Grief distorts his face. “It wasn’t my choice, I swear.”
“Cops said it was you in the body bag, and I thought I’d fucking lost you, you asshole.” Fuck I want to punch him again. “Your funeral sucked.”
He pushes at the floor like he’s gonna get up. “Did either of my parents bother coming?”
“Your mom. It woulda been hard to shake people down for sympathy and donations if she didn’t. Just a warning, if you stand up, I’m gonna knock you back down. I don’t think you really understand how fucking mad I am.”
“I’ll stay down. One of those was fucking enough.” He holds up a hand, warding me off.
“Convince me. Tell me what happened. If it’s good enough, maybe I won’t kill you for real.” I put my back up against the wall, leaning but ready to jump on him again if I have to.
“Really? No beer, or sitting down somewhere. Nothing?”
“Fuck you.”
He wipes his nose again and grimaces at the blood. “I killed someone. This was the price.”
“Gonna need more than that.”
“You remember that night. I was helping Zee with a deal. I was there as muscle. It was my first time. Things went to shit. Someone pulled a gun on Zee and we responded. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I’d always been fast. I killed a guy. Don’t even remember his name, just that he was worth a fuck ton more than me.” Axel leans back against the wall, his eyes focused on something a million miles away. “I ran.”
“Not far enough, apparently. What, you couldn’t call? Couldn’t send a fucking email?”
He lets out a sigh. “I didn’t even make it out of town that night. Boss caught up with me. He made me a deal. They’d get the heat off me if I agreed to die. They had me, a kid who was as good as dead, and a body that needed explaining away. If I cooperated, they’d cover my ass. I thought it’d be temporary.”
I look away, not knowing what I feel. Part of me wants to just jump on the fucker and pound him into the ground, while part of me wants to hug him ‘til I break his bones.
“So for ten fucking years, I’m supposed to believe that you just… stayed away? I fucking missed you man. First you, and then my step-dad a couple years later. I thought the world had it in for me. I was so fucking angry for so long. And just when I found Quinn again and felt like we could get some fucking closure, you rise from the fucking grave. You understand why I’m angry?” I push off the wall and walk over until I’m standing over him.
“Fuck!” Axel smacks his head into the wall. “No! It wasn’t that simple. At first, yeah. Boss moved me down the coast, put meto work. I didn’t have much time to think about anything. After about a year I was starting to get a little more freedom. I tried coming back.”
“And?”
“And I found out they were watching Sheila and Quinn. He had a whole fucking folder full of pictures of them. Quinn had just started with the modeling shit.”
“He threatened to kill her?”
“Never with those words, but you know the deal.” He changes his voice, imitating someone. “ ‘Your sister’s doing real good, Axel. I’ve been keeping an eye on her. She’s becoming quite the beauty.’ He made sure I knew that he could take her out whenever he fucking wanted to. And to keep her safe, I’ve been his fucking lapdog. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”
“So why now? After all these years? Did they finally let you go?”
He shakes his head. “You think I’m that lucky? Not a fucking chance. Nah, I got sent to the east coast for a job, but when I got there it felt like bullshit. Sometimes he’d do that, though, just to test me. I didn’t think too much about it until I saw the news.”
“News?”
“I keep a watch on Quinn’s name. I saw the shit about her getting attacked, and then the one that came after.”
“So you came back to protect her?”
He looks at me with eyes so close to Quinn’s. “I came back because I know Greg Cook. He works for my boss. Well, worked.”
“Past tense?”
Axel’s smile is sharp as a razor. “I don’t like leaving loose ends.”
I wouldn’t have minded doing the job myself, but can’t say I’m upset. “Okay? So who’s your boss?”
“My boss, Romero. Who happens to be fucking Quinn’s mom.”
