I took a long, deep drag of my cigarette, the tiny coal flickering in the dark as I inhaled. The only other light in the room was the full moon shining in through the window. It fell perfectly over her small frame as she lay on the bed, her face toward me.
She seemed peaceful, blissfully unaware of how her life was about to change. But once she opened those pretty blue eyes of hers, she’d know. She’d remember what happened, and she’d know her well-manicured life would exist no more, tainted and ruined by blood and metal.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t excite me, which was why I was sitting in this room like a fucking vampire in the dark. I wanted to look into her eyes once she realized what was happening.
There was a knock on the door, and I cursed under my breath, putting out the cigarette, downing my beer, and getting up from the chair.
I swung open the door. “What?”
Dutch cocked a brow. “She awake?”
“Not yet.” I glanced over my shoulder at the girl on the bed before walking out and closing the door behind me, then focusing my attention back on Dutch. “What’s up?”
“Someone called the police, claiming to have heard gunshots in the area while all this went down.”
“Fuck.” I pulled my hand through my hair. “Who was on duty?”
“Lucky for us, a few detectives on our payroll. So, hopefully, nothing will come of it. Dude, what happened out there?”
“It didn’t go quite as planned.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Dutch seemed anxious and confused—two emotions that could send a grown-ass man reeling.
“Goddammit.” I felt like planting my fist through the fucking drywall. “I didn’t count on that motherfucking prospect having balls.”
Dutch frowned. “Does anything work out the way we planned around here? Ever?”
I sighed. “Guess not.”
Dutch’s worried look settled a little. “You going to kick his ass?”
“I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do with my brother.”
“Just give me a heads up before you do.” Dutch’s lips curved at the edges. “I want to buy front row tickets.”
I let out a laugh thinking about how much shit Dutch and I gave Onyx when he was younger. Poor bastard never caught a break whenever we were around.
I pulled out another cigarette, tapping the filter on the packet before placing it between my lips. “Where is my brother?”
“He’s having a beer downstairs.”
I lit the cigarette then blew out a cloud of smoke, not caring that Dutch was at the receiving end. “Good. I’ll deal with him later.”
Dutch nodded then gestured toward the door. “You sure about this?”
I studied him for a few seconds. “If you have doubts, you should have brought it up at church.”
“I’m not doubting anything.”
“Good.”
“I’m just wondering what’s else is going on in that head of yours.” He gave me a knowing look, as if he could see straight through me. I hated it. If someone had the correct formula to figure me out, it would be Dutch. Fucker knew me better than I knew myself sometimes.
With my gaze pinned on him, I took a step forward. “Believe me, if you had to know what’s going on in my head, you’d be certifiable.”
A smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. “That, I know.”
I stepped back and dropped my cigarette before stomping on it. “Did you tie up loose ends?”