"Angel, I know you saw that," Tech said, watching me.
"Saw what?" I feigned. "Did you find them?"
His forehead scrunched up in response. "You know what I'm talking about."
He was on to me. "You tipped them off, didn't you?" I asked.
Tech pulled out a pistol and trained it on me.
Hell of a confirmation. He was a traitor. It explained so much and made me feel like a goddamn idiot. How had I not seen it before? How had Father missed it? I raised my hands in the air. My gun was in the pocket of my jacket, hanging in the closet. The only weapon on me was a knife strapped around my ankle, and there was no way I could get to it before he got a shot off.
"I want out, Angel."
"Out?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Out of everything."
"Okay. I can understand that."
"I knew you'd get it. This is our chance. Me and you... we're not like the others. This isn't our war. My ass shouldn't be trapped down in this fuckin' dungeon."
I couldn't get out. I had to find Markie and the twins. And he was wrong. I was like every other man in my family, because I was scanning the room for a weapon, intent on killing this bastard.
"You want me to turn on my father?"
"Some father," Tech spat. "Manipulative bastard. He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about any of us. He deserves whatever he gets."
Tech didn't know a damn thing about my old man. "What about the rest of my family? The people you're helping are hunting down the twins, Tech. They're just little kids."
"I've kept their location hidden."
Red spots dotted my vision. Tech--my friend and mentor--had known where Markie and the twins were and he'd also kept it from me, knowing I was going out of my mind with worry. "Where are they? I swear to God, if you've hurt them ..."
He raised his hands. "Calm down, Angel, I haven't done a damn thing with them. That girl of yours has led them to safety. She's smart."
She led them to safety.
I wanted to feel relieved, but was having a hard time trusting him. "You expect me to believe you? After you turned on my family?"
"I didn't turn on your family, they turned on me." Gun still in his hand, Tech stood. "Fifteen years, and do you know how many vacations I've gotten?"
I stared at him, shocked.This is about vacations?
"Zero! You know why? Because I'm not a person to him, Angel. I'm an asset. You're an asset. We're all assets... pieces of this game he plays. I thought you, of all people, would understand that."
"I do understand. I just... he's my father." And I knew his motives. For the first time in my life I fully understood my old man.
Tech shook his head. "Why are you loyal to him? Because of blood?"
He was pointing a gun at me, so I didn't answer.
"Disappointing, Angel." He steadied the gun. "You should have come with me."
There was a finality to his tone that left me no time to think. I lunged forward, ducking low. A shot rang out. My shoulders connected with Tech's stomach, knocking him back. He fell over his chair, taking me with him. We bounced, and then slid to the cement floor. I grappled for the gun on the way down. Impact relaxed his grasp and the gun slid away. Rather than go for it, I pressed my arm against his neck.
"Tell me where the fuck they are!" I shouted.
His eyes bugged out.
