Authors: K.A. Merikan
“Are you sure he hasn’t
planted any already?” Dana asked in a cool voice, but then she must have
realized she was being too bossy, and slid closer to Toro. “They could be
anywhere,” she whispered in a softer voice.
Toro smirked. “Don’t
concern your pretty head with those things,” he said, though from the way Dana
slouched, Ryder guessed that Toro didn’t usually undermine her words this way.
“Well, there is no way
for him to detonate them,” said one of the men and yanked the intruder to his
knees. The boy looked straight at Toro, spit sliding down his chin and soaking
into the fabric gag.
“I want to talk to him,”
said Toro, and Ryder was happy to see all his brothers keep quiet for once. He
tried to catch Jed’s gaze and somehow make sure he was all right.
Toro got one of his men
to take the gag out of the failed assassin’s mouth, and began questioning him,
though Ryder had the vaguest feeling that some of the harsh questions were
directed at them as well, for them to see what could happen if Toro believed
they were a threat to
his
life.
The boy was hard, much
tougher than he looked. Ryder found himself wincing at some of the brutality he
witnessed in the endless minutes that followed, and he was no civilian. But
even after all nails had been removed from the assassin’s hands, after two
knocked-out teeth rushed across the marble floor, the boy still assured them he
didn’t know who ordered the hit. He was a mafia member, no doubt about that. No
freelancer would defend his client with such determination. There was true
loyalty behind the boy’s silence, and Ryder found himself admiring his courage.
He liked to think that any of the Nails would do the same for the club.
The room became silent
at some point, only resonating with the assassin’s heaving after yet another
kick in the ribs. Toro looked at Ryder as if only now remembering his presence.
“You want to show me
you’re a man and you can handle business? Uncuff him,” Toro said to one of his
men.
Ryder’s heart picked up
its pace, but he didn’t dare move when his hands were pulled even farther back.
As soon as the handcuffs opened, heat streamed into Ryder’s hands, and he briefly
closed his eyes before meeting Toro’s gaze amidst the heavy silence. “That is
correct.”
“Get rid of this piece
of trash, and we’ll talk.” Toro pulled a knife out from under his jacket, and
held it out to Ryder.
The assassin bowed to
the floor with his forehead against the carpet, and only now he whined,
“Please, I will disappear. You will never hear of me again.” Was he seeing
Ryder’s involvement as a ticket to safety?
Toro smirked. “That’s
not very professional.”
Ryder shuddered but
slowly got to his feet, his gaze searching for Jed’s. He knew very well what
was expected of him, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t killed before, but he had no
grudge against this man. He’d never just killed someone who couldn’t defend
himself. The few times he took a life were in the midst of a fight. In life or
death situations. Then again, with Toro’s goons behind them, this could be
considered just that, and when he briefly looked into Toro’s cool eyes, he
understood that it wasn’t a way to put the murder on Ryder. It was a test of
loyalty, a step on the way to Toro’s resources, and through that, to financial
security for the club. And it seemed that Jed thought so as well, because
despite a tense expression, he gave Ryder a short nod.
The assassin looked back
at Ryder, heaving in growing panic. “I let you go just an hour ago. I didn’t
alert anyone. I could have used you as a distraction. I didn’t!”
Ryder’s knees were
stiff, legs heavy as he walked past the man and reached for the knife. Toro
held it by the blade, and as Ryder slowly closed his hand around the leather
handle and pulled, the bright steel shone into his eyes. It was sharp as a
razor, and Ryder believed he could cut off the guy’s hands if he sawed into
them long enough. He turned around to look at the brown eyes, which were
already red around the irises. It felt like he was about to put down a dog that
had helped him hunt. Ryder exhaled and looked at his brothers: beaten,
bleeding, and he knew their lives depended on his decision. No matter how much
you appreciated a dog, you would kill it to feed your family.
“Any preference?” he
asked Toro.
Toro sat back on the
couch and put his arm over Dana’s shoulder. She said something to him in
Spanish, and not knowing what it was only made Ryder more uncomfortable. But he
would do the job. In an equation that placed a stranger’s life against Jed’s,
Jed would always be the one Ryder would choose, no matter how innocent the
stranger was. Ryder would always protect his Jed.
“No. Just get the job
done,” Toro said.
Ryder took a deep
breath, a thousand thoughts rushing through his head. He didn’t want to do
this, this man hadn’t done a thing to offend him, and in fact, if things were a
bit different, it might have been him kneeling here and waiting for the knife.
But for the club, for his brothers, for Jed, he could not botch this. He could
not hesitate.
With a long exhale,
Ryder grabbed the intruder by the hair and stuck the knife straight into the
middle of his chest, pushing through the initial resistance of the rib.
The boy screamed out and
convulsed in Ryder’s grip, but a few moments later, his body went limp. Ryder
sighed in relief. If he’d aimed incorrectly, he could have had a messy death on
his hands, but this way, at least the man suffered as little as possible.
Toro began clapping
slowly, like a movie villain, but Ryder was still recovering from the kill, and
with the warm body in his hands, adrenaline wouldn’t stop flowing. He knew he
couldn’t let his emotions show, and even though his stomach clenched with
disgust, he pushed the still-warm corpse away and kneeled next to it, pulling
on the hem of the dark shirt. He started deliberately wiping both the handle
and the blade with the fabric, knowing he needed to make sure this kill
couldn’t be easily traced to him. The police had his fingerprints already. His
brain was cooked, and the stiffness in his joints demanded a long, hot shower
to wash away all the invisible droplets of blood off Ryder’s skin.
“Let’s say we could be
back in business,” Toro started in a voice unaffected by the murder at his
feet. “Can all of you keep up this level of professionalism if necessary?”
Ryder dropped the knife
and got up, accepting the challenge in Toro’s voice. “Yes, but before we can
settle on some kind of agreement, we need to deal with her debt to us,” he
said, nodding at Dana, who pressed her lips tightly together. Ryder needed to
push this now, otherwise he’d have to accept that she’d never get what she
deserves. And on top of that, they’d told Toro that they came here for her, not
to impose any danger on him whatsoever, and he needed to stick to that story if
he wanted to ensure the safety of his brothers
Toro sighed and ran his
knuckles over Dana’s arm. “I have become rather fond of her… but she seems to
have caused a lot of havoc for you to come all the way here. Is that so?”
“We’ve had our issues,
but I believe my debt to them to be paid.” Dana squinted and crossed her arms
on her chest.
Ryder broke into a
laugh, and all his brothers followed. “That’s funny. What is it that you gave us?”
If looks could kill,
Ryder would be lying next to the dead man on the floor. “Too many months of my
life,” she said with a deep breath.
“I suppose you can give
them another week then.” Toro said and waved his hand in front of her widening
eyes. “You are not to leave any permanent damage. Both on her skin, and internally.”
God only knew how Dana
must have bewitched Toro for him to want her back after what he was proposing.
A week of torture. Ryder had no idea what Toro thought they’d do to her, and he
wasn’t sure he wanted to know either. His eyes darted to his brothers, only to
see his surprise reflected on their faces.
“But I’m pregnant,” came
in a tiny voice, and it hung in the air like a helium balloon that was slowly
losing its momentum.
Axe stood up, and for
once no one stopped him. “Oh, bullshit, bitch!”
Jed laughed out loud.
“You? Pregnant? What kind of desperate move is this? We’re not on reality TV.”
Toro frowned and took a
moment looking her up and down. “Are you lying about this?”
Dana shook her head
quickly, fake tears already welling up in her eyes. “No. I took the test
yesterday. And it’s yours, because my ex-boyfriend is a homo.” There it was.
The good old Dana vitriol. “The moment I met a real man… it just happened.”
Ryder snarled, and his hands
tingled with the need to break that long, graceful neck of hers for hurting
Jed. “Within less than two weeks? You think we’re all idiots here?”
Toro stared at Dana with
an unreadable expression, before finally speaking. “Eduardo, go get a pregnancy
test. And not one of those cheap ones.”
Dark snorted, but at
least he kept his thoughts to himself.
The goon looked around,
and a man who had to be his senior approached him. “Go to the drug store on Lincoln
Avenue. The owners live above. Just wake them up if they’re not open.”
The man nodded and
stormed off while everyone else’s eyes settled on Dana, who now was
protectively touching her completely flat stomach. It was ridiculous.
Another bodyguard was
ordered to get rid of the corpse, and despite Ryder's brothers still being
cuffed, Toro did Ryder the honor of letting him stay free. Time dragged
unbearably as they waited for Eduardo’s return, so it was a relief that Toro
initiated a conversation about the type of deal they could make, and what other
arms he could be interested in buying.
Ryder was eager to pick
up where they’d stopped last time and just go from there, but as time
stretched, he painted even more attractive perspectives for Toro, who seemed
much more impressed now, with most of the Nails cuffed and at his mercy, than
he’d been last time. Or it could have just been seeing a man die in front of
him that had him so pleased.
When the goon arrived,
huffing with exhaustion, he rushed across the room and stretched out his hand,
presenting the pregnancy test as if he’d just walked across the lands to
retrieve the Holy Grail. Dana got up with a little pout, and wiped away an
invisible tear.
“Take her to the
bathroom on the first floor,” Toro said. “The one without windows, and have one
of the maids go in with her.”
Dana chewed on her lip,
and while Toro or his men might not have noticed, the glare she sent her new
man was sharp as a razor. If Ryder were in Toro’s place, he’d start worrying
now. But Dana was smart enough not to argue and stood up with all the dignity
she could still pretend she had. On her way to the door, she stepped so close
to Ryder he could smell her perfume, but neither of them wanted to meet one
another’s eyes. Once the clicking of high heels finally stopped, Ryder couldn’t
help a sense of relief. He only wished he could squeeze Jed’s hand, especially now
that the awkward wait was inevitably stretching.
Even Toro lost his will
to joke around and alternated between looking at his watch and cell phone. At
this point, Ryder’s back was damp with sweat, and he almost wished he could at
least stand by the cubicle and listen, like he did during one other pregnancy
scare, early on in his life.
When Dana finally came
back, her glance told Ryder nothing, as if she were extending the wait on purpose.
Toro got up as soon as she approached, and looked at the test she handed him.
He groaned after a few
seconds. “What do those lines mean?”
Dana crossed her arms.
“They mean I’m pregnant.”
The man who came with
her cleared his throat. ”That’s what Rosa said, too.”
Toro frowned. “Show me
the box,” he demanded, and the man quickly provided the cardboard box and the
instructions, which Toro started thoroughly looking through. All the men were
frozen in a state of disbelief, and Ryder stole a glance at his brothers, who
all shook their heads at him. Did this mean they’d have to wait another nine
months to get their revenge? By that point, she’d probably find a way to
disappear and leave them with the sourness forever lurking at the back of their
mouths. And what if Toro got too attached to her by then? Jed would never get
the retribution he deserved.
Toro took a deep breath,
watching Dana as if he were analyzing a new gun deal. “This is unexpected,” he
said in the end, and turned to Ryder. “I can’t let her leave with you.”
Ryder gritted his teeth,
but the flash of a smile in Dana’s eyes fueled the fire of his anger to a point
when he couldn’t just take it and leave. “What
can
you do?” he asked,
matter-of-factly.
Toro grabbed Dana’s hand
and kissed it. “I suppose losing a finger wouldn’t hurt the baby. Could also
serve as a reminder of not dipping them where she shouldn’t.”
Axe grinned so widely it
made Ryder slightly uncomfortable, but on the other hand, he too had no love
for Dana, and seeing the shock reflected on her face did tickle him in a good
way. He briefly looked at Jed and nodded. “That does sound satisfactory. We
don’t wish any harm to your child,” he told Toro. What was even better was that
Dana would be staying with a man willing to cut off her finger as if it were a
slap on the wrist. He was grateful for this development, because what would
they have done if Toro had allowed them to take her? Beat her up? No matter how
horrendous her character, she was still a woman. That could end in a fiasco after
just a few punches, because he didn’t think any of their guys would feel
comfortable beating her unconscious or pulling out her teeth. He hoped they
wouldn’t.