“They threatened your life, Mercy. I couldn’t let them hurt you.”
Well, that took the wind out of my sales. Deflating, I asked, “What do I have to do with this?”
He dropped his head in defeat. “Billy knows you. He knows you’re the only real family I have, and they used you as leverage to keep me in line.”
I didn’t know if I was more offended or disgusted. “They can’t use me against you. Ben, why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you. We could have figured this out together.”
“I was going to on Christmas, but then I got this text... They knew I was there with you. They sent me a picture of me coming into your apartment. I panicked. I didn’t want to put you in danger. These guys are… scary. The shit they do is unreal. It’s amazing how many cops they have in their pockets. Politicians. It’s bigger than anyone knows, and I just saw a small piece of their operations.”
And he was here… telling me everything. A shudder went down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold day. “I’m glad you’re coming clean with me, Ben, but what changed? Why are you telling me now?”
“Because we need to leave town, sis.”
“We?” I shook my head. “Leave town? Ben, I have a job and—”
“They want me to kill someone,” he blurted out. “I tried, but I can’t do it.”
“You tried?” I shrieked. “To kill a man?”
“Would you keep your voice down?” he growled. “They made it clear it was him or you. You’ve protected me my entire life, sis. I fucked up. I’m not letting you pay for my mistake.”
It was my turn to pace. “But you couldn’t do it.” I don’t know who I was trying to reassure, him or me. “Regardless of all your other mistakes, you did the right thing in the end.”
He snorted. “Yeah, well the WSB is coming for both of us now, so I don’t know if I would call it the right thing. I know you don’t want to go, but we have to get out of Seattle, Mercy.”
My gaze shot to the school. The idea of leaving it and all the people inside was tearing me in two. “I can’t leave, Ben. This is my life. You know that.”
“If these guys get a hold of you, you won’t have a life. You have an education; you can work anywhere. We’ll go east or south or wherever you want.”
He didn’t get it. Ben had never understood my passion for Bold Beginnings. “This is my home. I’m not leaving.”
“Mercy, this guy that they want me to kill… he’s a good guy. A cop who refused to take their buyout. I can’t kill him.”
“Good. Don’t. Let’s just go in and talk to Landon and the Dead Presidents. I’m sure they’ll have a solution and we can—”
The sound of two shots being fired interrupted me. One whizzed by my face and slammed into the brick building and the other pinged off the metal dumpster beside us. Ben jerked backward and hit the wall.
I was still trying to piece together what had happened when his hands went to his chest. He pulled them away, and they were bloody.
My brother had been shot.
“No!” I shouted, reaching for him.
He slid down the wall, landing on his ass.
I’d been through the mandatory first-aid training, and knew to apply pressure to the wound, so I shrugged off my cardigan and wadded it up, pressing it to his chest.
Ben winced. Eyes wide with wonder, he said, “They shot me.”
“I know.”
“Fuck. You have to get out of here, sis.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Just hold still. Landon’s a combat medic. I’m sure he can help. We’ll get you taken care of. You’re gonna be okay.”
* * *
Landon
