Charlie’s eyes widened. He raised both hands in an attempt to appear harmless. “I don’t want any trouble, man.”
“I’m sure you don’t. That’s why you’re going to stay away from Ripley. No more selling her Oxy or anything else. Got it?” I stared hard into his eyes, making sure he knew that I was deadly serious.
Charlie nodded, his head bobbing quickly up and down. “Sure. Anything you say, man. I’m just out here to make a buck. I don’t want to piss off the wrong person.”
I stepped back, releasing him. “Good. Then I’m sure we won’t have to do this again, because next time I pull the trigger.”
I motioned for him to go. He quickly took off down the alley much faster than he’d arrived. Sucking in a deep breath, I turned and walked back to my car.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AURYN
On my way back home I got a call from Rebel. He wanted me to go with him to do an organ drop. Our source at the prison where we obtained organs couldn’t always guarantee when he would have something available. If he called, we had no choice but to respond. Our waiting list was huge.
Changing course, I drove over to the apartment that Rebel shared with Storm. He was waiting outside for me, standing next to a gray SUV. A rental. Much safer to use a rental picked up under a fake identity than one of our own vehicles.
I got in on the passenger side. Happy to chill while Rebel drove. I was still feeling the effects of last night.
“What’s with you today?” Rebel asked after we’d been driving for a few minutes. “You’re unusually quiet.”
“I didn’t sleep much. I stayed awake to keep an eye on Ripley. She was pretty messed up.” I stared out the window, watching the streets fly by. It wouldn’t take us long to get to the meet up point to grab the kidney.
“I noticed. I also noticed how worried you were about her.” The SUV jerked as Rebel hit the brakes to avoid another car that cut us off. Beneath his breath, he muttered, “Asshole.”
I shook my head, chuckling. “Of course I was worried. I was afraid she was going to OD. Stop trying to make more out of this than there is. I know I brought this on myself by being such a shit to you guys, and now you want to bust my balls, but I’m so over it now. Can we let it go?”
Rebel was silent for a moment. I glanced over to find him looking thoughtful. Being a dramatic dick.
Finally, he said, “No, I don’t think I will let it go. You’ve been extremely obnoxious in your criticism of the rest of us. You haven’t fully paid your dues yet.”
It took a lot for my friends to annoy me. For the most part, I was a pretty laid-back guy. However, this shit was starting to tick me off.
“You’re wasting your breath,” I said. “Ripley is nothing to me other than a solid way to get my cock sucked. There’s nothing going on between us. I don’t know why the rest of you insist otherwise. Give it a break already.”
Rebel waved a hand in my direction as if fending off an attack. “Whoa settle down there, bro. Since when do you get all worked up and pissed off about some chick that supposedly means nothing? Also, we both know you don’t need an arrangement with one woman to get your cock sucked.”
“I’m done talking about this. Just drive the car and keep your mouth shut.” I shoved his waving hand away as he purposely got too close to my face.
“Watch it,” he protested. “You’re distracting the driver.”
“And you’re being a real pain in the ass today.” This was the shit one had to put up with when they were best friends with the same guy for so many years.
Rebel shrugged. “What can I say? I woke up in a good mood.”
With a roll of my eyes, I reclined my seat. Intending to relax and ignore him until we arrived at our destination. I lovedRebel. He was like a brother to me. Which was exactly why he knew how to get under my skin so easily. I refused to keep engaging, knowing that’s what he wanted.
Maybe I did deserve this. I’d been pretty hard on my friends when they gave up the single life. One by one they’d fallen in love, leaving me to live the bachelor life alone. Maybe part of me resented them for that. I guess I’d mistakenly assumed we had more time before domestic life claimed us.
That shit wasn’t for me. I was content to float through life without those chains dragging me down. My mind wasn’t on the future. I preferred to live in the moment. Focusing on now. That’s all I really had anyway.
Rebel and I arrived at the pickup point to find the guy waiting with a cooler. We confirmed that the kidney was inside before making the call to the next buyer on our list who was all too happy to get the news. We also supplied buyers with names of a few doctors willing to perform the surgery required using a black market organ. One would be surprised how vast this market really was and how many people were involved.
As we drove to meet the buyer on the outskirts of town, our conversation shifted. Rebel dropped the bullshit, and we were able to have a nice time together. The entire job went off without a hitch. A nice smooth pick up and drop off.
By the time I got home, I was feeling more like myself again. Not so much in my head. I cruised down the street, turning into the driveway, ready to order some grub and chill for the rest of the night. I was not expecting to find Ripley parked outside the house.
And I sure as hell didn’t expect her to be raging with fury. As soon as I got out of my car, she leapt out of hers, storming over to me. I eyed her curiously, not sure what was going on. The sudden slap she threw shocked me.
