Chapter 36
Olive
Itoss my phone on my passenger seat. Hearing Nate’s voice does something to me. It’s exactly what I need, but it also makes what I’m about to do even scarier. I just have to accept that there’s no winning in any decision I make right now.
And I don’t even have time to figure out what Nate meant when he said he was on the way. Like, back to Nashville? Is he flying back? I wanted to ask, but the longer I talked to him, the more likely he was to talk me into not going to Marcus’s.
I have to see if Marcus can help me.
I whip my car into Marcus’s driveway and run to his door, knocking repeatedly, willing him to be home. Finally, the door flies open mid-knock.
“Ella, what the fuck happened to your face?” Marcus’s expression morphs with genuine distress over my bruised and busted cheek.
I push past him and walk into his house. “Your boss sent some of your coworkers to have a little chat with me.”
He cringes. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Ella. This is so fucked up.”
I pivot to face him as he shuts the front door. “Where’s Benny?”
Marcus flops down on the couch and gestures like I should sit down on the opposite end. I shake my head. I can’t sit down. Restless, anxious energy has me amped up. “What do you mean, where’s Benny?”
“The guys at my apartment said they have him.” My voice breaks with emotion. “They want the rest of the money.”
Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his head drops in defeat. “Goddamn, I didn’t think they would actually go get him.” He locks eyes with mine. “Any chance you have the rest of the money?”
I roll my lips over my teeth, trying to fend off the new wave of tears, and shake my head.
“I’ll have forty thousand in a few days, but I would have to make payments on the rest.” Sitting down on the couch next to him, I grip his bicep.
“Marcus, is there any chance you know where the drugs went? They said they would also accept the drugs back.”
Marcus’s humorless laugh has my stomach dropping.
“Those drugs are long gone, Oli. Long fucking gone. That idiot got high, and some friends of his decided to take advantage of the fact that he had no idea what the fuck was happening and stole everything. The money from the little he sold and the rest of the drugs.” He looks over at me with a slight wince.
“No offense at me calling him an idiot.”
I collapse against the back of his couch. “None taken. It’s deserving. Did Benny tell you that?”
He nods, his head hanging down. “Yeah, I talked to him right after it happened, and he told me. I tried to figure out who it was and where they went so I could get it back and make this right. But by the time I did, it was too late.”
He sounds so despondent over what happened that I reach over and rub his back. “I don’t like that you sold to him all those years, or that you were a part of his getting involved in all of this, but I believe you didn’t want this to happen.”
As he tilts his head to look at me, his eyes are tortured but jaded. “This wasn’t the first time he sold, Olive.”
I’m not surprised by that. I’d assumed as much, considering the amount of drugs he was given to sell. I have to imagine any drug dealer worth their salt wouldn’t give a brand-new lower-level drug dealer inventory worth that amount.
“I got him that job at the mechanic’s shop to get him out of this. But he got fired and came crawling back. I was so pissed at him.”
That admission does surprise me. I didn’t even consider that Marcus was the one who helped Benny get that job. My heart softens even further for Marcus. “It really sounds like you tried to help him. And for that, I’ll forever be grateful. Even if this is the worst-case scenario we’re in currently.”
Both of us tense when a loud knock sounds at his door. He glances back at me, unease filling his eyes. The knocking echoes through the house again and has my nerves skyrocketing.
“Are you going to get that?” I whisper.
Marcus’s gaze goes to the door for a moment. He looks at me once more before pushing himself to stand and goes to answer the door.
I can’t see who’s outside when he pulls the door open, but his expression is even more solemn than it was before.
That can’t be good.
The man who steps through the door is tall and muscular. He’s nicely dressed but still casual enough to not look out of place in this neighborhood. It’s who’s behind him that has my breath catching.
Benny’s slumped between the two men I met at my apartment earlier today.
I never actually got a good look at the one who hit me, but I assume one of them is him because of the small bruises under his eyes and the cut across the bridge of his nose.
The other man is definitely the one who was sitting on my couch.
“Well, what a pleasant surprise. I had no idea we would have a family reunion,” the first man says gleefully when he sees me. Then he turns to the two other men. “Why don’t you put the thief on the couch over there? I’m sure his sister wants to say hello.”
The man who hit me has a menacing smirk as they approach. But the other man’s face is unreadable. They dump Benny on the couch next to me, and I wrap my arms around him to keep him upright. Tears filling my eyes, I place my hand on his cheek to force him to look at me. “Benny, are you alright?”
Benny blinks a few times and gives me a small smile. “Oli. I fucked up. They gave me drugs. I didn’t want to do them again this time. For you.”
Pushing down my emotions, I hug him to me and smooth down his hair with a trembling hand. “It’s okay, Benny. We’ll figure this out.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the man I haven’t seen before now says with a cruel smile as he sits on the coffee table directly in front of me.
I glare at him as I pull Benny in tighter.
“Olive, it’s wonderful to meet you in person.
Benny and Marcus have had great things to say about you.
Not so much Tiny over there.” He inclines his head to the man with the injured nose.
“But I can’t say that I blame him for not having the most flattering things to say about you. ”
My insides are quaking in fear, but at least I have Benny with me. This would be worse if I still didn’t know where he was. I swallow hard. “I’m trying to get you your money.”
The man doesn’t respond. He tilts his head, as if he’s trying to figure me out. “Unfortunately, I need the money or the drugs. And since Marcus here was responsible for me trusting your brother here, I hold him partially responsible.”
“This isn’t my fault, Tatum,” Marcus exclaims from where he’s standing across the room.
At least I know the name of the man who may kill us.
Tatum holds up his hand to silence Marcus. I squirm under his intense, unwavering stare. “So many fucking excuses,” Tatum mumbles.
Taking a steadying breath, I say, “I know I was short on the last payment, but I got a loan, and I’ll have forty thousand for you in just a few days. I can set up a payment plan for as much as I can to cover the rest. I swear I’ll pay you back.”
Tatum smiles, but it’s miles away from his eyes.
“Payment plan.” The not-so-tiny Tiny huffs out a laugh from the other side of the room.
Tatum pops up suddenly from where he’s seated, spinning and taking two large steps toward Marcus.
Gripping his wrist hard enough to make Marcus wince, he drags him over to the coffee table and slams his hand so it’s palm down so loudly that even Benny flinches against me.
My heart is beating so powerfully, I’m shocked that I can still hear Marcus’s protests as Tiny whips out a gun and holds it to the back of Marcus’s head.
My eyes dart to Marcus’s face, contorted in fear and anger.
Panic and horror have sweat beading on my hairline at the scene unfolding in front of me.
My eyes dart around the room, trying to find any opportunity to get away, no matter how fruitless I know that would be.
Movement from the door makes me swing my head in that direction, my pulse stuttering at what might come next.
I’m not sure how much more I can handle as my breath stutters in and out of my frozen lungs.
It’s unnerving when the unnamed man’s expression is still unreadable as he observes the room.
He shuffles slightly toward the group again, but doesn’t make any move to help or stop it.
I refocus on the group standing inches from me and Benny as I pull him tighter to my side. Tatum slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out a switchblade. He presses it to Marcus’s pinky finger, and nausea swirls in my stomach. Marcus’s pleading becomes louder and more insistent.
Not that Benny has any idea what’s happening, but I pull him tighter against me and cover my mouth as a cry leaves my lungs. Sweat is forming on my hairline as terror rips through every cell in my body.
“Marcus, you know the consequences of your actions.” Tatum’s words are unnervingly calm as blood beads under the blade.
I squeeze my eyes closed, not wanting to see what happens next.
Marcus’s scream almost drowns out the deafening sound of the door being kicked in, making me jolt.
Wood splinters and hits the man from my couch.
He steps back against the wall as men rush into the house.
Curling deeper into the couch, I hold on to Benny as tight as I can, not looking up but hearing shouting and loud footsteps all around me.
I can’t even make out anything that’s being said because of the magnitude of the chaos breaking out.
All I can focus on is making Benny and me as inconspicuous as possible so that the bad guys forget about us, and who I hope are the good guys can concentrate on the bad guys.
Fear has my body trembling so hard that I’m shocked when Benny doesn’t stir against me.
I wrap my arms tighter around Benny and squeeze my eyes shut harder.
Regret and feelings of stupidity have me feeling like I might be sick.
How could I be so stupid? How could I make so many wrong decisions in the last few hours—hell, maybe the last few weeks—that’ve led me to be in this situation?
All I wanted was my brother back. I wanted him safe.
And it made me make idiotic choices that could have gotten us both killed.
I have no idea what will be waiting for me when I open my eyes.
All I can hope for is that, at the end of this, I’ll have the opportunity to make this right. To Benny. To myself. To Nate.
My name being yelled pulls me from my pretend protective bubble. As if my thoughts of him caused him to materialize, I lift my head to find Nate rushing across the room as Benny is lifted off me by someone else. Relief and guilt cause my breath to come out in rapid pants.
Nate is here. For me.
I rip my eyes away from Nate to make sure Benny is okay, and the earth-sized vise on my heart loosens when I see him surrounded by police officers.
When Nate gets to me and wraps me in his arms, I collapse against his chest. He pulls me in tight, my uncontrollable sobs having me heaving against him, unable to believe this is real.
His hand buries in my hair, and I press my head to his shoulder.
“Nate.” His name is barely recognizable on my lips from how badly I’m shaking and sobbing.
“They drugged him. I don’t know how much. He might need Narcan.”
“Shh, it’s okay. The paramedics are going to take care of him. It’ll be okay.” He shifts me back and smooths my hair away from my tear-stained cheeks as his eyes search my face. “Sweetheart, what happened to your face?”
My body tingles at the intensity of the emotions running through my body. I try to tell him, but more sobs shake me to my core. I can’t decipher if it’s residual fear and adrenaline or relief that the cops are here and Nate is holding me.
Nate pulls me back into him as he rocks me gently, my tears soaking his shirt.
After a few minutes, I calm a little, and Nate kisses me on the side of the head. “Olive, I want you to get looked at by the paramedics.”
My hands find his chest, and I push myself back from him to look into his eyes. “I’m fine.”
Nate’s features are so unsettled my breath hitches. His voice breaks when he begs quietly, “Please, for me. I need to know you’re okay.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
His shoulders drop an inch as he huffs a breath of relief. “Thank you. Can you walk, or do I need to carry you?”
The thought of him carrying me out of the havoc happening around us has a smile I thought would never return lifting my lips. “I can walk.”
He doesn’t look convinced, but doesn’t argue.
Wrapping an arm around my waist, he helps me stand.
My legs are shaky, but having Nate hold me tight to his side strengthens me with every step.
He leads me over to a waiting ambulance and asks for me to be checked out.
The paramedic tries to take me from Nate to help me into the back, and I swear I hear Nate growl until the paramedic steps back with his hands up.
I press my lips together to fight a new smile as we climb into the back of the ambulance and sit on the stretcher with Nate glued to my side.
As the paramedic starts his examination, I answer his questions and take in the scene happening on the street.
Marcus is being walked in cuffs to the back of a police car.
Despite everything, a surprising twang of sadness overtakes me at seeing him being arrested. I really hope this is the wake-up call he needs to get his life together. I don’t see Tatum or Tiny. I hope that means they are already secure in the back of a car.
My eyes shift back to the house, and my muscles tense.
Sensing the change in my demeanor, Nate’s hand grips mine tighter. “Olive, what’s wrong?”
My head swings to him. “That man by the front door. He’s one of them. Why isn’t he being arrested? He was there when I was backhanded by that other man.”
Nate’s eyes flare. His jaw tightens, and the muscle ticks. “That man let you get hit?”
I’m confused by his question, considering the man is a drug dealer.
“Uh, well, it wasn’t exactly like he knew it was going to happen.
He was just there.” I look back at the man.
He’s shaking the hand of the detective he was talking to.
With a confused shake of my head, I look back at Nate. “I don’t understand…”
He takes a deep breath before he says, “That man is an undercover cop.”