“Did you get everyone?” Javier asks, sweeping the place. “Did you really leave no one for us?”
“They didn’t check me for weapons, and the driver didn’t even try to tie me up. Surely they deserved to die for that level of disrespect.”
Javier gives a dry laugh. “So,” he says, shaking his head. “This is what they made you.”
Ant wrinkles his brow. “No. This is what I made me, with a little help from my friends. And no, I didn’t get everyone. My grandfather is still alive.” He points to a bedroom window.
“Do you wanna go in on him?” I ask, checking my weapons.
Ant shakes his head. “I’d really appreciate it if you could take care of him for me.”
“Just know that if you weren’t drenched in the blood of your enemies, I would kiss you so hard right now,” I say, standing over him.
“And why is that?” he asks, holding his bloodied hand to his bloodied ear.
I let out a patient sigh. “Fine. You’ve worn me down with your horrific charms. I would kiss you because, despite my best intentions and better judgment, I appear to have fallen in love with you.”
“Yes,” Javier says, pumping his fist. “Five dollars, right in my pocket.”
Rolling my eyes, I blow my beloved a kiss, which he catches and presses to his bloodied cheek. Who says romance is dead?
Javier interrupts our love fest with logistics. “Ant, would you mind if I accompanied Erik to visit your grandfather?”
“Not at all. Have at him,” Ant says, looking down at himself. “I need to rinse off. And maybe see if I need any of that clotting powder.”
“Do I need to worry about you bleeding out?” I ask, reaching into my bag, handing him my emergency kit. “This has both clotting powder and an auto-injector syringe full of Anders’ serum. Has he cleared you to take it?”
Ant nods, taking the kit from me with a wink.
“Then use the syringe.” I check my gun and point to a water hose behind some dead bushes. “You should rinse off first.”
He sends me a bloody salute while Javier and I make our way over to the living quarters. Everything is set up around the courtyard with doors to the outside and large picture windows for residents to take in the once-beautiful view. I imagine what it must’ve been like for Ant to live here. As lovely as I believe this place once was, he’s mentioned having frequently been lonely. It’s sad, really. With a little cleanup, this could be a wonderful place for a family.
We make our way up the stairs to the large room Ant pointed out. I’m surprised to find the door unlocked and Ant’s grandfather sitting quietly on the bed.
“My grandson kills the entire squad sent to watch me yet doesn’t bother to kill me himself. I always knew he was a coward.”
I lunge forward, but Javier holds me back.
His words in Spanish are crisp. Clear. Easy to understand.
“A man who sells his grandson to settle his debts is in no position to call anyone a coward.”
I glance over at Javier. “To settle his debts? I thought the story was he was simply not man enough to love a gay grandchild.”
Javier checks out the place and shakes his head. “I’ve been doing this long enough. I should’ve seen the signs earlier. If he simply hated his gay grandson, he would’ve dropped him off at my mother’s house. No. He and his son were always into shady dealings. It always got his son into trouble, but if the son is in prison and can’t pay, they will go after the family.”
I look out onto the courtyard as Ant hoses himself off, laughing at the pool of diluted blood surrounding him.
“So it wasn’t just that you and your son were bribing local politicians. You were getting in bed with the goddamn syndicate.”
“I never had anything to do with those men,” the grandfather says, spitting on the floor.
“Yet when they came after you, you gave up your grandson.”
“How else was I supposed to get the money they wanted? They gave me two days to come up with thousands of dollars. I would’ve had to sell this place, which has been in my family for generations.”
“So you sold an innocent little boy to child sex traffickers instead,” I growl.
