Chapter 15
Mercy
Iwas sitting at my desk pouring over the budget when someone tapped on my office window. Surprised, I looked over to find someone watching me with his hands cupping his face. I startled, and it took me a moment to realize it was Ben. My little brother looked like he’d been through the ringer with messy hair and dark circles around his eyes. He waved for me to come out and join him.
Ben hadn’t returned a phone call or a text since Christmas, and I was so relieved to see him, I didn’t think twice about doing what he asked. My butt was up and out of my office in two seconds flat. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” I told Adina as I scampered past the front desk.
“Okay, I’ll hold your calls,” she replied, sparing me a quick glance before her gaze returned to her computer screen.
Hurrying out the front door, I went down the stairs, banked right, and headed for the side of the building. Ben was on the other side of our metal dumpster, pacing in front of my window, his brow furrowed and his frown deep. The second I moved into view, he stopped and offered me a cautious smile. “Hey, stranger, long time no see. Where you been?”
My brother the comedian. I didn’t know whether to sob, laugh, or cuss him out. I settled on wrapping him in a hug and trying to squeeze the worrisome shithead tendencies right out of him. His clothes were filthy, his hair was greasy, and he stunk like body odor and cigarette smoke. After the initial whiff, I held my breath until I could step back and put some fresh air between us.
“I’m super glad to see you, so don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of a hot mess. What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”
His smile faltered and he looked away, scanning the area. Wondering what he was looking for, I followed his gaze. We were beside the backside of some of the townhouses and there was an alley that bordered the back of the school building. I saw nothing out of place.
“You always get right to it, don’t you, sis?”
“No sense in wasting time. What’s up, Benny? Why are we out here, and not in my office?” I’d worn a cardigan over my dress, and wrapped it tighter around me to shield out the cold, wishing I would have thought to grab my coat. At least the rain had let up.
“Um. I have some shit to tell you, but I don’t have much time, so I need you to listen carefully and let me get it all out, okay?”
A lump formed in my throat, making it impossible to speak. I had a bad feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever my brother had to say. Still, I nodded.
“That delivery job I took… my friend Billy got it for me.”
I sighed. Out of all my brother’s shady friends, Billy was the worst. I’d met him a couple of times and each encounter had made me feel like I needed a shower and a lawyer. Billy had all the personality of a seedy television evangelist, promising miracles and delivering poverty. “Ben…”
He held up his hands. “I know. I know. You tried to warn me about him, but I… I thought he was my friend.”
“What did he do?” I asked.
“He… Shit. This is harder than I thought it would be.” He scrubbed a hand through his messy hair and looked around, his gaze darting over the area again like he was expecting to be attacked. “You were right, okay? Billy’s so fuckin’ dirty nuthin’ can scrub him clean.”
Normally I liked hearing that I was right, but today it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Ben didn’t talk shit about his friends, he defended them. Billy had done something that made even my sweet baby brother give up on him. “What were you delivering?” I asked.
He sucked in a breath. Still not looking at me, he breathed out, “Drugs.”
“Ben!” I snapped.
His gaze swung back around to meet mine. “I swear I didn’t know at first, Mercy. I’d meet up with Billy and he’d give me these manila envelopes and business addresses to deliver them to during work hours. It seemed legit to me. I mean, it wasn’t like I was selling smack to kids on the street or something. I was given sealed envelopes and paid to drop them off in offices.”
His story worried me, because I could understand his point of view. If someone gave me an envelope—that wasn’t ticking—and paid me to drop it off at a business, I wouldn’t suspect drugs. I might think I was delivering a court summons or a child support demand or something, but not drugs. No wonder so many good kids got messed up with the local gangs.
“Why you?” I asked. “Billy knows how you feel about drugs. Why would he recruityoufor this?”
Holding up his hands, he said, “Look at me. No tats, no crazy scars, most of the guys in the WSB look like they just served a ten-year sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary making inmates their bitches. Anything they deliver anywhere will be questioned.”
“The WSB?” I asked, my voice raising an octave as my heart leaped into my throat. “As in the West Side Boyz?” The WSB wasn’t just a gang, they were the most openly ruthless gang in the city. Not only were they rumored to control the drug trade in the High Point Neighborhood, but in most of Seattle as well. I’d been preaching at my little brother to stay away from the WSB for as long as I could remember.
“I swear I didn’t know!” Ben repeated. “You know I never would have willingly joined them.”
Yes, I did, but every word coming out of Ben’s mouth made the situation worse. “You joined them?” I felt sick to my stomach.
“I told Billy I wanted out, but he didn’t give me a choice.” His gaze once again scanned the area. “Once you’re in, you’re in. They don’t care that I didn’t know I was working for them.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I’d tried so hard to protect Ben and it was all for nothing. “There had to be something you could have done rather than join a freaking gang, Ben.”
