J
I can’t fight with Cole any longer. Going to his house isn’t what I want to do, but if I want him to keep this quiet, it’s my only option. Driving his truck is excruciating. The pins and needles feeling has subsided, now I am left with a throbbing ache.
Cole meets me at the side of his truck and helps me out, then slowly walks me to the house. I lean on the porch rail while he unlocks the door and disarms the alarm. He comes back out to help me in and walks me straight to the couch. Each step is slow and calculated.
“You need to call Darren, J. When he gets to the shop and finds it ransacked, then you don’t show up, he is going to flip his shit.”
“I know, but what the fuck am I going to tell him?”
“The truth.”
“Damn it, Cole. You know that isn’t an option.”
“So you’ve said. Just tell him you got into a fight at the bar last night and need a few days off or something.”
“That just may work.” I pull my phone out of my back pocket and call his house number.
“Hello?”
“Mornin’, Pop.”
“What’s up, J-bird? Why are you calling so early?”
“I wanted to let you know I’m not going to be in for a few days.”
“What the fuck does that mean? Why?”
“It means I am taking a couple days off. I got into a fight last night and my face is ten different shades of purple. My eye is swollen shut. I won’t be any good at the shop.”
“That doesn’t sound like you. You usually come out of a fight a little better off than that. Who were you fighting?”
“Um… Well, it was a group. I got sucker punched and it went from there. Apparently, bitch didn’t like me talking to her man.”
I hear Pop chuckle. “Hope you at least took one or two down with you.”
“Always, Pop. I am going to take some Tylenol and head back to bed. I just wanted to let you know. I am mostly caught up with work. I’m just waiting on some parts that should be in today or tomorrow. It’s for that brake job.” I look over at Cole sitting at the opposite end of the couch, watching me. “Give it to, Cole. He doesn’t have a lot going on and should be able to get it done pretty quickly.” He just shakes his head and smirks when I shrug at him.
“All right, J. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
“I will.” I shut my eyes. “I love you, Pop.” This kills me. I hate lying to him.
“Love you, too, J-bird.”
Even after I hear the phone disconnect, I sit with it up to my ear, my eyes squeezed shut, remembering that moment. I have never been so scared. When I heard the door of the shop open again, I thought they had changed their minds about leaving me alive. To see Cole’s face was the biggest relief. He looked so mad, his nostrils flaring, his face red. The way he clenched and unclenched his hands, I knew he wanted to hit something.
“I am going to have to leave for work soon, so start talking.”
“Cole, I know I put you in a rough spot, but I didn’t want to. If you hadn’t come into the shop first this morning, you wouldn’t even know what was going on.”
“Yeah, just my fucking luck.”
“Walk away, Cole. I got this. I don’t need—”
“Walk away? You got this? Really, J? Seeing you tied up on the floor, your face bashed in, it really looked like you had everything under control. I could walk away. I could turn the other cheek, but whether you believe it or not, I am not that guy. Whatever the hell you got yourself involved in, you need my help. I will not walk away from that.”
I lightly touch the red ring of raw skin on my left wrist and take a deep breath. I hate bringing him into this, but it looks like there is no way around it. “Have you noticed the tension between Pop and Nan lately?” When I see him nod, I look back down at my hands. “Pop found out someone is stealing. He called me into his office and asked if I knew anything about the missing money.” I meet his eyes. “Which I don’t. I’m not sure how much, but from what I gather, it’s a pretty large amount.”
“Tell me about last night.”
“After I finished at the gym, I went back to the shop. Everyone was gone. It must have been around eight thirty or nine. I needed to clear my head, and fixing something usually does that. Anyway, I started working on the brakes for the car that came in yesterday. I never thought about locking the shop door. We have never had a problem there. I’ve worked alone at night, sometimes overnight, and have never locked the door. I mean… Christ, we’re on Pop’s property.
“I had the radio up pretty loud, singing along. When I felt something poke me in the back, I turned around, seeing one of the DiMarco brothers standing there with a gun to my head. I panicked and jumped, earning me a nice pistol-whip to the face. The other brother started trashing the shop. He kept saying either the money needed to be paid in full or all the drugs needed to be accounted for.”
I turned slowly on the couch so I faced Cole. “I know Pop has no dealings with them. He would never do that. He hates them and everything they stand for. Years ago, Old Man DiMarco propositioned Pop about being his shell company to run his dirty money. Pop refused. Said he never wanted to be associated with them. He didn’t care what it cost him, he runs a legit shop.”
“So what were they looking for? Drugs? Money?”
“That’s what I asked, getting me another shot to the face. I must have blacked out at some point because when I woke up, I was tied up and bleeding from my lip.”
“How many times did they hit you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
His body is tense, his leg bouncing on the floor. “Go on.”
“When I woke up, Angelo, the younger of the two, told me if anyone finds out they were there, Pop would pay. I don’t know if he meant with actual money or something else, but I am not going to take that chance.”
“Who do you think is dealing for DiMarco?”
“I don’t know. Pop considers everyone in that shop family. I can’t believe someone would do that to him. After everything he does for them… It will devastate him to know someone is dealing drugs right under his nose, stealing from his shop on top of it.”
“From what I know about the DeMarcos, they are bad fucking news. They are heavy into drug running and violence. They don’t make threats they don’t intend to keep.” He looks over at the clock on the wall. “Shit, I got to run.” He gets up and heads up the stairs. I hear doors opening and closing, drawers banging shut. “J, are you going to be able to come up here by yourself?” he yells down the stairs.
“Um… I can just stay on the couch.”
“No, you can’t. The bathroom is up here. You’d be more comfortable,” he orders as he runs down the stairs. He helps me off the couch and walks behind me as a climb the steps very, very slowly. When I finally get to the top, out of breath, I’m standing at the end of a long hallway. He turns me toward a bedroom. It’s very masculine with dark furniture and gray-and-blue bedding, which has already been pulled back.
“I pulled out some clothes for you to change into. I know they are going to be huge, but they’ll also be comfortable. I put a bottle of water and Tylenol on the nightstand. Do you want me to get you something to eat before I go? I can swing by and pick up something for lunch, if you want.”
Feeling overwhelmed by his generosity, I just stand there, staring at him. He walks forward until he is in front of me, then lightly runs his finger down the side of my face and over the bruises.
“Are you okay? Did they… Did they do anything else? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Shaking my head, I finally answer him. “They didn’t rape me, Cole. Just beat the hell out of me. I’ll be fine. I just need sleep.”
“Are you sure?” I nod. “Get changed and take the Tylenol. I’ll be back in a little bit.” He turns and walks toward the door.
“Cole?”
He stops and looks at me, his jaw tight. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
He gives me a slight nod. “I’ll be back. Do not fucking leave, J. I mean it. I am going to set the alarm on the way out. We’re going to figure this shit out when I get back.”
How the fuck did I get myself into this mess? Seeing Cole so angry is scary. I know it’s not directed at me, but it’s because of me. Same difference.