Me:Tell B I’ll be right there.
Dots appear and my stomach tightens along with them.
Josey:K
I guess it could have been worse. I think if Franklin was going to off me, Josey would give me a little bit of a warning. He’s the only one who’s shown me kindness, and I’d like to assume he wouldn’t let me walk into a complete death trap.
I snatch my keys off the counter and shove them in my pocket, along with my wallet and broken phone.
I leave my place in a hurry, not wanting to draw any attention from…well…her. I’d rather Billy not see me this way, but more so, I'd rather face Franklin than continue to put up the false asshole front to keep this girl hating me.
She clearly has enough douchebags in her life; I hate that I have to be another. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to explain to her why I am the way I am, and if the stars happen to align, maybe she'll forgive me.
I doubt I’ll live long enough to tell the story, though, not after Franklin is done with me. I knew going into business with him would be the death of me, but I had to be the one to step up and put a stop to what was happening.
You can’t save everyone, a little voice in my head calls out.
“Watch me try,” I tell it.
* * *
Imanage to make it to the alley behind Franklin’s diner without getting the shit knocked out of me again. I kept my head down and avoided eye contact with people that passed me by. It was dark enough that no one seemed overly concerned about my busted face, or maybe they were focused on themselves instead of being concerned with random people on the street.
“Ouch,” Josey says when I approach. “Your modeling career is definitely a thing of the past.” He holds out a lit cigarette toward me.
“Funny. You should see the other guy.” I take a drag and pass it back. I’m not a smoker, but right now, I’ll take anything to settle the nerves of what’s about to go down.
“Yeah?” Josey’s brows perk up.
I let out a chuckle. “No. There were two of them. Completely caught me off guard. I didn’t stand a chance.”
“Damn, J. You really ought to strap up.” He raises his shirt to expose a gun tucked into his waistband.
“Boss would never let me have one.” Not that I really have the desire to anyway. What would I have done? Would I have shot two people? What would I have told the cops? That they were trying to steal my illegal contraband? I need to avoid that kind of attention if I’m going to succeed at my master plan. I can’t have the authorities looking my way if any of this is going to work.
Josey shrugs and tosses his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out and lighting another one. “You’re going to end up dead.”
I place my hand on the door's latch and glance at him over my shoulder. "One way or another."
The stench of cigars and Franklin’s overpowering cologne attacks me upon entering the close quarters. Stares melt into me and I clench my already tight jaw even more.
“Johnny…” Franklin begins. “Have a seat.” His cool tone sends a chill down my spine. He flicks his wrist. “Everyone out.”
They do what he says, some of them funneling through the front, some the rear. I claim the chair across from him, keeping my gaze trained on anything but him, and wait for him to continue.
“Listen, we all make mistakes. I get that. I’m not an unreasonable man. I understand why you’re here, the sacrifice you made. But in my line of business, there is minimal room for error. And Johnny, you’ve exceeded the limit.”
I bite at my cheek to avoid giving him any type of response.
“I can’t afford slip-ups like this. You’re well aware of that.” His hand moves forward, grasping onto a glass sitting on the table. He drains the golden contents into his mouth and puts it down.
I don’t mean to, but my gaze follows his movement and meets his glare.
“I’m going to give you an opportunity I don’t offer often. Let’s call it… redemption. You have two weeks to retrieve my lost package. Do so and all will be forgiven, and we go back to doing business as usual. Failure will result in renegotiating our terms.” His dark eyes bore into me. “We both know what that entails.” His last statement pierces through my soul in the very manner he means it to.
Everything I’ve done up until this point will have been for nothing if I don’t make things right.
I have to find that package if it’s the last thing I do.