38. Bay
THIRTY-EIGHT
bay
The smell of turbo blue and exhaust fills my nostrils, calming me into a slow and steady beat of euphoria. Cars rumble under the hoods of naturally aspirated motors and others rev obnoxiously, otherly known as rice burners to try to intimidate.
I watch Nessa stand on the faded yellow median line, her long blonde hair passing her tits and down to her mid-torso, wearing a black crop top, matching daisy duke shorts, and a black beanie on top of her head. Her signature silver hoops hang from her ears and her makeup is simple but on-point like it always is.
“You run a tune on your car?” Levi asks me, all business and no fun. While double-checking the air pressure in my tires, I glance up at him.
He’s stoic, calm, and pissed.
I slap him on the back, catching his black-inked roses that appear like shattered glass on his shoulder and bicep underneath his white wife-beater. He got them for his mom a few years ago when she died, and the guys give him shit for having a flower permanently drawn on his body, but he doesn’t care. He could have a dick there instead and it’d make no difference, he’d still beat your ass.
“You not gonna talk to me for the rest of the night?” I ask, nestling up to his side because, let’s face it, I piss him off, but he loves me.
“Working,” he grounds out, his mind I’m sure a whirlwind because three of the Forsaken boys showed up out of nowhere and there’s no clear reason to him why.
“Levi, we should talk—” He rounds on me, so quickly that I almost stumble back.
“Yeah, you know what, we should,” he leers through clenched eyes. He’s so pissed, he can barely keep it in, and I’ve made him mad plenty of times in the past to know when he’s reaching a limit. “What’s up with what I just saw?”
“Saw?” I repeat stupidly, because we both are perfectly aware of what that all was.
My best friend only cocks his head to the side like I’m an imbecile. I am. He just doesn’t know how much yet. “Why did I encounter the three fuckateers macking on you?”
“Uhhh…I dunno.”
“ Bay .”
I cluck my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “I don’t know, Lev. I saw them and told them to get the fuck out of here.”
His green eyes clasp together, and I’m surprised he can see me. “Why do I have a really fucked-up feeling that something else is going on?”
“Beats the shit out of me. But I think Baby Wildes is still pissed that I shot him.”
Levi grunts and adverts his eyes from me. “Yeah, I guess that’d be right. He’s a bitch.” He sighs heavily. “C’mere.” Opening his thick arms for me, I immediately step into them, needing his comfort and some peace from the marathon in my brain. “You’re such a fucking idiot, do you know that?” I bob my head in response, because I got no retort for that and it’s true. “You should’ve left me there. Now I have to keep three dickheads away from you.”
I shake my head, headstrong on my decision at the end of the day with rescuing my best friend, but not on fucking Torin into a couch. “Wasn’t an option.”
“They weren’t going to do shit to me. It was just a scare tactic.”
“I didn’t know that and you sure as hell didn’t either.”
“Doesn’t mean you make deals with the asshole rat from The Landings,” he shoots back, resting his chin on top of my head. “I see them around you again, I’m going to start picking them off.”
My stomach knots with the intensity of my secret poisoning my insides. I pull my cheek from his chest and peer up at him. “Lev, we need to talk.”
He stares back at me, worry etched in his features before they turn murderous, shaking his head because he’s expecting the worst.
He should.
Because it doesn’t get any worse than what I’m about to say. With Emilio wanting to get into my life, he’s in South Shore’s too.
“Did they hurt you?” His voice is deadly and cold, void of all rationality. It’s when I think I’m going to see who he truly is and what he’s hidden from me for years.
That’s the part that scares me the most.
I’m not fully acquainted with Levi, the King of South Shore, just the best friend version.
“No,” I reply calmly. “I wasn’t hurt.”
“Then what?” His impatience is wrapped and embedded in his tone, posing no bullshit and for me to spit it out.
I can’t.
Not here and definitely not now.
“They’re all dead.” His rage-filled focus snaps over my head, and that’s when I see the transformation.
The killer.
My best friend is an executioner, someone who sheds blood and plans murders to protect our town.
“Lev—”
“Hey, Bay,” Travis calls out behind me, slicing the tension between us and Levi’s manslaughter ideas. “Hey, Lev, how’s it going?”
I pull from Levi’s still-tight clutches, finding my good buddy out of his hospital bed and in normal clothes. His coloring has returned to his skin, and he looks normal with my sister, Ellie, in tow.
“Hey, Trav. I like you in green.” Because he’s been in a blue hospital gown for days.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were comin’ out?”
“Had to finish some homework first.” He smiles at me, because he knows I’m already going to fix him a look that says he’s way too good and smart to be here. “But I wanted to come and support. You were excited about this when we talked yesterday. Then I saw little El and she told me where you guys were.”
“For the wholesome price of a bag of cotton candy, a blue slushie, and a hot dog,” my sister surmises with a shit-eating smile.
“You hustled, Trav?” I ask her as she pulls up her matching black hair in a high ponytail.
She scoffs as if that’s a ridiculous thing to do. “Yeah. He needed something and so did I.”
Levi chuckles and holds a hand up for her to high-five. “I’ve taught you well, Padawan.”
Ellie returns the gesture with a jump and smiles up at him. “You know it.”
“The fuck is a Padawan?” I solicit, watching these two exchange some hidden universe.
“My God, your sister needs to get her life,” Levi stresses as if I’m not here, and it only makes Ellie smirk over at me like a little shithead.
“It’s an apprentice to a Jedi,” Travis fills in for me. “They teach and train?—”
“I got it. When do they get the lightsaber, because I want to play with it and use Levi as the target?”
“If Travis goes on a ride with you,” Levi teases, smacking him a little too hard in the shoulder and causing Travis to bow over a tad. I’m sure he’s still sore as hell and Levi knows damn well that fast-moving vehicles and ships make Travis nauseous.
I learned that the hard way when we were sixteen and he threw up all over my passenger seat. Thank God, it wasn’t my car that I was driving but Layla’s when I was going to drive it off Peer Pressure Pier. It’s where idiots go to be idiots and I heard that’s where The Nameless initiated some of their members. I never thought to ask Levi that.
“No, thanks,” Travis replies, appearing a little green just from the thought. “I’ll watch.”
“Nessa’s ready,” Levi urges. “Beat the fucker, move up the line, and let’s win this hundred K. I got some uses for it when it comes to?—”
“Lev,” I warn because I’m quite aware of where he’s going with his thoughts. He’s probably thinking of all the things he could buy just to torture the Forsaken Crew.
He gives me a weak smile and lightly kisses the top of my head.
“Good luck, Bay.” Ellie comes in to wrap her arms around my waist, and I revel in the fact that she still believes I’m kinda cool.
“Thanks, babe. See you in a few.”
She takes off with Levi while Travis gives me a wave, followed by a thumbs up as they get back so I can set up.
I get inside my car, locating an ’81 Ford Ranger that I’m up against doing the same thing. Setting up, Nessa pulls us both into the line. The moment she flicks on her flashlight for us to go, I push the trans brake and take off. The front tires of my Dad’s Chevy Nova lift but are caught by the roller bars in the back.
With a clear view of the street, I shift mindlessly into gears and never see the guy with the Ranger on my side. But over the loud roar of my engine, an ear-splitting boom reverberates from behind me, shooting through my body like a swift slice of a blade. My eyes directly flick to my rear-view mirror and that’s when my heart ceases to beat.
Yellow flames edged with orange blaze high in the air. Black smoke lingers over it and it doesn’t take an idiot to realize that something blew up.
Something in the direction of Ellie, Travis, Levi, and Nessa.
Pulling my foot from the gas, I tap my brake a few times to slow the car down and when I’m comfortable with the speed, I whip the back end around.
I misjudged, my head racing and my heart slamming unforgivingly in my chest as the Nova skids and bitches at me for still going too fast, sliding horizontally across the cement road.
Straightening out, I gun the gas, peeling out again and kicking debris back down the road. My vision is full of fire and smoke as my car gains feet closer. Within yards, I’m stopping, shoving my door open, and sprinting around the front end, men and women scattering left and right in throngs of chaos.
Entering the abyss of bodies, I’m knocking into and almost tripped. It’s like a stampede of gazelles, trying to find safety but not knowing where to turn. My frame is being elbowed and shoved everywhere as I push through, attempting to see my friends but realistically it’s never going to happen. I’m too short and there are too many bodies.
The crowd breaks into a wide circle, giving me some extra air when I’m met with men and women fighting, throwing punches, and shoving at each other.
It's a complete shitshow.
My eyes quickly scan the disorder of bodies again when they land on Cairo delivering a punch to some bald-headed guy with thick chains around his neck.
It’s Tarzan.
Some crazy fucker who Matteo used to hang out with in high school and who joined his little hood gang, the Pistol Posse, because they liked to pistol whip people for fun.
My focus glides across more people, and I’m praying to God Ellie, Levi, and Travis didn’t get too close to the back. I’ve already passed the starting line where Nessa would’ve still been and should’ve been close to the blast that’s still roaring over the heads of people.
I can just see Ellie and Travis freaking out right now, and it twists my gut just thinking of them. This, again, is not his scene and he came anyway while my sister wanted to hang out with me and spend the night together.
Stepping forward to continue my search, my world time-warped into the past when I see another burly dude launch himself at Reeve.
What in the fuck is happening here?
Though, stupid question, it’s Matteo. And with the current lesson that Levi told me about him trying to obtain a Titan seat, he’s going to do anything he can to get it.
And I mean anything.
I should’ve known before, with Tarzan comes Matteo and the rest of the gang.
Reeve expertly dodges the guy’s body, then hurls his elbow into the back of his head before gripping onto the back of his black t-shirt to land another hit.
Torin, on the other hand, is right by him, thrusting his forehead into someone else’s, taking a lesson right out of my book. And I’m taken back for a split second at the fact that Pretty Boy actually knows how to fight.
When his opponent throws a punch at Torin, I get a look at his face.
Mad Man.
This has nothing to do with Levi, or anyone else here, but everything to do with the Forsaken Crew.
“C’mon.” A soft hand wraps around mine and nails scrape softly against my skin. Nessa. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Ellie’s in there.” I can’t pry my eyes off Torin, who begins disappearing deeper into the crowd, and I know I’m officially freaking out because I can’t move.
“Shit.”
“Split up,” I order hastily, and I’m surprised I’m able to get the words out with the way my heart is crawling up my throat.
Nessa doesn’t wait for another word, taking off to my right as I veer left where I come in contact with Cairo throwing a fist into someone, the long strands of his hair getting into his eyes, but he doesn’t stop.
Why am I stopping at this asshole?
He can handle himself.
Nothing comes to mind other than because it’s the right thing to do?
Is it, though?
Without the three heads of the Forsaken Crew, it only helps South Shore. It only keeps them off my back, showing up at places like here and my house. It’ll alleviate so much crap in my life that leaving them to deal with their own mess would be the smart thing to do.
And that’s when I see three other guys under Matteo’s hand, alluding to that this is a planned ambush.
A means to an end.
And they’re strapped with baseball bats, which means they want it to hurt when they break bones instead of putting bullets into the boys’ heads.
I can’t live with that on my conscience.
I have way too much shit going on in my head right now and none of it included three dead bodies at my feet and more blood on my hands.
Plucking a beanie off some dude’s head who’s currently dodging a hit from someone else, I pull it over mine because the last thing I want out of all of this is Matteo or one of his fuckboys seeing me.
Beelining for Cairo, I shove my feelings for him aside and take the bigger road. Maybe this will hand over some good karma and get Emilio off my entire ass.
Probably not, but nice try.
The three guys I spotted are shoving their way through the horde of bodies. They’re scouting, and Cairo is a sitting duck with only two hands and not enough strength.
He knocks the guy in front of him to the ground, muscles strained in a loose white tee, then kicks his heel into his opponent's face, knocking him out cold. Dark pools of eyes promptly slice up to me as if he can sense me coming a mile away, but I don’t stop to wait for words to leave his mouth.
Instead, I shove my hand between his body and bicep and hurl him forward. I could get us possibly to my car, but I don’t know where all Matteo’s men are and most of them know me. They see me with anyone from the Forsaken Crew and I’m a target. Matteo would never stand me allegedly dating or fucking someone from a gang when I’ve made myself clear that I’m not gonna date a gangbanger with a bad attitude and no respect.
I blew that promise.
“What are you doing?” Cairo carps out unappreciatively, still following me as I guide us out and hopefully out of this mess.
Wouldn’t expect anything less, to be honest.
I don’t answer as we get around a group of girls recording the fights taking place with their phones. And that’s when Cairo steps in front of me, causing me to slam right into him.
“Dude—”
“I asked you a fucking question,” he leers as I raise my chin to peer up at him. All those dark features and he still doesn’t scare me.
“Getting you out of here. Now?—”
“Why the hell would I trust you ?”
I tsk. “You wanna go back?” I jerk my thumb behind me. “I spotted five of Matteo’s guys, which means there are more. So, shut your big-ass mouth, and move.”
I round his broad frame and don’t give a shit if he follows me or not. I did my part—I attempted . He wants to become part of the ground, so be it, I tried when he doesn’t deserve it anyway.
I break out in a jog, looking for Ellie, Levi, and Travis when I feel Cairo following me. The farther we can get away, the better for both of us. We get another few yards when Cairo gets a hold of me by my wrist and steers me to a black Audi.
“Get in,” he orders, letting me go to stride over to the passenger side.
“Can’t.”
He stops and slowly refocuses on me. “The fuck not?”
I jerk my head to the car. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine. I gotta go find my sister—” He pivots and marches up to me like he’s about to throw me over his shoulder and carry me.
“Get in the car, Bay.”
“Fuck you.” I take three large steps away from him. “I need?—”
He continues stalking me. “If Levi is any good at what he does, she’s fine.”
“And I’m supposed to just take your word—dude, just go .” He’s on me within the next second, doing exactly what I said he was going to do.
He bends over, shoves his shoulder into my stomach, and lifts me right over it. I’m in the air and on my way back to his car when I slam my fists into his spine.
“I said I have to go look for?—”
“Shut up,” he growls out, his large hand squeezing my thigh in his endeavor to keep me still. “You fuckin’ brat.”
“Fuck you, asshole.”
A gunshot rings out, slicing into my temper tantrum and breathing pattern. With my fingers mindlessly clutching onto the back of Cairo’s shirt, I glimpse up and behind my captor just to find the worst possible motherfucker who could ever be standing there.
Matteo De Leon.