The metal drawer opens as Z pulls out and tosses the kutte at Zeke.
“What is this?” he opens it, turning it over in his hands. “Okay, it’s a kutte, but whose is it?”
“It’s Eli’s,” Z says.
“Wait.” Both Zeke and I say in unison, for different reasons.
“He has ink,” Z shrugs, telling him.
I realize that Z still calling it Eli’s means he’s decided, even if he hasn’t realized it yet.
“No fucking way?” Zeke gasps. Before his tone because more serious and he stands, pissed now. “No fucking way!”
“It’s what Dad wanted.” I whisper to both of them. “He trusted Eli. He trusted him at 18 to send him in undercover to watch out for you fucking idiots. I know I was just here because my love life is involved.” I stand walking towards the door, stopping before I open it. “Let him in the club, don’t let him in, none of that has anything to do with me, but if I can say. He spent the better part of the last decade looking out for the club and looking out for your dumb ass, specifically.” I say, pointing at Z, “he’d go to prison to show you what he’ll do. Mom and Dad trusted him. And while you guys might not bebrothasif he’s not in the club, he’s still gonna be around and you’re still going to be some fucked-up family.”
“Are you saying you’re gonna marry him?”
“What I’m saying is, even though we’ve been apart for a while, I’mstillin love with him.”
Walking back out to the bar, Low looks at me before she walks over. “That seemed like fun; I saw Zeke went in.”
“Yeah,” I pause, reaching over and pulling her back in close to me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You guys work things out?”
Pulling back, I shake my head.
“Drew.”
“I told him I needed a little more time.”
“But —” she stops herself as she looks down at where his tooth still hangs around my neck. “What’d he say?”
Ignoring what she actually wants to ask about, I answer, “That he’s here when I’m ready.”
* * *
It’s dark…
My neck’s still sore from his arm wrapped around it…
My hands are tied…
But it feels like we’re moving.
There should be some light, but there’s not. Because they planned this and know how to cover their tracks, which isn’t fucking good for me. There should be little cracks of light where the trunk closes, unless they purposefully blocked it.
“Come on, Drew, you’ve got this.” I whisper as I try to carefully roll over, so my hands are at the taillights. “Shit.” I sigh out as my fingers feel the cool metal concealing the lights.
I wish I knew how long I’ve been in the trunk, or even what time of day it is now. Maybe that’s why I can’t see any light, maybe it’s still night… maybe we’re in the desert, who knows.
Calm down.
A calmness comes over me.
“Great, now I’m hearing fucking voices.” I whisper shaking my head.
Shut up.
