I hear Shay’s bedroom door open and softly close. He’s trying to be discreet, but you can hear everything in this apartment. I lean against the door, listening closely for the familiar sound of the front door shutting. Putting my blade and phone in my pocket, it's time to go.
Luckily it's winter, the dark of night appears sooner, enabling me to stick to the shadows. I’m freezing my ass off, but I follow Shay two blocks away from our suburban part of town to a more risky area. Shit, this is Santini turf. Their bar “The Limes” is lit up at the end of the next street. I have a bad feeling about this.
Because I have been focusing on my surroundings, I’ve lost sight of Shay.Shit Aaron, not the best time to get distracted. I hastily walk down the street. There are a few people milling around and I scan the area, hoping to get sight of Shay.
As I come to the end of the street, out of the corner of my eye, I notice Shay standing at the end of an alleyway with two other guys, but I can’t see what they are doing. Is he dealing on Santini turf?
“Hey! Hey you!” a guy shouts from behind me. As I look over my shoulder, I recognize one of the guys as a Santini grunt. Fuck. The guy and his friend run towards me, and I think I’m about to die, but then a hand grabs my arm.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Aaron?” Shay hisses at me.
“We need to go,” I say. “We’re about to have company.”
But I’m too late.
One of them grabs Shay, and I don’t know what to do.
“Now this is a fucking surprise. Just wait until the boss sees this. Kozlov pussies out to start a war.” The large brown-haired muscle man laughs with the equally large blond next to him. Shit.
“Look, we are just leaving,” Shay says, trying to calm the situation.
The brown-haired guy punches him across the face. I jump forward, clawing at him, trying to get him off Shay but the blond one pulls me back and backhands me across the face. I fall to the ground, disoriented. I try to stand, only to hear the grunts and painful cries from Shay. The two guys are beating the shit out of him, I need to act fast otherwise they're gonna kill him.
Instinct has me grabbing my switchblade and heading towards the brown-haired guy who sees me approach. I duck as he takes a swing at me, and jab my blade upwards above his ribcage. Time stops as a lightning sensation runs up my arm at the feel of my blade cutting into skin and flesh. It’s magical. I’m the one with the power, and it makes my chest fill with confidence, pushed out and proud like a peacock. I want to revel in the feeling. Show off the fact that I owned this fucker. He staggers back as I pull my blade from his torso.
Blood gushes out, and he collapses to the ground, going pale and wheezing. His warm blood coats my hand and I can't stop staring at it. A smile spreads across my face. Fuck, I’m dizzy with the electrical surge that has bolted through me, making me feel like I’m levitating above the asshole who is bleeding like a burst pipe. I quietly hope the bastard dies.
Blond guy is now distracted, having run to check on his friend. I bend down and lift Shay who’s not in a good way. Dammit. I force him up, but he can hardly stand straight. I don’t have a choice, we need to get out of here before more guys turn up. I try to multitask by getting out my phone and calling Jake while pulling along a half conscious Shay in my arms, who is trying so hard to move as quick as he can.
“What?” Jake answers.
“Help. Shay and I have been jumped by some of Santini’s guys. We are a block away from Grinston patch where The Limes Bar is. Not sure we can make it,” I puff out, succumbing to the weight of Shay. We’re not going to make it.
“You fucking idiots. On our way, we were nearly home,” he says.
Thank god, that means he’s not far away. My eyes are frantic as I keep checking around us for any signs of the Santinis approaching, but no more than five minutes later, Jake’s truck approaches and rolls to a stop. He gets out and grabs Shay from the other side, helping him into the back of his truck.
Hearing a commotion of shouts down the street, we see the Santini crew members heading our way.
“Fuck! Tommy, get us out of here,” Jake shouts as he jumps back into the truck.
I get in next to Shay as Tommy pulls away. Shit that was close. But is it wrong to admit it was fun too?
We speed off down the dark streets, heading towards the hospital. Shay is drifting in and out of consciousness, bleeding around his mouth and gripping onto his ribs tightly. His eyes are beginning to swell.
“What the fuck were you doing, Aaron?” Jake shouts at me. He turns his head to face me in the backseat, eyes full of hate and accusations. At first I don’t answer, his rage is palpable and I can feel myself pulling back, wanting to avoid his attention.
Don’t let him get us. Do what he wants. It’ll be okay.
The young boy is grappling with anxiety in my head, wanting to protect us. I’m too distracted by the voice to answer.
“Do I need to break you in again, baby brother?” Jake asks with a predatory snarl in his voice. With those words, the young boy in me succumbs. I can’t resist it. I become submissive to Jake’s demand and fold in on myself.
The car is quiet but charged with an aggressive energy that you could reach out and touch. I’m fixed to the spot, I can’t respond or move.
Jake’s victorious chuckle fills the car. “Thought as much, now keep your mouth shut until I say otherwise. We will talk about this later,” he says, turning back to face the front of the car. I remain silent for the rest of the journey.
Chapter 2 - Lev
