“Won’t that sort of thing stay fucked-up for life?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Depends on how it heals.”
Guilt battered at me. I glanced over his shoulder and saw a tray sitting abandoned at our usual spot. “That yours? Let’s go. You shouldn’t leave food sitting around.” He nodded, and together we walked back, and I sat at his side. I didn’t bother going to get in the line. I hurt after Orlov knocking me around and didn’t want to test my body. If it came down to it, the back would win, and I didn’t want to be put on the floor. The longer I stared at Laken’s injury, and thought about Drew laid up in the hospital, the madder I fucking got.
There was laughter nearby, and I glanced up to find Tatum staring directly at me. I glared at him, and he smiled back, showing every single one of his craggy teeth.
I was startled when a tray slid in front of me, and Phil smiled down from my side. “You doing all right there, Peter? We heard you laid out someone who came after you.” There was respect on his face I wasn’t sure I was excited about. Why couldn’t someone look at me like that for something good?
Laken glanced up and grinned at Phil. “Hey, thanks, man. Peter was definitely the hero of that party.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled after too long slipped past. “I did.”
“Good for you.” Phil ambled back behind the service line and into the kitchen, and I eyed my tray.
Rolánd sat down at my side and knocked his shoulder against mine. I curled in on myself for a moment, then sat up straight when he nodded respectfully. “Good to see you.”
“Greene’s not here anymore. You’re still helping me?”
He chuffed out a laugh. “I woulda done that anyway. He just asked, is all.” He shook his head. “You don’t seem like bad people.”
“You don’t know me.”
He shrugged. “Nope. But you don’t know me, either.”
The thought that I truly didn’t have the first clue about the men who’d been helping me struck at the parts of my mind that were shaken up by this business with Tatum. My hands trembled where I grabbed at the knees of my sweatpants under the table.
“True. Where are the rest of his flunkies?” I asked and didn’t bother explaining that I meant Tatum’s buddies.
Laken and Rolánd shared a look before Laken said, “In the hole, same as you. They’ll be out soon. The word is they’re keeping them in there a week, at least. All the guards are pissed off. But after that, they’ll be out here again.” Laken bit at the inside of his lips and worry etched lines near his eyes.
“They’ll get extra time on their sentence,” Rolánd said, almost apologetically. “Isn’t that a kick in the nuts, huh? The guys we most want to leave us the fuck alone are going to be in here even more.”
“Incentive to get the fuck out,” I mumbled. My breath kicked up. This was it? Drew could be fucking hurt, might’ve died, and I could be attacked—and poor Laken, who didn’t say boo to anyone, could be messed up for life—and all those fucks got was a little extra time? It wasn’t right. But nothing about life ever really seemed to be. I closed my eyes and dragged in a deep breath.
But what could Idoabout it? I opened my eyes and stared at Tatum Black. He looked right back, thick eyebrows raising. I’d spent so long afraid to live my life because of him. And now I was letting my fear ruin other people. Icoulddo something. I’d just never had the balls. My throat worked and I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth.
Laken said something to Rolánd in Spanish, bad Spanish, if the look on Rolánd’s face could be trusted, and they both laughed. Rolánd said something back, and it was clear Laken didn’t follow, so Rolánd slowed down and repeated himself.
“What’s this?” I asked.
Laken flushed and it made him look about fifteen. “Rolánd’s family runs El Sabroso Sur in New Gothenburg. He said if I can learn Spanish, he’ll ask his cousin if she’ll let me wait tables when I get out. But I have to know enough Spanish to talk to the guys in the kitchen who don’t speak much English.”
“You’re going to memorize all that for a shitty job waiting tables?” I grumped.
He dropped his head and shrugged. The tips of his ears went red. I wanted to kick myself.
My heart squeezed. I tried to think of every fatherly thing I’d never said to Angel. “That’s a great idea. It doesn’t hurt to broaden your mind, right? Is he doing a good job, Rolánd?”
There was a softness on the man’s face as he studied Laken, who still had his gaze fixed on the table. The kid peeked at me out of the corner of his eye.
“He’s coming along, sure.” Rolánd nodded and smiled. “We gotta help each other out where we can. It’s fuckin’ hard to find a job after a stint in here.” He shrugged. “I’ll work at the restaurant too for a bit, until I can find something that pays better.”
Laken took a huge bite of his burger, and his cheeks flushed as rosy as his ears. Rolánd laughed and said something else to him in Spanish.
Drew was the only person who’d tried to help me in recent memory, aside from Laken, and now they were both hurt because of me. I glared at Tatum again and found him still watching me.
Tatum rose from his table and one of his lackies took his tray and dumped it in the trash. He walked by and stared at me with an unblinking gaze that reminded me of a poisonous snake, and then he was past our table. My heart dropped out of my throat back into my chest. With more effort than it should have taken, I got to my feet and stepped out into the aisle between tables, taking my time, paying attention to the balance of my body. I grabbed my walker and waited until I felt steady on my feet. I straightened and worked my shoulders loose, just like I used to before a fight.
