Chapter 40

Animal

I called Merck to tell him the bad news. He slayed me with his understanding. He told me he would just save the presents he had for Ember in case she ever did want to meet him.

Nix was a goddamn basketcase. I knew he was getting updates from T, who was tailing Ember better than a pile of CIA agents.

But it was sad in the house. Sad without her. The first night she’d spent at Jet’s house. She’d snuck in through his bedroom window. I thought Nix’s head would pop off. Ember was with a girlfriend the second night. The third night, she was at another friend’s.

“She’s fucking homeless. My sister is homeless.” Nix had punched at least five more holes in the walls. He wasn’t dealing with things well.

Becca did her best. She offered to go speak to Ember, but she had a hunch that Ember might not take the news that everyone had stayed away all this time very well.

I kept up our business. I met with the Feybis who were complaining about a Kaleotos encroaching on their territory. I beat some heads. I met with the Kaleotos. Compromising between the two families sometimes felt like handing a bunch of middle schoolers’ weapons. Sometimes they just had to be forced to face each other and hash it out.

On my way home, I passed the bad part of town that Debra, Helena, and T hung around back in the day.

I saw Ember’s brown hair with streaks in the center of a group of guys. She was laughing and smoking a cigarette under a streetlight.

I parked a block away and got out of the Hummer.

If Ember saw me, she played like she hadn’t. I knew T was somewhere close, but I couldn’t see her.

T: I was just about to text you.

I looked at T’s message and leaned against a car. The group couldn’t see me, but I could make out some of the words they were saying and Ember’s giggles.

I sent T a question mark.

T: Her friend dropped her off down here. I don’t like this crew.

I was ready to go in and bang some heads.

T: She’s taking some risks.

I sighed. Ember was hurting and wanted to numb that.

Me: Stay hidden. I don’t want her to know she’s being followed.

I slid my phone into my pocket. As the group came into view, the tone changed. Ember’s laughter went from flirty to a little shrill.

I saw the hand motions of the punks in a circle around her. They were up to something. Ember was in over her head.

The one with a slouchy hat went low behind her and picked her up. The one across from them grabbed her ankles. The cigarette tumbled from her hands. Her laughter went to a quick screech.

Another put his hand over her mouth. He yelped as she obviously bit him.

I saw T headed at me. She hadn’t listened, but as the situation escalated, I wasn’t sad to have her with me.

I hit the mouth cover expert with one quick punch to the back of his neck. He went down like an empty sack.

These guys were used to trouble, because they were ready to fight immediately. They didn’t know that T was there, and she was double fisted with Tasers. Between the current she launched at two of the men, and with the knee-swipe-punch combo, she had three men on the ground before they knew they should be scared of her.

I had dropped one, but we still had two left. And they were holding Ember.

To her credit, she was struggling like a beast. I came low and lifted Ember away from them. I set her on her feet as the one who held her ankles took a swing at my head.

I ducked, so it was just a brush of knuckles, but what sounded like a wildcat ripped through the night.

T. I turned and put myself between Ember and the guys in time to see T decimate them. She was like a choreographer of pain. There were cracking bones and demoralizing punches.

I didn’t even have to help her.

“Shit, girl.” I turned to see a shocked Ember staring at the groaning bodies.

T detached the Taser wires and took the weapons with her. I grabbed Ember’s hand and made sure I had T.

We double-timed it to the Hummer, and then we were rolling out. I glanced at Ember as we passed under some lights. She looked embarrassed. I wasn’t taking her back to her girlfriend’s. I wasn’t taking her to Jet’s. I had one option if she wasn’t willing to come home with me.

“You want to come home? Or otherwise I’m taking you back to your aunt’s.”

She gave me a dirty look as I announced my intentions then she nodded once. T was in the back seat. I knew she was forcing the situation, making sure Ember and I sat next to each other. I had about ten minutes to make a difference.

“Ember, Nix misses you. We all miss you,” I started with honesty.

I was wrong in assuming she was just a kid, because she had true insight. It wasn’t fair to assume she was unaffected by her situation just because she’d had a person to stay with.

Ember tapped on the glass with her pinkie. “You know, I think a lot of people make choices for me. Decide what I can handle. Decide what I need. More than I know.”

“We care,” I interrupted.

She looked at me without the flirty teasing. Just betrayal. “You knew who my dad could be, and you sat with me how many times and that information wasn’t on your tongue? Do you know how that makes me feel?” Ember twirled her long hair into a loose ponytail and then pulled it over her shoulder. “Expendable.”

“It’s not like that. You’re right. We should have told you. Your brother and I both think of you as the little girl that was better off being separated from Nix’s life.” I turned toward her aunt’s house. “Nix’s father was not a good man. He was dangerous. That’s what we were perseverating on. Not trying to make you feel like less.”

Ember lifted her shoulders and her eyebrows at the same time. “That settles it then. Good job. You were right. Now take me back to my aunt’s, the place I left on purpose.”

“Will you come back?” That was my preference, if that was an option for her. Maybe I hadn’t been clear.

“Nah. I’m nobody’s burden. I can take care of myself. And I will take care of myself. You can tell T to stop following me, too.” Ember grabbed the door handle.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. T’s face registered the rejection, and we met our gaze in the reflection.

It was hard to be in the wrong. Ember had a lot of great points, but her life was influenced by Nix’s decisions and mine.

“Baby girl, we can’t leave you unprotected. I’m sorry. You can be as independent as you want, but we’re watching you. We can’t have one of our associates pick you up and do you harm to get to us.” I parked in front of Dorothy’s house.

She turned to me. “So, you and Nix, you get to decide to be whatever you are that makes money. That needs guns, that needs scary meetings, and I just get to reap the benefits of that?” She used air quotes around the word “reap”.

“Life isn’t fair.” I had no good response, really. It had to be this way, even if she was pissed about it.

Ember popped the door open and shook her head. “Leave me alone. I want out. I don’t need anyone.” She stomped up her aunt’s driveway. I watched as she knocked on the door. It took a while, but her aunt appeared and waved Ember inside.

She at least had a place to stay that Nix had wired with cameras.

T opened her door. She put her hand on my shoulder before appointing herself the job as Ember’s guardian. “That crew will be watching for her. Tonight wasn’t good.”

“Thanks, T. I’ll see if I can get out ahead of it and see if the assholes are talking about her. Stay safe.” I patted her hand once, and then she was gone.

T’s years as a homeless person gave her the heartbreaking knowledge of how to stay outside for extended periods of time. It couldn’t stay like this indefinitely. I needed T on bigger jobs and as my confidant.