dice instead of popping open the door to escape.
When we got to the building, the guys out front weren’t wearing red bandanas. Dice’s brow furrowed. The tallest opened Dice’s driver’s side door and gestured for him to get out. I got out of my side, because I knew my lot. We’d go up together.
These guys were different from Booker’s usual goons. Their suits were superb. Crisp. Expensive. I took a deep breath. Instead of getting shit thrown at us, we were stared at. This was a whole different crew. My heart was in my throat as a group of them led us into the building; the only red bandanas in the whole place were on Dice and me.
I wanted to ask what the fuck was going on, but clearly Dice was thrown as well. Another perfect suit admitted us into Booker’s office, but instead of the man we feared, a stranger had his feet up on Booker’s desk—a stranger wearing a white suit and an orange tan.
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