“Yes.I swear I hadn’t heard from him since I blocked his number.”
I doubt her blocking his number would’ve actually stopped him from calling if he’d wanted to.It would’ve been as simple as using another phone.But I think he decided it would be easier to come see her in person.
The sound of a vehicle coming up the street draws my attention, and I squint to identify the truck, while closing the distance to Bess.Ragnar stops sniffing at our feet and lifts his head as well, emitting a low growl.
My hand instinctively goes to the weapon I have clipped to my belt.I’m about to push Bess behind me when the truck pulls into the driveway of a house, just across the street from me, and the neighbor’s adult son and his girlfriend get out.
Exhaling audibly, I relax my hand and lift my arm around Bess’s shoulders, tugging her close while I tighten my hold on the dog’s leash.
“Let’s take this conversation back home.”
Bess
“Here.”
Hugo hands me the tea I asked for when he offered me a drink.
Ragnar is already asleep, sprawled out on his back with his legs up in the air at my feet.How he can sleep like that, I don’t understand, but it seems to be his favorite position.He clearly has no shame.
“Thank you,” I mumble, still a little subdued after I shocked even myself by my admission to seeing Ken.
It just didn’t feel right, keeping that information from Hugo when he’s being so caring and transparent with me.The last thing I want is for him to take risks he’s not prepared for.Information is half the battle, and he needed to know.
“So, just to recap,” he says, taking a seat next to me on his roomy couch as he pulls back the tab on his beer.“He still wants to disappear and needs your money, but now he wants you to go with him.”
“Yes.”
“And the reason for that is because your brother, in his infinite wisdom, spilled some incriminating information he should’ve kept to himself about the Lotus Squad to a cellmate, who then turned around and sold him out.I mean, for them to go so far as to involve you in such a public way, by trying to burn down your place of business, it must’ve been some pretty damning information.”
I nod, because…what else can I do?
I’ve given him as much of the story as he needs to understand the dynamics of what is going on.There are just a few details I’m hanging on to.Information that might do more harm than good, since it would surely bury my brother, and it would’ve all been my fault.After all, if not for me, my brother wouldn’t even be in this situation.
“And you don’t know what it is he has on them?”Hugo asks me again.
“My brother never shared gang business with me,” I answer evasively.
That’s not a lie, but what he shared had nothing to do with gang business.Although, I have a feeling that’s a technicality Hugo won’t be able to appreciate once he finds out.Because I can’t bring myself to believe he won’t.Eventually.
I sip my tea quietly, giving Hugo a chance to process the information while he has his beer.The silence doesn’t last too long before he tosses back what’s left in his can and gets to his feet.
“I’m gonna have to make a few phone calls.Feel free to turn on the TV if you like.”
Without another word, he gets to his feet and, tossing his empty can in the trash in the kitchen, heads for the basement stairs.
He’s angry.I know it.But at the moment I sense that’s more about the situation than it is about me.However, that can easily change when he finds out the whole truth.
I grab the remote and mindlessly flip through the channels, but nothing catches my attention.Shutting the TV off again, I toss the remote on the coffee table and carry my tea mug to the kitchen sink and rinse it out.Then I slap my hand against my leg and call for the dog.
“Let’s go, Ragnar.Let’s go to bed.”
I’m going to need my buddy if I have any hope of getting even a wink of sleep tonight.
I wakeup to a hushed whisper.
“Let’s go, buddy.My turn now.”
Next, the mattress shifts as my furry source of heat disappears, only to be replaced by a set of strong arms and a broad chest.I keep my eyes firmly closed.
