“They just let him go, Mrs. Brown.” Bill attempted to calm her down, as I opened the video file from their network drive and showed him how Logan had entered the room already reeling. “Even if we go to the police now, they’d file a report about an alleged assault, but we can’t prove anything since they didn’t do it on camera. They also didn’t outright threaten any of you or admit to anything. All the man said was that Logan owed him money, and he’ll want his parents involved.”
“But there has to be something we can do?” Aaron inquired, proving his inability to handle the situation yet again.
I knew what I could do. I had thought about it when I realized just how much money they were handling. But I really didn’t want to. Even now, knowing they were coming to get revenge on me for taking down three of their people, and what they were planning to do with the others, I still wasn’t especially eager. But I couldn’t think of anything else, and I didn’t have the time to come up with something new. I turned to Bill.
“You think they’ll be safe for a few days if they actually go to the grandparents’ house like my message claimed?” I asked. He looked at me, and seemed to realize I had an idea before thinking about my question for a moment.
“Probably. Those guys aren’t big. As far as I know, he only has that one guy who’s with him right now and the three that came for Logan ... who are now out of commision, courtesy to you. Maybe your family should go to a hotel for the first two days or so, just to make sure those guys actually intend to restructure their operation first.”
“And why should only ‘his family’ go to a hotel? Why does that sound like neither of you is including you?” Uncle John asked, pointing his finger in my direction.
“Because we’re not. I will ... stay here. And make the story about Granny’s new hip believable while thinking of what to do next.” I claimed, unwilling to let them know what I was actually going to do, since I really didn’t need the discussion right then.
“Fine.” Claire announced after a moment. “But we need to get a hold of Logan and make sure he’s Okay.”
“Sure. Now go pack your shit and get moving. Use the money we had planned to give them and pay for the rooms and anything else you’ll need in cash. After that you can call the backstabber.” I told them in a rough tone as I turned to get a cigarette outside.
I didn’t suggest the cash because I thought that the bookie and his acquaintances were capable of tracking credit cards. I just remembered that Golden Boy had most likely blown away their liquid savings, and I did not want them to come back early because they ran out of money.
I was utterly exhausted. I didn’t think Logan had ever planned to sell out his girls just so they would pay off his debt for him. He lied to that man about that part. But he didn’t lie when he was talking about me. He had painted a target on my back to get himself out of his shit. Scared or not, after running away and getting me stabbed, that was the second time he was perfectly fine with me suffering if it would get him off the hook. And the only concern any of my family members voiced was about seeing Logan with a bloody nose.
“You sure you’ll be Okay?” I suddenly heard Aunt Danielle’s voice from behind me. She and Uncle John were about to leave.
“Hm.” I replied noncommittally, my mind focused on my mental checklist for tonight.
“Don’t do anything reckless, please.” she added quietly.
“Why would I?” I answered, as I moved back inside and upstairs to my room.
I still wanted to immediately delete the videos from their devices, but I couldn’t afford to agitate them before tonight, and it looked like Bill’s assumption would still prove correct. They were planning to get the girls and therefore wouldn’t distribute the videos carelessly. Instead, I went through the saved videos from their surveillance system, looking for a video that showed the owner clearing out the safe.
Going through his emails, I had learned that he had a rented storage space. I also knew he was taking a bigger cut of the money than his accomplices had agreed to, making my plan more plausible. I found a video from a few months ago, in which he was clearing out the safe wearing the very same outfit he wore while talking to Logan. Hooray for the male fashion sense!
“Baby?” Claire’s voice broke my concentration. I just grunted to acknowledge her presence, but refused to take my eyes off the screen. “We’re all packed. You sure it’s safe for you...”
“Uh huh.” I answered.
“Don’t be careless.” Aaron said. “We love you!”
“Hm.” was all they got back from me as I continued my task.
Claire and Aaron stood in my doorway for a while watching me, seemingly waiting for me to say anything more, but I no longer cared about their promises and assurances. The night I spent with Claire had done a surprisingly good job at reminding me how much I actually yearned for a little closeness with them. Not the sex, mind you, but the way she held me after the sex. With their behavior at the meeting in Bill’s office and seeing their reactions to Golden Boy’s repeated betrayal, however, I was once again convinced there was no future to this.
One way or the other, I would be gone once this was over.
“You can’t really blame your brother.” I suddenly heard Bill’s voice, pulling me back to reality.
“Are you serious!?”
“I know you’re pissed he threw you under the bus. But you can’t really blame him for it.”
“And why the fuck not?” I asked, not believing my ears. Of all the people in my life, Bill was the last one I expected to stab me in the back or support my backstabbing brother.
“Because this isn’t some action movie with him in the main role, Kid. He’s not some Rambo-type who laughs death in the face, or some CIA-Agent trained to withstand torture. That’s not how the real world works. He was obviously scared out of his mind and would’ve told them whatever could’ve gotten them off his back without even thinking about it.” he explained calmly. “I’m not saying you can’t be angry with the little fucker. From what I understand, this whole situation only exists because he made one bad decision after the other. But I am telling you that you can’t blame him for what he did in that particular moment.”
“You are serious!”
“Look ... it’s easy for outsiders to claim they wouldn’t have done it. But the truth is, nobody can know how they would react in a situation like that, until they actually find themselves in a situation like that. Now, I know you’re not planning to wait for the bookies crew to show up on your doorstep. You already have an idea. Whatever it is, it won’t work if you spend the night fuming over what we just saw. So, what are you thinking, kid?”
I looked at him for a while, but ultimately had to agree with what he said. I had to concentrate instead on my task instead of making up scenarios of how to punish Logan.
I still wasn’t sure if I should tell him what was brewing in my head, though. The family seemed to be gone, and Bill was the one I felt was the most trustworthy person in my life. I didn’t want to risk that. But still, I needed that bookie off my back. Permanently. The implications and probable consequences of what I was about to do, however, weren’t exactly something I’d want others to know about. But at the same time ... Bill had helped me more times than I could count. I sighed and resigned myself to simply trusting him.
“I’m going to steal the money he’s supposed to clean, and ... make it look like he stole it himself.” I carefully answered, watching his face for any indication of disapproval. I couldn’t find any. In fact, like so often, I couldn’t find an indication for any type of emotion on his face.
“You know what kind of people gave him that money. And what they’ll do to anyone stealing from them.” he stated simply. Just like his face, his voice also showed no judgment.