Ella Waters had a drunk for a father and a gang leader for an uncle.
What the fuck was her life? What the fuck was my life?
“Are you going to give me my money or will you work for me?” Ricky
asked.
I gave him the finger as a response. Ricky’s face turned the color of a
grape. I laughed.
“Daniel, be reasonable now,” dad said.
Graycen moved next to me. Dad’s men took a step forward. The circle of
tension became tighter.
“If you don’t work for me, I’ll pay a visit to my niece,” Ricky said.
“You would hurt a little girl? Then I definitely wouldn’t help you. You
should just save me the trouble and kill yourself,” I said.
“No, I wouldn’t kill her. I’ll just put her in the same situation that
her mom went through,” Ricky said.
Chantel used to be a prostitute. Ella could never be something like
that. My fingers twitched. Ricky wanted to traffic his own niece. I wanted to
kill him.
“I’m not joining the White Cobras. You can go join Hitler in hell,” I
said.
Ricky’s men moved forward. “The money then?”
I was fast. Growing up dodging bottles and fists tended to do that to
you. I was stealthy and nimble. I had scaled chain fences and flipped over
barbed wire for years. My first stun gun latched onto Ricky’s neck and second
on his heart. Ricky convulsed on the wooden planks and I nudged him with my
foot into the murky depths below Graycen took care of Ricky’s men with his
hands. My dad’s men used their weapons. Bats wrapped in barbed wire smashed
into soft skin. Dad’s brass knuckles punched holes in lungs. The docks looked
like a graveyard.
My dad hadn’t even broken a sweat. In fact, the bastard looked bored.
“Good job son. You eliminated Ricky and the White Cobras for me,” he
said.
“You used me?” I asked. I didn’t know why I expected anything different.
I hadn’t seen the asshole in years and the first thing he does is make me do
his dirty work for him. He manipulated me. He knew I didn’t have the money and
he knew I would come here to tell Ricky off. He had no intention to pay the
money. He had wanted to get rid of Ricky all long. Dad lifted a small flask to
his lips as if we were out on a nice stroll.
“What was Ricky saying? You got a kid now?”
“I don’t. She’s not mine,” I said. It was the truth. Ella was the child
of Hersh and Chantel. She never called me dad and I wasn’t sure I wanted her
to. I would feel like a fraud. I was closer to being Chantel’s boyfriend than
Ella’s father.
“Whatever, I suppose that’s a good thing. You should bring her to visit
sometime,” dad said.
The bastard left. Now, I had another mess to clean up. Graycen stood by
me. We knew the routine. We dumped all the bodies in the water. My dad used me.
He used the White Cobras to get information about my life. He was checking up
on me. This wasn’t good. This was a subtle warning. My father wanted me back in
his life. He needed me for something and I would have to do it. I could kill
anyone, except him. Chantel’s words echoed like a gunshot in my skull. No
one ever wants to leave the cage because if you kill the captor a piece of you
dies with him. I realized what she said was true. But couldn’t death be a
good thing?
Graycen walked with me a block before the house. I couldn’t have held my
own tonight without him.
“Thank you,” I said.
“For what?” he asked.
“For tonight. And when we drag raced cars. And the last time I saw you.
I should’ve let you destroy my father. He should’ve been arrested.”
“No, I’m sorry. You were right. It would’ve done nothing. Your father
would’ve just gotten out of jail within the hour. This town is so corrupt. He’s
a martial arts trainer. A pillar of the community. No one would ever suspect
him of the crimes he’s done or what he’s put you through,” Graycen said.
“I know.”
It was silent.
“Do you still watch trains?”
“Every Sunday,” I said.
“Like religion.”
“I’ve found a religion and her name is Ella.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“What are you going to do now?” I asked.
“Stand by you and Ella.”
I shook my best and only friend’s hand.
“Welcome to the family.”