“So, how’s things going with our gal?”

Shark shot me a grin that put a lot of subtext in his question. I glowered. Maybe he had a reason for that subtext, but I didn’t want word getting out. I mean, I wasn’t ashamed of it, far from it. But the last thing we needed was rumors about the two of us. That would only give Misty’s unknown enemy more weaknesses to take advantage of.

Shark and I were sitting in a weed-infested parking lot. It spread out in front of a long-shuttered Church’s Chicken. We were also eating Church’s Chicken, but we were eating it from the new restaurant on the highway. We were an hour from the safe house in the opposite direction of Sorghum Bend. The drive alone put me deep in Shark’s debt. Never mind the shipping and handling on his gang of lost boys, and the ammo tax.

Misty gave up some cold hard cash, but it wasn’t enough to pay for this. I was paying Shark in future favors and we both knew it. It would still be easier than trying to dig up the ten grand my shitstain of a brother owed Sal.

I could see Trick out there looking like a goddamn scarecrow. If he walked behind a patch of weeds he might disappear. He was pacing back and forth rapidly, chewing his nails to stubs. He had every reason to be scared. But he also had every reason to take all this as a lesson and never touch a needle again. I couldn’t hope for that much, but I could pray for it.

“Nothing’s going with Misty,” I answered, craning my neck to the empty road. Nothing. Sal was pressing towards late. I guess he wasn’t in a hurry. Guys like that, dealers with deep pockets, they know that other people work on their time. It’s annoying, but it’s the way it is. Lucky for us, we weren’t trying to make it to any important job interviews or meetings with our mortgage brokers. We had time to kill.

“Ha, sure,” Shark said, shaking his head, grinning like the fool he was. “Whatever you say, Reverend William.”

“I’m serious,” I said with a shrug. “Not by my choice, trust me. Daddy’s little princess isn’t settling for me, I tell you that much.”

I was smiling, but I sure as hell kept it on the inside. We had a good thing going and I didn’t need to be out here bragging about it. She’d be riding my cock again tonight. That’s the sort of thing that makes a guy feel really damn good. Trust me on that.

“I guess you’re right,” Shark said thoughtfully. “Probably for the best, anyway. She’s gonna have herself a nice little life once all this shit is over.”

That smile I was hiding inside faltered. Shark bought my lie a little too quickly. She wasn’t too good for me, was she? I mean, maybe, sure, on paper maybe. She was a college-educated woman who devoted her life to helping stray cats and dogs. I was a barely-employed ex-con whose one marketable skill was driving faster than the police. But that was just our jobs. That was just what the world offered us. It didn’t mean anything about me.

And what did he mean about her having a nice little life? Like she couldn’t have a nice little life with me in it?

“You think so?” I asked, wondering why I didn’t just drop the subject.

“Sure as shit,” he said, as though it was obvious. “Maybe she comes from dangerous blood, but that girl is gonna find a guy who wears a tie to work. She’ll have a little white BMW and a couple of kids on the honor roll. She’ll probably leave the Bend. All she’s gotta do is get rid of whatever bullshit is keeping her here and she’ll be living the dream.”

Maybe someone’s dream. Not mine. And considering who her father was, I didn’t think it was Misty’s dream either. But what did I know? Maybe she did dream of a better life with a nice guy and a white picket fence.

The chicken was making me sick. Too damn greasy. My head hurt a little, too. I couldn’t be thinking about the future Misty and I didn’t have when I was feeling so bad. This conversation was stupid, anyway. It didn’t get me any closer to resolving the issue that brought us together in the first place.

I wished Sal would show the fuck up. Some good old fashioned action would make me feel better. In the meantime, I rolled my window down to get some fresh air. I hoped the air would blow the headache out from between my ears, and take these damn thoughts about Misty being too good and marrying some nice guy with a job and tie along with it.

“Yeah, I think everyone wants to see that girl live up to her potential,” Shark mused aloud. “Don’t even think she’d be in the trouble she’s in now if she just left town. She should have gotten the hell out of Bend the second her Daddy ended up on the wrong end of a long knife.”

“Misty loves that town,” I said, surprising myself by letting my thoughts out through my mouth. “She doesn’t want to leave.”

Shark scoffed.

“She’s young. Give her a year or two. She’ll wise up and see that she’s better than this. I’ve known that girl since she was wearing cotton diapers. She’s always been a rare bird. Mostly cause of her pops. But she’ll get sorted out.”

“If she survives,” I snapped, rubbing my temples. “We keep talking about her like her life isn’t in danger.”

“She’s got you to keep her safe,” Shark said, his tone darkening along with his eyes. “You are gonna keep her safe, right?”

“As best I can,” I seethed. “But what happens if things go sideways? I’m just one man, Shark. I wish you and the rest of the old crew would lend a goddamn hand in this situation. Millions’ own fucking daughter, and all you guys…”

“Look,” Shark said, lifting a finger to the road. Perfect fucking timing, Sal. Just when I might have gotten somewhere. Shark whistled high out his window, adding a clever little hand signal to it. His boys were waiting in the closed-down Church’s. I watched a single hand give a peace sign through a crack in one of the window boards. They were ready.

After that, it was pure, simple, golden victory. Shark and I, we sat back and watched. I have a terrible confession about the whole thing, though. My brother took a hit or two before Shark’s boys got into the fray, and I didn’t feel too bad about it. Served him right. I get that the withdrawals were beating him up already, but it never hurts to have a little additional negative reinforcement.

Sal was no real threat. He was known around the county as a two-bit dealer, and his two-bit crew were nothing compared to Shark’s boys. They had them down on the ground in a minute flat and nobody had to pull a gun. Nice and tidy. When Sal himself was on his knees, I nodded to Shark and got out of the car. Activity paused as I strode up to the scene; Trick was huddling on the ground, hands over his head, a nasty welt already rising around his eye. I came to a stop right in front of Sal, and took a squat.

“Hey,” I said. “I hear you think my brother owes you money?”

Sal was a big guy, but it was mostly fluff. He looked like a big cream-filled donut. Pale blonde hair and red cheeks and a nose built for smushing. He scowled at me through a cut lip and nodded.

“I’m gonna let you live to see tomorrow, and you’re gonna forget that debt ever existed,” I said. “Alright?”

“Fuckin’ assfuck fuckwad fucker!”

“Okay,” I said. “I can see you’re angry, but you need to listen close. I know where you live. I know the corners your little crew runs. Anything happens to me or my brother, and these boys here are gonna end you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“Fuck you!”

“Put a thesaurus on your letter to Santa this year,” I said and reached out, patting his chubby cheek. He recoiled, then tried to bite my hand.

“Seems like I’m not getting through do you,” I said with a bit more meance in my voice. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. It was the last of what Misty could pull together. I threw it down at Sal’s feet.

“That’s three large.”

“He owes me ten,” Sal spit.

I reached down again, tilting his chin up toward me.

“Three grand makes you whole on your cut-up product. You’ll take this money and forget this debt, or maybe I can find a cheaper solution. Do you know what a fucking bullet costs?”

He was quiet for a couple seconds, but the sound of Shark working the slide on his Glock 19 was enough to get him talking about.

“Fine. We call it even,” Sal finally said, a tinge of fear starting to finally show itself in his voice. “But you keep that tweaker brother away from me. If I ever see him buying product on my side of town, it’ll be the last time.”

I laughed, and it felt good to laugh right in his face. But my work was done, and I wanted out. I wanted this to be done with. I did my part for my brother’s safety. No one could ever say I didn’t.

I rose and snapped my fingers at Trick. He looked dazed, but he followed me at a brisk trot until we were back at the car. Shark’s boys cleaned up their mess - as in, they kicked Sal and his men back towards their own car before heading to the van parked behind the Church’s. We let them leave first, then put that parking lot behind us.

“Thanks again, Shark,” I said. And I meant it.

“No problem,” he said. “Tu familia es mi familia.”

I saw Shark lean in to look in the rearview mirror. He gave Trick a long, open look.

“But I ain’t doing this shit for him again,” he finally said. I looked back at my brother. He looked like death warmed over. My heart did a little bit of lurching.

“Yeah,” I said. “Alright, Shark. Alright.”

We didn’t talk for the rest of the drive to Shark’s personal car. I didn’t feel right bringing up my almost-accusations, not after he basically saved my brothers’ life. But they were there between us, anyway. Pulling up to the car, Shark unbuckled his belt and turned all the way in his seat so he could face me fully.

“You keep her safe, alright?” he said, voice low and eyes steady.

“Yeah,” I said, jaw clicking as it clenched. I wasn’t the one putting her in danger by keeping secrets. But I was sure as shit gonna keep her safe. Shark regarded me for a while more, nodded, and that was that. He drove towards Sorghum Bend, Trick got into the passenger seat, and we made for the safe house. We didn’t talk, either. What was there to say?

We weren’t much good as brothers, it’s true.

But at the end of the day, the word itself meant something. And I had Misty to thank for reminding me of that.

And I had some ideas on how I might thank her.