Chapter 1.5
1159 Words
He wore a black t-shirt and ripped blue jeans that showed more skin than they hid. They hung low on his hips, no doubt he couldn’t be bothered to search for a belt. The strip of his underwear peaked above his jeans and the words GAY were visible. Taylor stared at the word, narrowing his eyes as Tike raised his arm, revealing a patch of skin.
“Hey, buddy. I wasn’t expecting you today,” Tike said, leading onto the counter. He wiped his brow. “Getting anything?”
Ryan shook his head. “Nah. Nothing for me.”
He grinned up to his eyes and Tike returned with his own s**t eating smile.
Taylor hated he had to interrupt what great fun they were having, but the looks they were exchanging were making him sick.
He sat down on an empty stool. Tike noticed him then, his violet eyes turning sour. He was honest, Taylor would give him that, but it wasn’t a pass in his book. Taylor gave him a bored look and gestured to the metal door.
“I’ve got business to talk about. It won’t take long.” He dragged his hand across the counter, eyes locked on Tike’s. He wouldn’t give him trouble, though he wondered why Tike hated him so much. He was another f**k in this town he had to deal with.
Another one he had to keep Ryan safe from.
He’d heard things about Tike that made his stomach churn. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. No one cared if one kid went missing or if one was found dead in the street. Tike was a money maker and had a business that suited other in town. He got a free pass.
Tike nodded. He turned to the girl and guy. “Sorry, loves, I’m going to have to close up early.”
The girl looked up from the phone and rolled her eyes as she pushed away from the counter. “Whatev. See you tomorrow.”
The guy followed the girl and as they left, the girl sent Taylor a dirty look. He wanted to laugh and punch her at the same time. Girls were off limits though. He didn’t understand the rule at all.
He stared her down. She walked out like she didn’t know who he was. She did. Everyone did.
Tike lead them into the back room. He knew what needed to be done. He was never the type to stall, not when there was money on the table. Once Taylor got what he wanted as well, he would be out of here. If Ryan wanted to stay, he would be on his f*****g own. Though it pissed him off when Ryan did, he wasn’t his keeper.
Anger hadn’t always been a problem, but the more he was exposed to this s**t job and s**t world the more it was hard to focus on what was important. Ryan wasn’t a distraction—most times he wasn’t. He had a big mouth, like to crack jokes when it wasn’t appropriate, but those part of his personality made the days go faster. Taylor liked him more for it.
His anger fueled him, gave him power whenever someone tried to take him on. They didn’t know how much he loved any kind of violence, whether he was being the one hit or he was beating the s**t out of someone else. Blood and bruises were his thing. Littered with them since he knew how to walk, being without a bruise felt like being stripped naked.
He wasn’t going to fight Tike. He’d love to, but Ryan would get in the way. He didn’t like violence when it wasn’t necessary.
The back of the shop opened up to a small black hallway. The door leading out to the other building was another steel door with a small window with a cover on it. Tike slid back the cover and peaked through to the other side. Taylor crossed his arms and gave Ryan a look. Ryan shrugged with a smile.
Tike closed the cover and unlocked the door. The three locks were a pattern, something Tike had invested in when he started working for the Wolves.
Tike finished the last lick and yanked the door open.
The back room was dark to the point Taylor couldn’t distinguish one wall from the other. He waited for Tike to take the first step.
Tike flipped the light switch. The one light bulb dangled from the small room’s ceiling, swinging in a gentle motion. In the center of the room on a metal table was a small box. A padlock the size of Taylor’s hand dangled from it. As comical as it looked, it wasn’t for show.
“Your dad better be offering good for this.”
Taylor grabbed the wad of cash from his jacket. “Five grand. Nothing more.”
Tike took the cash and flicked through a couple of bills. He made a face. “Yeah. Whatever. I should be charging more for all the s**t I had to go through for this.”
“Take it or leave it. I’m not here to negotiate.”
Tike sighed but pocketed the wad. “I’m good.”
He circled around the box to the lock. He pulled out a set of keys, flipping through them until he stopped on a thick silver one. He glanced at Taylor, probably making sure he wasn’t going to pull anything. When he was confident he wasn’t going to get jumped, he slid the key into the lock. The gears clicked and the box lid snapped open.
Tike flipped the lid over and inside a blue glass bottle nestled deep inside the black foam. Tike used a delicate hand to pull the bottle from the black foam, slowly working it out with a back and forth motion. It was smaller than Taylor thought it would be. Whatever this was, he hoped it was worth that five grand.
He held out his hand and Tike placed it in the center of his palm. Without a second thought, he gave the bottle a shake and the blue liquid shook like jelly.
“Careful!” Tike glared at him. “I’m not going to be held responsible for anything you do. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
Taylor rolled his eyes as he pocketed the bottle “Chill man. I know what I’m doing.”
He’d been doing this for years. Did it look like he was going to f**k something up?
- Writer
