“Where would he go?” I boomed.
“There’s a place out towards Keystone, in Pennington County, an old farmhouse. Srock called it…” a guy struggled to remember.
I didn’t hesitate, but fired a bullet into the floor. “Yates!” he screamed.
I turned and walked away. My son was waiting.
Lars
“Who are you?” I demanded as I tried to break the ties binding my wrists together.
“Unsure who I am, kid? Your mom never spoke about me?” The tweaker grinned. I cringed at his rotten teeth. The smell emanating from him was vile, too.
“No.”
“I’m your Uncle Myles. And being blood, I’m sure you wanna help.” Myles stared intently, and I flinched.
“Fuck no. You hit and kidnapped me,” I snapped. Myles aimed a kick.
“Went down like a ton of shit. Big fucker like you and little ole me took you out.” Myles chuckled.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“Dough. Your mom has plenty, and she fucked up my life by leaving. All Jody had to do was stay and pay for college. Why was she so damn selfish? Because of Jody, my singing career didn’t take off. They were all jealous because I had true talent. If she’d stuck around, Jody could have used her money to fight them off,” Myles hissed.
What the fuck?
“And then that bitch scuppered my acting future. Jody contacted Zack Elfrond to go after the part I wanted. That would have made me a big star, and instead, Zack stole it. That role was written for me!” Myles screamed.
Okay, this fucker was beyond crazy. He was also drugged to the gills.
“Ever done meth?” Myles taunted as he waved a small bag in front of me. I barely held back a flinch when I saw it contained what I assumed were meth crystals. He yanked a pipe out and started to load it.
Did this jerk intend to drug me against my will? Panic welled up, and I wantedmin mor. Why was this happening? It was the second time I’d been around a drug user and not by my own fault. Myles finished filling it and began heating it with a lighter. I struggled against my bonds as Myles grinned.
“Just a few puffs, kid, to keep you easy and malleable. Jody will fork over the five k to get you back,” he chortled.
“That’s all you want? Five thousand?”
“To start with. Jody’ll give me more when I demand it; otherwise, I’ll kidnap another of you kids. To stop you from being taken, she’ll pay upfront because Jody knows I won’t be messing around,” Myles stated.
“You’re a fuckin’ asshole,” I snapped, and Myles grinned and came closer. Scared about being drugged, I tried shunting away as he inhaled and moaned in pleasure.
“Come on, kid, it’s a rite of passage,” Myles said as he exhaled into my face.
“Get the fuck back!” I yelled and kicked out at Myles as the front door crashed open.
Late evening sun flooded into the room as a huge shadow filled the doorway. My eyes refocused, and I gazed upon Magic standing there. His legs were splayed apart, his arms were extended at the elbows, and Magic held a shotgun in his right hand and a handgun in his left. Around his chest was a bandolier of bullets. Grenades hung from his belt. Magic’s jaw was set, and his gaze landed on me, where I lay on the floor. Christ, Magic looked like Rambo. Once again, he’d come to my rescue.
“Get the fuck out!” Myles shouted in a high-pitched voice.
“If you’ve harmed my kid…” Magic threatened, and I shivered. His tone was deadly, and I recognised it. It was what my dad sounded like if he thought Laila and I were hurt. Myles was going to pay.
Right then, I saw Magic as an outsider would. Half-crazed, terrifying, murderous, and protective. Somebody had dared to harm someone Magic cared about. Myles moved, and Magic didn’t hesitate and shot him. Myles screamed as he flew backwards, holding his leg.
Magic stomped inside and stared at me. His eyes clocked the lump on my head and the blood that had trickled down my face. Magic saw how I was tied up and helpless, and instead of feeling shame, pride bloomed when he nodded. He was proud of me; I’d survived, and that was what counted.
“You planned to drug my son? Force Lars to become a junkie piece of crap like you?” Magic boomed. There was a crazed look in his eyes as he dropped the shotgun and handgun and stompedtowards Myles, who was babbling and crying. Snot ran down his nose, and Magic sneered before smashing a heavy fist into it. Bone splintered, and Myles screamed, his hands clasping his face.
