Christy
He was leaving. I felt like every time I thought about it, I would add the silent me to the end, because that’s what was really happening, wasn’t it? After everything that we had been through together, he was leaving me behind. I wasn’t selfish enough to think that it had everything, or maybe even anything, to do with me, but I still resented the fact that he couldn’t take me with him.
I could pick up and start over in another town. In fact, I’d done it before, and I was fine. Well, I was fine until this entire mess had happened. King didn’t want me to come with him because of some misplaced sense of chivalry, or maybe some archaic idea that he was protecting me, or maybe just because he didn’t want to ruin my life. What he didn’t understand, though, was that I was entirely too involved in the situation, and with King himself, to ever be willingly left behind.
Frankly, I was offended that he’d ask that of me. Didn’t he know me at all?
He’d said that I should stay behind, but what would I do then? I had no job, Rossi and his goons were after me, and Romano was thrown into the mix as well. My whole life here was a disaster.
If anything, I’d probably have to move away, too. Starting over didn’t scare me. The thing was, I didn’t want to just move. I wanted to go with King, help him hunt down his old crew, and get vengeance. I wanted to clear his name and let him go back to living his life like a free man. Ever since I’d met him, he’d had some kind of weight hanging off his shoulders, and, for once, I wanted to see him free of all his burdens—really, truly free.
I had an idea, too. I wasn’t just all talk. King may have thought that I hadn’t planned anything out, but I had a firm idea of how we could solve our dilemma. What I needed, though, was for him to listen and get rid of his ridiculous notions of leaving me behind. Or leaving at all.
The truth was, I didn’t think we even had to leave. Rossi had said the police would be after us soon, so that meant they weren’t already. Sure, we didn’t know how long we had, but that still gave us a bit of time to execute my plan, and time was all I needed.
If King was intent on hunting down his old crew and taking Rossi out of the picture as well, there was no reason why he couldn’t do both at once. In fact, that was exactly what I was going to suggest to him.
King’s crew were our only solid link to Rossi, and the only way we might have something on him to take him down. We had to use them to our advantage.
It was a perfect idea, and I knew it would work if King gave it a chance, but somehow, I was unconvinced that he would.
He was so intent on leaving me behind and getting revenge on his crew by himself that he refused to see that he wasn’t making the best decision.
Well, I refused to let him ignore me any longer. I would just have to make him listen, and that was all there was to it.
# # #
I barged into King’s apartment, thankful the door was unlocked, and stormed into the bedroom where he was flinging some clothes into a bag. I’d never been inside his apartment before, but now was not the time to dwell. I was on a mission, and I wouldn’t be leaving until King agreed with my plans.
“Christy?” he asked, as he whipped around. “Jesus, what are you doing here?”
“You’re not leaving. Stop packing.”
“Christy,” he said sadly, dropping the clothes in his hands and giving me an exhausted expression. “We’ve talked about this. Would you please let it go?”
“No, I’m not letting it go! I have a plan, and it’s going to work.”
“Don’t you understand, Christy? I’m a wanted man. There’s a fucking reward for anyone who hands me over.”
Well, this just kept on getting better. I hadn’t realized there was a reward for turning him in, but that just made my plan even greater.
“Good, because I’m turning you in,” I said harshly.
“What?” he yelled.
“I’m turning you into the police and getting the reward for myself. I could use the money. You know that.”
“This isn’t the time for games!”
“I’m not playing with you. Stay and help me with my plan, or I will go to the police, turn you in, and collect the reward.”
“You wouldn’t,” King said in disbelief.
He was right. I was completely bluffing, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. There was definitely some guilt in my stomach over how I was tricking him, but sometimes things just needed to be done. If coercing him was what it took to keep him from leaving town and to keep him out of prison, then so be it.
“Try me,” I said flatly.
There was a moment of silence as King debated my words. He was definitely trying to decipher whether or not I was serious, but I was determined not to give anything away, so I stared at him with the most unexpressive face I could muster.
It must have worked because a second later he said, “What do you want?”
I could tell by his slumped shoulders and tone of voice that he was conceding, and I didn’t even bother to suppress my triumphant smile over the fact.
“I have a plan to clear your name, and get our revenge,” I said, putting a slight emphasis on the word ‘our,’ so he knew that there was no way I was going to stay out of it.
“I’m listening,” he replied, like he had any other choice.
“You’re planning on tracking down your old crew, right?”
“What makes you say that?” King asked.
I almost scoffed. Of course he would be tracking them down. I’d seen how broken he was when he found out that his old friends had betrayed him and agreed to work for Rossi. That kind of betrayal didn’t go unavenged, especially with someone like King. It was like he’d forgotten that we’d spent so much time together in the past few weeks, and that I knew him as well as I did.
“I know you, King. Do you have any idea how to find them?” I asked, knowing the answer already.
“Not yet.”
“I know a way to track them down.” I smiled broadly then, aware I had his attention now.
“How?” King asked, intrigued.
The fact that he was so ready and willing to listen warmed me, and the guilt that I had felt earlier started to evaporate. This really was the best thing for him, and if I had to resort to blackmail to get King to see reason, then so be it.
“Well, the only person we know that knows where they are is Rossi, right? So, we’ll go and interrogate him.” I said it quickly, in the hopes that he wouldn’t question it too much, but, unfortunately, King picked up on it straight away.
“Christy, we’re not doing that,” King groaned. No, I couldn’t lose him now. My plan would work. I knew it would. I just needed to get King to invest in it.
“Why not? It’s perfect! He’ll tell us where your crew is, and then your crew will help us get some evidence on Rossi. It’s a win all around.”
“Rossi is not just going to give up information like that.”
“Yes, he will,” I said adamantly. “That’s what the interrogation is for.”
King slumped down on his bed and raked a hand over his shaved head.
“I don’t know about this, Christy.”
He may have been uncertain, but I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Walking over, I sat down beside him and leaned my head on his shoulder.
“Please, King. Just do this for me. We’ll clear your name, and everything will be okay.”
I knew King was weighing his options carefully as he looked into my eyes, and when he finally sighed aloud, I knew I had won.