Chapter 28
I have to find out what’s happening.
I can’t wait anymore.
She asked me to trust her, but she’s training for something.
I turn away from the window quickly, stepping back into the shadows. That guy is her handler, not a friend. My head’s spinning as I lean my back against the cool brick. I’m not leaving her, not alone with some fuckhead buffoon.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I reluctantly check.
When I see who it is, I immediately kick off the wall, my jaw setting to the side.
‘Brother, please. One more fight.’
Mario.
‘No.’ There, clean, simple, strong.
“I think you should listen to your brother,” someone says from behind me. A gruff, entitled fucking voice that belongs to no one but Mickey.
Turning to face him, I’m intent on knocking his shit out for Roxie, but I see Mario–bloodied and barely standing up–in his grip.
“What are you doing?”
His lip curls up into a mocking grin. “Well, your brother here,” he manhandles Mario, who shakes like a leaf in the wind in his grip, “came to me and asked for me to give him a loan.”
My teeth grind together so tightly I’m worried I might crack a molar. My vision cuts to Mario, and I can see from the way his hands are shaking and his pupils are dilated that he’s strung out. He needs a fix and so he went to the shadiest fucking person we know.
His dry lips crack as he tries to speak louder, “Ty, please.” Mickey rolls his eyes and tightens his grip on Mario’s hair.
“Pathetic. First it was crying for a hit, and now it’s crying for big brother to save you.
Grow a pair,” Mickey snarls, forcing Mario’s head back.
That’s fucking enough. I’m going to fucking knock his teeth in.
Lunging forward, Mickey’s shirt is almost under my fingertips but a glint of metal shines between us and I freeze.
“Oh, finally getting the picture now, aren’t you?” Mickey lifts the gun and points it directly at me.
My hands shoot up to show him I’m not moving. I wouldn’t say I’m not a threat, but I’m not going to let him hurt my brother.
“Now, he owes me at least a thousand dollars today, Hernandez.” My heart sinks, fuck.
But I don’t let him know that. “Today. I’m not giving any more extensions.
Either you get me the cash, or your brother fucking gets it.
” My chest clenches tightly as Mickey turns the gun, pressing it tightly against Mario’s temple.
A thousand dollars? What the fuck did Mario spend all that shit on? How am I going to…
“What do you want?” I snap. “You obviously came to me with an idea on how I could pay that off. You know I don’t have that kind of money. So, what do you want?”
Mickey’s smile turns sinister. Joker-like as his demented smile grows.
“See, I knew you weren’t so stupid,” Mickey laughs menacingly.
“Terecino Hernandez. The guy that my Roxanne did everything to keep hidden. The stoic, quiet, giant,” Mickey says the words with a big guffaw, rolling his eyes like the very notion that someone thought that of me was ridiculous.
He laughs, but keeps the barrel trained on Mario.
“Who only thinks about others and how he can help them. Nice. A really nice story.” Mickey’s voice turns serious, no trace of the laughter in his tone now.
“But they don’t know that you’re a fucking thief. ”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“A thief? What have I stolen?”
Mickey’s eyes narrow as a thread of pure anger floats through his eyes.
“You’ve stolen Roxie. You stole my best fighter. My girl. And you stole the fight that could’ve made me a top manager.”
I try not to fixate too much on the fact that he called Roxie his and take a shallow breath.
“If you’re mad at me, Frank, let’s settle this. I told you I was going to pay off Roxie’s debt, I’ll pay off Mario’s too. You know I’m good for it.”
“Not good enough,” Mickey snarls as he presses the gun harder against Mario’s temple.
My hands clench tighter but I don’t move more than that, just focusing on appearing non-threatening.
“What can I do to prove to you that I’ll get Mario’s debt paid? That I’ll pay Roxie’s too?”
“You’re going to fight,” Mickey announces, as if he already knew the outcome of this confrontation.
Like he fucking planned this whole thing.
“Mario,” I say and watch as my too-young-for-this brother looks at me in terror, “did he give you drugs at the start?”
“Don’t answer that.” Mickey tightens his grip on Mario so much that I can see the way his skin stretches over the bones, even in the dark.
Anger. Pure hot anger fills my chest as all the pieces fall into place. Mickey’s been feeding Mario’s addiction. Mickey abused Roxie for years and when she left, he couldn’t handle it. He thinks it’s my fault.
And I want to kill him. Cold-blooded murder, right here, right now. But right now, I’d lose.
“You son of a bitch,” I snarl, stepping closer, but Mickey turns the gun towards me.
“Uh, uh, uh,” he says in a sing-song tone, “Not so fast, big guy. You want both your precious baby brother and your used-up old lady to walk away from me free and clear?”
I don’t answer. He already knows but just wants to make this painful. To stick the knife in and twist while dangling the carrot just out of reach and watching as I bleed out to try and get it.
“Oh, that got your attention, hm?” Mickey’s smirk darkens. He knows he has me on the ropes. “Luckily for you, I have a deal. Just for you.”
I clench my teeth, breathing in deeply through my nose to try and control my anger.
“What do I have to do?”