Chapter 17 Diem #2
“Christ.” I handed him the water and pills and sat on the end of the bed, lifting his foot to my lap. “What the fuck?” I examined it cautiously. “You said it wasn’t bad.”
“It’s fine. Nothing’s broken.”
I gently wrapped the ice pack around his ankle, applying soft pressure so it cradled the wound. It was one of those gel-filled types that molded to whatever appendage needed care. It had a cotton slipcover to mitigate the cold and lessen the intensity. I used it after punishing gym sessions.
Tallus sighed and tipped his head back, closing his eyes. A pinch between his brows remained.
“Feel good?” I asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“No wonder you’re limping. When you said you fell—”
“Twisted my ankle and went down on my hip.”
“How is it?” I feathered my fingers over the faint bruise coloring his skin.
He tugged his underwear aside to show me the rest, and I winced.
I moved his foot to the bed, leaving the ice around his ankle, and shuffled closer. I smoothed a hand over his bruise, bending and kissing the area like my lips might somehow be a cure-all and fix the problem. Soothe the ache.
Tallus threaded his fingers through my hair and encouraged me to sit up. I kissed him properly, and he let me. My worry over having upset him vanished. He tasted like toothpaste and home. Like comfort after a long day.
“Where’s your friend?” he asked when the kiss naturally ended.
“Freezing his nads off on the balcony because I told him he couldn’t smoke in the apartment. I came to get him a sweater and socks. Do you mind if he borrows some clothes? Mine won’t fit.”
“He’s already wearing my clothes.”
“I should have asked.”
“It’s fine. Is he talking?”
“Mostly.”
Tallus nodded. “Good.”
“Are you mad?” I brushed our noses together, lingering in his space with no desire to leave.
“No. You?”
“No.” I kissed him again, slower that time, savoring Tallus’s taste and the silky glide of his tongue as it danced along mine. I wanted to crawl into bed and forget what I started with Darcy, but I couldn’t.
Reluctantly, I pulled back. “I won’t be long. Will you wait up?”
“I’ll try. No promises. I’m pretty tired.”
I pecked a final kiss on his mouth and bent to nuzzle Echo’s fur. “I’m going to want this spot in a bit, beast. Don’t get too comfortable.”
Echo snuffled and chuffed and turned her face away, effectively snubbing me.
Tallus chuckled. “You’ve been told.”
I borrowed one of Tallus’s hoodies and dug a thick pair of socks from my dresser drawer before returning to the balcony.
I half expected Darcy to be long gone, making a liar out of me, but he wasn’t.
He leaned against the railing, staring out at the city, a faraway look in his eyes. His teeth chattered as he smoked.
Presented with warmer clothes, he rushed to ditch the cigarette into the ash can I kept by the door and pulled them on, mumbling thanks.
Grabbing the pack of cigarettes from the railing, I helped myself to one and lit up.
“I thought you quit.” He took the pack from me, plucking another from within.
“Fuck it. It’s not alcohol, and I’ve managed to hold off all day. I deserve one for not killing you.”
“I… can’t tell if you’re joking.”
I huffed a humorless laugh and handed him the lighter.
Darcy watched me instead of the city. I didn’t like being openly examined but stayed quiet, letting him look his fill. The ugly was on display. Few people were willing to look beyond the scars.
My nerves calmed with the first toxic inhale of nicotine. Soothing warmth bled through my veins. Sure, it felt good now, but regret and self-loathing would knock at my door later, reminding me of the promises I’d made to myself. Promises I could never seem to keep.
One demon at a time. Alcohol was a worse evil and the first I needed to beat.
I took another haul. I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since Sunday night. Four days was a record, and I was determined to keep it going.
“Are you going to report me to the police?” Darcy asked, cutting into my thoughts.
“No. You’re fucking krill in this equation. I want the shark responsible.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“Never mind. I’m not turning you in.”
We smoked. Darcy went out of his way to study me without making it obvious.
“What?”
“What happened to your face?”
The blunt question threw me off, and I inhaled wrong, choking on a lungful of smoke. I almost snarked for him to mind his fucking business, but by the time the coughing fit calmed, the instinctual urge to deflect did too.
“Had a run-in with a bike chain. Where are your parents?”
Darcy balked. “None of your fucking business.”
I laughed because the brat had stolen my line. He had no idea the restraint I had used to avoid saying the exact same thing ten seconds ago. “Then you don’t get to ask me any more personal questions. Got it? What are the chances you can arrange a meet-up with Luke?”
Darcy hugged himself, his petulance and sulkiness returning. “I would need a good excuse.”
“Okay. Like what?”
He considered for a long minute before shrugging.
“I don’t know. At first, he wanted to see me to be sure I was suitable.
He wanted to hear how I talked and see if I could play a role.
He took pictures of me. I guess so he could match me to random people.
At least, that’s what he told me. He showed me how to do all the things he required, like setting up online banking.
Most seniors don’t have that, so I help them get it arranged.
He taught me all the tricks. You know, for avoiding traps, since I have to help them contact the bank. He gave me a phone.”
“Do you have a mark right now?”
Darcy stared at his feet, one sock-covered foot folding over the other. “Yeah. Met with her today. Deal’s already closed.”
“What if you told this Luke guy that she gave you a pile of cash and asked you to take it to the bank or something. Or maybe it was a birthday gift for the grandson. Savings she used to keep under her mattress after her husband died. I don’t know. You have cash, and you need to hand it off.”
Darcy scoffed. “Dude, if that happened, I would never tell Luke. I’d keep the money and pretend it didn’t exist. If I told him, it would be suspicious as hell.”
I flicked the butt of my cigarette into the can and blew a cloud of smoke into the frigid air.
He was right, but it might still work. “Let’s pretend you’re a saint.
No. Better yet. Let’s pretend you’re dumb as rocks and don’t know what to do with this envelope full of cash.
You can even ask him if you can keep it. Would he meet with you to pick it up?”
“No. He would give me a drop location and tell me to leave the cash there, and he would collect it later.”
“I can work with that.”
“He’ll know something’s up. I can’t cross this guy. He’d kill me, and I need the money.”
“You’re done with him. You hear me?”
“I can’t be. Giant Tiger pays shit. I get two shifts a week if I’m lucky. No one else will hire me.”
“We’ll sort it out, but you’re done running scams for this guy because I’m going to nail his ass and he’s going to prison.
Now listen, Luke might suspect you’re pocketing half the money.
That’s fine. Either way, he won’t leave it to chance.
Maybe you’re dumb enough to hand over a thousand or two in cash.
He’s not exactly looking for bright kids to do his dirty work, is he? ”
Darcy huffed. “You can call me stupid all you want, but he hires kids who are desperate. None of us would happily hand over money he didn’t know about.”
Again, he made sense. Chances were, Luke would know something was up, but that only meant he would investigate. “It’ll work.”
“You’ll get me killed.”
“I wouldn’t let him kill you. Besides, we should try this before the police decide to track you down. It’s only a matter of time before they follow the same path I did. The only reason they haven’t yet is because they don’t have enough people on the task force, digging into Elwood’s case.”
“I thought you said you wanted to protect me. Now you’re going to hand me over to the cops.”
“Did I say that? You don’t listen. I want to try drawing Luke out. Sooner rather than later. If the police get their hands on you first, then you’re shit out of luck.”
“But… I thought you had connections at the police department.”
“I fucking lied.”
Darcy sulked, but he couldn’t say much since he’d spent half the evening lying to me.
It was a decent plan, and it might work. If I could figure out who Luke was, I might be able to blow up his entire enterprise.
“Fine. I’ll text him, but he’s going to be suspicious.”
“Tomorrow. I have to make preparations first.”
Darcy slumped against the railing. His cigarette was gone, so he was back to rolling the band of his ring around and around.
It was getting late, and I was about to suggest we head inside where it was warmer when Darcy mumbled, “My dad went to prison for involuntary manslaughter when I was thirteen. He accidentally killed a guy in a drunken bar fight. He was sentenced to ten years but earned another five for dealing drugs in prison. Mom checked out after that. Lost herself at the bottom of a bottle of wine.”
“That’s shitty.”
He absently nodded, staring into a past I couldn’t see as he continued. “I got arrested when I was fifteen. Destruction of property.”
“Meaning?”
“I took a crowbar to my mom’s car. Destroyed it.
Fuck it felt good.” His eyes shimmered, but he didn’t cry.
“I got expelled from school earlier that day for knocking a kid’s teeth out when he called my mom a whore.
She didn’t care that I was defending her.
She only cared that I was caught fighting.
Called me a loser, just like my no-good daddy, so I went ballistic.
Spent time in juvie. Went from there to a boys’ home because my mom was never sober after that, and I was a delinquent according to the social worker. ”
Darcy sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. A twist of resentment colored his expression. I felt in my chest all the pain and anger he carried inside and knew from experience that it took a Herculean effort to stay in control.
I wasn’t sure what compelled me to talk, but the words fell from my mouth before I could stop them.
“My father’s the one who swung the bike chain that tore my face in half.
I don’t even remember what made him so angry that day.
Maybe nothing. He didn’t always have a reason to beat me.
Maybe he had a bad day at work. Maybe someone cut him off on his way home.
I was a convenient punching bag. It took sixteen stitches to sew my face back together.
I was eight years old. The doctor said I was lucky I didn’t lose the eye. ”
“Dude.”
I nodded, itching for another smoke. Even Tallus hadn’t heard the full story. He knew bits and pieces about my past, but sharing was painful, and the well of injustices was bottomless. He never pushed. Besides, reliving the horrors of my youth solved nothing. I was learning, slowly, to let them go.
I squared off with Darcy. “I know what I’m asking isn’t ideal. I know you don’t want to do it, and you’re afraid it might get you in trouble, but I’ve got your back. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. Are you still going to be here in the morning?”
Darcy stared for a long time, indecision written all over his face.
“I don’t want you back in that apartment,” I added.
“Why do you care what happens to me?”
I’d asked myself the same question a dozen times since dragging his ass home, and the answer was simpler than I expected. “Because I’ve been down that road, kid, and trust me, it’s unpleasant. The sooner you can escape, the better.”
“I’m not a drug addict.”
I shrugged, unwilling to argue semantics.
“Are you really going to help me?”
“Are you going to help me?”
Darcy nodded, his twig-thin arms hugged tightly around his frail frame. He didn’t look old enough to face the world by himself. He had flaws, undesirable qualities, and no one on his side. A scenario I was all too familiar with. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing, but I was doing it.
“I’ll do what I can to protect you, kid. You have my word.” I held out my fist, and Darcy bumped it.
Then, he turned away quickly like he was afraid I might see the shimmer in his eyes.
I feigned ignorance and went inside.
I knew how important it was to put on a strong front for the world, no matter how weak you felt. I would give Darcy that dignity and hoped that he would learn to trust me.
***
I found an extra blanket and pillow in the hall closet. Darcy cocooned himself, curling into the fetal position on the couch, only his face poking out.
He finally stopped shivering as I went through the messages on the burner again.
“Are you sure you’re gay?” he asked.
I chuckled. “Yeah. Pretty fucking sure.”
“I’m not a phobe. I just… It surprised me. That’s all. You don’t talk gay, and like, you’re not flamboyant or anything.”
“Those are stereotypes.”
“Okay. Cool.” The heat of his gaze warmed my face as he studied me like I was an aberration. “I never met a guy like you before.”
“Go to sleep, Darcy.”
“Okay.” Another long pause. “I’m sorry I made your nose bleed earlier.”
“Didn’t even feel it.” I tossed the phone aside and rooted around the fridge for a can of sugary pop or something to satisfy the craving for alcohol. I was out of Dr Pepper, and the only carbonated drinks Tallus enjoyed were all Zero or Diet. I hated that shit.
“Do you, like, lift weights or something? You’re crazy huge. I always thought gay men were—”
“Kid, shut your fucking trap and go to sleep.”
“Yeah. Okay. Good night.”
I closed down the apartment but stayed up to finish the brat’s laundry.
Once he finally stopped yammering, he was asleep in no time.
I spent another hour pacing a strip off the floor, processing the evening, and contemplating next steps.
In the morning, we would hopefully draw Luke from hiding, and I could make headway on the case.
I would eventually have to pass it off to the police, which I fucking hated.
I didn’t know what I would do about the kid, but it was a problem for later.
By the time midnight rolled around, I’d worn myself out. I couldn’t watch Darcy the entire night. I had to trust my gut and hope I hadn’t lied to Tallus. If he robbed us blind, I would be pissed.
I didn’t know if he would still be around in the morning, but I hoped I’d done enough to convince him that the alternative would not work in his favor.