“I feel like I’m in an after-school special,” Daphne said, breaking some of the tension in the room.
“Is that true?” Ink asked. “You fell on my mom because someone threatened your little sister?”
“Wait!” Nora said urgently. “I can’t hear certain things.”
“Neither can I,” I added.
“Let’s talk outside, kid,” Ink said.
“Are you sure about this, Ms. Manning?” Silas asked. “I think your son and his biker gang could do a lot more damage to me and my sister than Bill and his brothers could.”
“It’s a club,” Ink mumbled.
“That might be true if the Blackwings were the bad guys in this scenario, but they’re not,” Nora said confidently. “That family is the problem. I’ve taught all three boys, and I’m due to have their sister Billy next year. Trust me; it’s them.”
“What family is this?” Ink asked.
“The Woods/Smiths,” Nora said. “The oldest and youngest are Woods, and the two in the middle are Smiths.”
“Bill Woods,” Dice said as if he was testing the name.
“Yes,” Nora confirmed.
Dice sniffed and looked at Ink, who nodded once in response. Dice turned to Silas. “Yeah, we know of them. We’re not fans. We should talk outside.”
“Okay,” Silas agreed. “Ms. Manning, are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Nora assured him. “But I’ll be even better if you let my son help you and your sister. I know more than you think I do about what goes on around that school,” she said quietly.
“Thank you, Ms. Manning,” Silas said sincerely.
“And you tell me if my son forgets his manners while you’re outside,” she said loudly.
“Yes, ma’am,” Silas laughed.
“We shouldn’t be long, but don’t wait for us to eat,” Ink said.
“Not a problem,” Daphne said as she passed us on her way into the kitchen. “I need to eat.”
19
INK
“What did Bill Woods do to your sister?” I asked once we were on my mother’s front porch.
Silas swallowed thickly and glanced at his car. “I know your mom said you could help, but I don’t know you, and these guys could mess things up for me and my sister. I don’t have money or parents who will help me. We’re barely making it, and don’t need additional problems.”
“Will Woods was my sister’s dealer. He pulled a gun on me in a crowded diner in the middle of the day last year. I disarmed him, pressed charges, and sent him to jail. Ran into his brother Willy at a party a few weeks ago. Willy and his buddies drugged our president’s daughter and granddaughter, presumably to rape them. We beat the shit out of them and put them in the hospital. It sounds like we need to get rid of that whole fucking family and their friends,” Dice said.
“So you know about the parties?”
“We know about that party, but we haven’t been able to confirm any other parties,” I said.
“Bill and Billy invited my sister to the party they’re having during spring break.”
“That’s what the fight was about?” Dice asked.
“Yes,” Silas confirmed. “I didn’t mean for it to turn into a fight. Honestly, I didn’t think he would have the balls to take a swing at me. I’m almost twice his size. He caught me off guard, and that’s how I fell on Ms. Manning.”
