My motel room was dark and empty, a violent tension swirling around in the air around me. I gathered up the few things I’d been living off for the past couple of weeks and shoved them into my bags, then loaded them into my car. The young girl was working the front desk again today, and I was tempted to take her up on the suggestive offer she made every time I came within ten feet of her. I imagined bending her over the desk and plowing into her, creating a show for anyone who bothered walking into the shitty office. The desperate look on her face told me she wouldn’t give a fuck if we had an audience. She’d probably even done it before. Just before I reached over and grabbed her, clarity snuck into my clouded mind and I gained enough self-restraint to turn away without a word. It wasn’t fucking worth it.
Time barely registered with me for the following two days. I knew it was there—this thing in the way of getting my hands on Monti and making him pay for every single shitty thing he’d ever done. But I was lost, sitting silently in Mom’s basement while the clock ticked away above my head.
I’d ignored my phone at all costs, too afraid that someone would be able to talk me out of the plan I was dead-set on. I knew hearing Luna’s voice might bring me back to sanity, or Joe insisting that I come to his house would pull me out of this daze I was in. I didn’t want to come out, though. From threatening Luna to killing Mom, Monti has fucked with my family enough. It was time for him to realize what a goddamn monster he was dealing with.
“Liam, wake the fuck up,” a distant voice screamed from above. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t budge. My entire body was shaking, rousing me from the deep slumber I’d fallen into. I moaned, grabbing onto the sheets to keep myself still and stop the movement. It didn’t work.
“What the hell, man?” The voice yelled again. It was closer this time. When I attempted to pry my eyes again, a foggy face appeared above me. “There you are. What the fuck did you take?”
I blinked to clear my vision even more. Niko’s face came into view, his green eyes staring back at me with fear and expectancy. I sat up to check the time but couldn’t find a clock. Wasn’t there a fucking clock ticking just a few seconds ago? I could still remember the sound driving me crazy.
My eyes landed on the floor, to the shards of broken glass that surrounded the sphere. I must have ripped it off the wall.
“What time is it?” I asked Niko, already standing to find a shirt. “And what day is it?”
He took a couple steps away from me, his brows pinched together while he tried to assess the situation. His questioning stare pissed me off. I just wanted to know what fucking time it was. Was that so hard? My phone sat on the nightstand next to the bed, and I tried to power it on when he didn’t answer me. Dead.
Fuck. “Niko, answer my goddamn question!” My voice was loud—louder than I had intended. But he didn’t even flinch. Maybe it was just loud to me. Was I even talking? He still wasn’t answering me.
“It’s Tuesday night. Eight o’clock. What have you been doing, man? I’ve been calling you for two days. What did you take?” His rapid-fire questions only served to piss me off. He needed to shut his mouth, so I could think for a second.
Eight o’clock on Tuesday. I had to get my shit together. Monti’s meeting was tonight.
I rushed around the room, ripping it apart to find what I was looking for. I tore through my closet and drawers, coming up empty. When I threw the covers onto the floor I found it. Relief filtered through me. My hands curled around the cold metal, its harsh edges providing a sense of comfort while I examined it.
“What the fuck are you planning to do with that?” Niko asked from beside me, reminding me he was still here, and I had barely acknowledged him.
“You need to leave. I have somewhere to be.” My voice was disconnected now. At least I wasn’t yelling anymore.
“Fuck that, dude. Where are you going with a pistol?” He sounded panicked again. Couldn’t he just mind his fucking business?
I didn’t have time to calm him down. Instead, I grabbed a black hoodie and pulled it over my head, tucking the pistol into the front pocket before I searched for my keys. Luckily, I noticed them sitting on top of the dresser before I started ripping things apart again. Niko still hadn’t moved. I glanced toward him, nodding my head before I walked up the stairs and started toward the back door.
“Where are we going?” he asked, easily keeping up with my speed walking. Or maybe I was running? I don’t know, it just felt like I was going really fast. We stopped at my car. I rounded the front and walked to the driver’s side door while he stared at me from across the hood of the car.
“I told you, I have somewhere to be.” I opened the door and fell in, pushing the button to turn it on.
“Fine, then I’m coming with you.” He opened the passenger door and hopped in beside me.
Fine, it was his funeral. I’d already resolved myself to dying tonight. It wasn’t my job to save him and there was no time left to argue.
●
Easing my car into a spot toward the back of the lot, I killed the lights and sat in silence, watching for any sign of movement that indicated Monti had arrived. I worked with him long enough to learn his pattern, and when six sets of headlights made their way toward me, I reached in the passenger seat and handled the gun, triple checking that it was fully loaded and that the safety was off. I didn’t have time to waste. The moment I pulled the trigger, one of his goons would likely be after me.
Niko had stayed silent until now. “What the fuck are we doing here, Liam? Isn’t that Monti’s car?”
I leaned my seat back when Monti’s black SUV pulled in last, his guard parking it on the end of the line of cars before shutting the lights off. The drivers of each car got out and ran past us, through an open field and into another abandoned parking lot where a black car idled, waiting for them to hop in before it quietly took off out another entrance. They had the routine down to a science.
Their sneaking around wasn’t necessary, though. We were far enough off the beaten path for anyone to care what they were doing. Cars were stolen in Detroit all the time, and dead bodies were often dumped in the field they ran across, rotting there for days before anyone found them.
“Are you going to fucking answer me? I’m sick of this silence shit. You better explain what the fuck we’re doing here before I hop out of this car and blow your cover,” Niko threatened.
My mind had cleared on the drive over, allowing the fear of what was about to happen to creep in. I started to doubt my plan and I didn’t need him throwing a hissy fit beside me while I attempted to pump myself back up.
“I’m going to kill Monti.” My voice was cold, still very detached. There wasn’t any doubt in my tone despite the fear I was currently fighting past.
His eyes widened in surprise. “Why the hell would you do that?”
I watched the black SUV for a moment, waiting for any suspicious movement that suggested they knew I was there. When I was sure we were still in the clear, I turned toward him. His pupils were dilated, the light green of his irises almost completely gone. He was scared. Good. He shouldn’t have tagged along for this one.
“Because he killed my mom. He’s fucked with enough people in my life. It’s time for him to pay the price. I’m done taking this lying down.”
Before he could answer, another car pulled up, parking closer to the garage of the seemingly abandoned auto repair shop. A tall, lanky man got out and approached Monti’s window, just as I had done so many times in the past.
I knew he wouldn’t give me a perfect opportunity to take him out, and the gun I held wasn’t going to guarantee me a hit from the distance I was at. I would have to get as close as I could and take a shot at the first chance I got.
Slowly snaking my way out of the car, I watched as Monti rolled his window down, instructing the hooded man on what to do as if he even had a clue. I startled when the ground behind my car rustled and aimed the gun toward the trunk in anticipation for whatever was sneaking around. Niko’s face came into view, a scowl forming at the gun pointed at his forehead. I hadn’t even heard him get out.
“What are you doing? Get back in the car,” I demanded.
I was fine with him playing tagalong so long as he stayed out of the way. I couldn’t focus knowing his life was at risk, regardless of the detachment I felt toward my own. Now that my mind was clear, there was no way in hell I was letting Niko get caught in the crosshairs.
“I’m coming with you. I’m not going to let you go through this shit alone. If you say he killed your mom, then I believe you. That fucker needs to pay.”
There was no time to argue. If we waited too long, I’d miss my opportunity. On a sigh, I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him, letting him know I wasn’t happy about his decision.
We crawled through the spaces between abandoned cars in the gravel lot until we sat directly across from Monti’s window. I kneeled behind the trunk of an Oldsmobile that clearly hadn’t been running for a while to shield my body from any shots that might be fired in my direction. Niko hung back a little further, using a discarded hood to shield himself.
Monti’s head was in clear view, and this was the best chance I would get. With one eye closed to aim, my gun cocked, I rested my finger on the trigger and prepared to pull.
Bang bang.
Two shots sounded from my left, pulling my attention from Monti over to three men dressed in all black who were making their way toward the black SUV on foot.
My ears were ringing from the deafening sound of the gunshots bouncing off the metal next to me. The tall hooded man who stood next to Monti’s window had been shot down, and the driver was slumped over in his seat. I saw panic cross Monti’s face while he struggled to roll his window up, as if that would shield him from his assaulters.
I was caught like a deer in headlights. I didn’t want to make any sudden moves that would attract their eyes over to me, but I was too exposed for comfort. Whoever was infiltrating the drop was after Monti, and they were killing everyone in their path.
With slow movements, I quietly pulled my gun into my chest and slumped down behind the car, praying to whatever god that was out there that they didn’t notice. My eyes found Niko’s, recognizing the fear and shock that mirrored my own.
“So nice to see you, son.” Frank’s cheery voice broke the silence, competing with the ringing in my ears that lingered from the shots that were fired too close to me.
I peeked around to see his usual smiling face walking toward Monti’s car before knocking on the window. “Knock, knock. Open up.”
Monti rolled his window back down. He was even more ugly to me now with his face twisted in confusion.
“W-what are you doing here?” he asked his father, his beady little eyes darting between three men that stood behind Frank, guns cocked and trained on him. They were ready to release if he made the wrong move.
“We need to talk,” Frank explained, moving out of the way as he opened Monti’s door. The stupid fucker had it unlocked for the drop-off.
Monti cautiously stepped out of the back seat, keeping his back flush against the car while he tried to keep his eyes on each of the men who so clearly wanted to kill him. He had enough sense not to turn his back on any of them.
Frank stepped toward him, shaking his head as the three men moved in sync. They never took their eyes off Monti.
“I don’t have a lot of time, so let’s make this quick. I heard that you paid Karla Baker a little visit the morning she died,” Frank began, stopping a few feet in front of his son. The mention of Mom's name had my ears perking up in interest.
“Who told you that?” Monti questioned, the untouched side of his face pulling into a frown that matched the scarred side.
“It doesn’t matter who told me. What matters is that you were there. I told you not to fucking touch her, and you went behind my back. Don’t you remember what happens when you go behind your father’s back?” Frank snarled, lifting a knife he had been keeping hidden away in his palm.
Monti shook his head nervously, putting his hands up in front of his chest in defense. “I didn’t fucking touch her. Who told you I did? Was it Liam? You know he’s a lying bastard, Dad. I already proved that to you. Why would I kill the woman you loved? Do you think I have a death wish?” Monti rambled.
What the hell did that mean?
I placed my finger back on the trigger of my own gun, half-tempted to pull it and end him right there at the mention of my name. But I wanted to hear what Frank had to say first.
“Monti,” Frank sang his name in a warning tone. “I told you not to lie to me,” he sing-songed.
“I’m not!” Monti boomed, and the three gunmen took a step closer to him.
Frank tsked, looking down at the ground while he pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand, turning the knife in his right.
“I’m done playing games here. You left your fucking fingerprints all over her goddamned house. Did you think I wouldn’t hear about the syringe you left stuck in her arm and immediately know it was you? She was getting clean!”
His cool exterior had cracked, and for the first time ever, Frank wasn’t wearing his signature careless grin. He was broken over Mom, just like me. But why?
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he continued, gathering his composure back, and raised his eyes back to Monti’s.
Whatever look they held had Monti trembling.
“You’ve been messing around behind my back for years, and until now, I wasn’t sure how to handle you. When Liam came to me and told me about how you were fucking with our deal, blinded by the money, I went to Karla for counsel. She told me to give you a chance to explain yourself, and when I did, you just lied to me more. Then, I did some digging of my own and found that you were pulling that shit with every shop I had on the payroll, until they all backed out. Once again, you were trying to destroy the empire I’ve spent years building, putting me at risk.
“Now, I see that everything I’ve been told has been the truth, and you killed the one person who was on your side in all of this. Do you know what that means, Monti? Do you know what you did when you killed the love of my life?”
Frank had made his way closer to Monti until he was practically nose to nose with him. Monti shook his head in response. With one swift movement, Frank had his whole body pressed against his son’s, knife pressed against his throat, trapping him against the side of the SUV.
“It means you left me with no reason to keep you alive.”
Frank barely let the words enter Monti’s ears before he pulled the knife across his son’s neck, stepping back to allow his limp body to drop on the ground at his feet. Monti’s eyes were still widened in fear as the blood poured out of him.
My lungs ached, and I realized I hadn’t taken a breath since Frank took his first step toward Monti. I was in shock, angry that it wasn’t me who killed him, but grateful that he was finally dead.
“You guys can come out now.” Frank’s calm voice sounded from his spot across the lot. He had taken a handkerchief out and was wiping the blood off his knife when I popped my head up. “Liam? Niko?”
The three men had their guns aimed in our direction now, and I slowly stood with my arms up, holding the pistol in my hand. I heard the ground crunch behind me, indicating that Niko was doing the same.
“Drop the gun and slide it over,” one of them commanded from behind his weapon.
I complied, slowly placing the gun on the ground and pushing it toward them.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you two here,” Frank finally said, tucking his clean knife into his breast pocket. “You must be disappointed. I can’t imagine how disappointing it would have been if you had gotten to him before I did.”
My face was scrunched in confusion and bile rose into my throat when the metallic scent coming from the three dead bodies surrounding us. I shook my head at the murderous man before me.
“You knew we were there the whole time?”
Frank laughed. “Of course.”
We stared at each other in silence, and for the first time, I allowed myself to take in the man before me without fear or hesitation. He killed his own son, and he did it for my mom. I couldn’t decide if that made him a terrifying threat or an ally.
“I loved her, Liam,” Frank explained, responding to my thoughts. He was unpredictable, and yet he could read me like a book. It left me at a heavy disadvantage.
“I don’t like people knowing that I have weaknesses, and love is a weakness. But I trust you, son. Because your mom trusted you. I’m sorry you had to witness what you did tonight. She wouldn’t have wanted his blood to be spilled on your hands.”
Are we talking about the same woman? Mom didn’t give two shits about what was spilled on my hands. At least she never let me believe she did. I stayed silent, afraid to speak and have it backfire on me.
Frank understood. He pulled a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
“She wrote this for you in rehab. I found it in her garbage after she got out. I read it. I think it will help you understand things a little more clearly.”
Lifting his hand between us, he held out the folded paper toward me. I still didn’t know if I should trust him. Glancing at the hands of the men who surrounded us, I noticed for the first time that they had lowered their guns. I had already watched Frank put his knife away safely in his pocket. There didn’t seem to be any immediate threats.
Once I was sure it was safe, my hand met his halfway and grabbed the note. My name was scribbled on the top in her loopy handwriting. A heart was drawn over the ‘I’ and colored in. Frank motioned for his men to follow him, nodding toward me one more time.
“Stay out of trouble, Liam,” he warned without bothering to look back.
I glanced toward Niko again and tilted my head toward the car. We walked on stiff legs back to the car and slipped inside. I didn’t see where Frank disappeared off to, but I had a clear view of the three dead bodies I was just standing next to, and the familiar burning made its way up my throat.
Throwing open the driver’s side door, I emptied the contents of my stomach out onto the ground beside me, covering it up with dirt and gravel when I was sure I was done. I needed to erase every sign of myself and get out of there. Niko did the same, still stunned into silence.
I wasn’t surprised that no one called the cops to report the two gunshots from earlier. The neighborhood was too used to the sound to call on it, but I knew someone from Frank’s crew would be out to collect the bodies before the police caught wind of the three murders. Pulling the door closed beside me, I eased out of the parking lot and merged onto the empty main road.