His vision blurred for a second.
“Come on, Stavrinos. Look at the camera,” Kash teased, laughing with the others.
Then a hand snatched Pablo’s phone. Mano slammed it to the ground and stomped on it, shattering the screen.
Before anyone could react, Mano’s fist crashed into Kash’s face. Ody stared, stunned, his eyes still glassy.
“Oh, Jones, you just signed your death warrant,” Kash hissed, wiping the blood from his lip, fury burning in his eyes.
“My fucking phone!” Pablo grabbed Mano by the collar.
“Eye for an eye. Mine’s trashed because of you too.” He shoved him off. Then he extended his hand toward Ody. “Get up.”
Ody hesitated, then took it and pulled himself to his feet.
“You know what’s coming Mano,” Kash said, locking eyes with him. His gaze flicked briefly to Ody before he turned and walked away.
Mano didn’t need clarification. He knew exactly what Kash meant.
He looked back at Ody. His eyes were still glassy, humiliation lingering all over his face. Mano’s hands lifted before he even realized it. “Are you okay?” he asked, cupping his face.
Ody’s eyes locked onto his, vulnerable in a way Mano had never seen before. “I don’t get you. One moment you call yourself a coward, and the next you do this?”
“Listen to me,” Mano said, leaning closer, holding Ody’s face. “I don’t want you to be scared. I need you to be brave.”
“What are you talking about?” Ody asked.
“They’ll come for you. Tonight. They’ll take you somewhere isolated.”
“What?” Ody’s stomach dropped.
“I need you to hold on until I get there.” Mano searched Ody’s eyes, worry written across his face. “I won’t be long. Can you do that for me?”
“Mano, what the hell are you saying? You’re freaking me out!” He pulled away from his touch, fear rising in his chest.
“They threatened me,” Mano admitted. “They said if I tried to help you, they’d do to you what they did to me.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry,” Mano whispered, guilt heavy in his voice. “I didn’t help you yesterday because I didn’t want you to get hurt. But now… when they come, you have to stay strong. Hold on until I get there. I promise, I won’t be late.”
“I don’t understand any of this! What are you talking about?”
“I broke our deal. Now they’re coming after you.”
Around 10 p.m., Ody lay restless on his couch when the intercom buzzed. “Yes?” he answered, heart pounding.
A threatening male voice said, “We’ve got your girlfriend. If you don’t want her hurt, come down now.”
Ody’s stomach dropped at the mere possibility that it was true. He knew how violent they were. He had seen what they did to Mano.
They could be bluffing. But what if they weren’t? The only thing that mattered was getting to her.
“Don’t touch her!” he shouted. He slammed the intercom, threw on his shoes, and bolted down the stairs.
At the building entrance, he yanked the door open. Kash stood waiting.
“Where is she?”
