“May as well put it away,” Code told him.
Hype’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t look away from Teddy. “Why?”
“He’s not going to shoot us,” Code said with a shrug. “And you’d only be doing him a favor by not forcing him to pull the trigger for himself.”
“Kid’s right,” Mercenary said. “Put it away.”
Hype grumbled but did as they suggested.
“Teddy, please,” I said, voice soft as I moved a step closer. I just wanted to gather him up and hug him. Tell him it was going to be okay. But what did I know? I had no idea what he’d been through over the last six months.
“I’m so sorry, Rue.” His tears were drawing lines across the dirt on his face.
My heart shattered. He sounded like a lost little boy. “None of this is your fault,” I reassured him.
“It is,” he whispered, searching my gaze. There were tears spilling down his cheeks like a waterfall. My own weren’t exactly dry. “I was too weak to walk away and then… I tried to keep Ryan out of it. But…” he choked back a sob, “he was worried about me. And by the time I told him what was going on Rhino had recruited him too.”
“Recruited him for what?” Mercenary asked. He was careful to keep his voice low so he didn’t startle the already shaky kid.
I looked over at him. Right now I didn’t even want answers. I wanted to yank that gun out of Teddy’s grasp, but doing that would end disastrously, so I stayed put.
“Carrick,” Teddy said after a moment of studying the men with me. He must have decided they looked trustworthy. That, or it didn’t matter anymore if he told us the information he knew.
That scared me.
“Who’s Carrick?” Mercenary continued with the questions while we stayed quiet.
“Just some local guy,” Teddy admitted. “He runs a couple blocks inside the city. Deals drugs, some weapons, information, pretty much anything he can get people to pay him for. He uses the homeless as a delivery system. Pays us a couple bucks to drop off drugs or cash, or whatever else. The people around here don’t care as long as they get enough money for…whatever…they use it for. It’s different for everyone,” he whispered. “But he uses kids the most. We’re desperate, hungry, and if we get caught we don’t get tried as adults. Means we can come back later and still work for him.”
My eyes fluttered closed as I heard everything he was telling me. Ryan had only gotten caught up in all this trying to help his friend. Though I didn’t know why he was staying. “How didyouget mixed up with Carrick?” I asked.
“Rhino found me. Before I came to live with you,” he told me. “But once you start working for Carrick, you don’t get to stop. Rhino won’t allow it. You try to stop, you end up dead. You steal from them? Dead. Rhino keeps everyone in line.”
“Not anymore,” Hype muttered.
Teddy didn’t pay him any attention. “I kept it from Ryan as long as I could. Maybe if I’d told him the truth he wouldn’t have followed me. Never would’ve ended up on Rhino’s radar.”
The guilt I’d been feeling for being the reason for Rhino’s death was fading with every word. It was being replaced with rage and satisfaction. “Rhino’s gone,” I told him. “Dead. You’re safe now.”
He snorted and shook his head. “Rhino was the muscle, but Carrick doesn’t need him. There are plenty of others who would take his place.”
“Teddy. Come home with me,” I urged. “I can help you get out of this.” I motioned to the men with me. “My friends can help-”
“I killed my best friend.”
Freezing, I stared at him. “Ryan’s dead?” I asked, my voice cracking. It was as though someone had stomped on my chest. I couldn’t breathe as I waited for his answer.
“Basically,” he said. “No one works for Carrick for long and lives. It’s only a matter of time. I tried to get him to go home, but they pulled him in.” He shook his head. “If he stays much longer then he’s not going to make it out alive.”
“You tried to keep him out of it. You didn’t deserve to be in the middle of all this either,” I told him, easing forward. If I could get close enough, or find the right thing to say, I could getthe gun. I knew that with OD’s help we’d find Ryan. Right now I was worried for Teddy. He was a good kid. He didn’t deserve all this. “Please Teddy, Ryan wouldn’t want this. We’ll find him. We’ll bring him home.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do it anymore, Rue. I can’t live with the shit I’ve done for Carrick. Don’t want to. Tried to burn it out of my head with drugs. With alcohol. Maybe a bullet will do the trick.”
“It won’t because none of this is your burden to carry. You’ve just been trying to survive. Let me help you,” I begged.
There was a look in Teddy’s eyes that was making me lose all hope. Like he was drowning, but wasn’t fighting it anymore. “I’m sorry.”
“Do this for Ryan,” I said. “Live because he’s going to need you once he gets home. Just like you need him.”
