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“I heard. Clara told me about the infection. I’m really sorry, man. But they’re working on it, right? So he can have the surgery?”
Tommy lets out a dry laugh. “That’s the thing. Yeah, they’re planning the surgery, but I just spoke to the insurance company this morning when I found out.” He shakes his head. “They’ll only cover about half. Turns out my mom let the policy run out and defaulted on the last few payments. Guess she needed her drug money. So they aren’t covering the whole amount I’d planned. They’ll only cover what my mom paid into. And the doctor who’s going to do the surgery isn’t in network, which is another reason why the insurance company is being a dick.” He scrubs a hand down the front of his stubbled face. “But I don’t want just any dipshit doctor working on Eli. I want him to have the best. I want him to get better. I can’t…”
His voice cracks and trails off.
“Tommy,” I say, crossing the room and sitting on the arm of the chair opposite him. “Let me help. Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you. We can work something out.” I barely know this guy, barely know Eli, but I can’t just stand by and watch this happen. Hell, I don’t even know what the surgery costs, but watching him suffer like this, carrying this ridiculous weight because his deadbeat mother took off and left him carrying the burden…I have to help them. I may have made a lot of dumbass mistakes in my life, but I want to be better. Sloane makes me want to be better. And being better means helping people who need it.
Just like Tommy and Eli.
He shakes his head. “I’m not a charity case, Max.”
“This isn’t charity. This is a friend helping you out of a bind. I’m sorry you have to deal with this, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
“Do you know how much the surgery costs? Not the treatments, the hospital stay, or any of the other shit they tack on. Just the surgery?”
I shake my head.
“Two-hundred-and-fifty grand. Makes me think I shoulda gotten better grades in science and gone to med school, ya know?”
Fuck me, that’s a lot of coin. “We’ll figure it out. I’m not gonna leave you hanging, Tommy.”
“I’m not taking your money,” he says in a flat voice.
“Fine, then you can work it off. I run a construction site, and we need help. The job pays well, and you can always arrange some kind of payment plan with the hospital, right? I get that you don’t want a handout, but I can still help you come up with the cash you need.”
His lips lift into a faint smile. “I appreciate it, but I’m actually working on something right now. If all goes well, I should be making some good cash soon.”
I don’t like the sound of that. I get the deeper meaning, I’ve said the same words before, plenty of times. Bad choices. Nobody ever makes good money fast unless one of two things happens: they hit the lottery or do illegal crap. It’s not going to do Eli any good if his brother ends up in jail. Or dead. “Don’t do stupid shit to make fast cash, Tommy. It’s not worth it. You need to be around for Eli.”
“I know,” he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. Just seeing him do that makes the knot at the base of my skull pull tighter. “But it’s what I have to do, Max. I need to take care of my brother. I appreciate your offer, but I’m good right now.”
“Look, I get that it’s tempting to do something for a quick buck, but there’s a big downside, too. The more money you can make, the more dangerous the job. And the last things you want are to get pinched or killed.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’re a pro at this kind of thing.”
“I used to be. But not anymore. I finally get how important it is to do things the right way, not the easy way. It’s taken me a long time to get there, but now I have reasons to keep myself out of that shit.”
“Like Sloane?” He flashes a hint of a smile and gives me the thumbs-up.
I grin. “Yeah, exactly like Sloane. And I’m not gonna fuck things up with her. I’m trying to straighten out my life. It’s hard, but she’s worth it. And you’ve got a reason to keep yourself straight, too. A really big one. One who doesn’t have anyone else.” I stand up and pace around the room, pushing back my hair. “It’s a dead-end life, Tommy. People will promise you a lot, but who’s gonna have your back if shit goes sideways, huh? Do you think anyone’s gonna care that your little brother is sick and needs you? Let me tell you, they won’t.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“It’s more than just being careful. You need to be smart. Who are you working for?”
“I’m not really sure. A friend of mine in the city is the contact. He called me when he heard about the job because he knew I needed money.”
I stare at Tommy’s pained expression, and I really feel bad for the guy. I mean, nobody ever asked me if I wanted into this life. It was just expected that I jump into the fire. But this kid, he doesn’t need to. He’s making a choice. A choice I sometimes I wish I had.
And he’s making the wrong fucking one.
We have some associates in the city since Nico’s club is down in lower Manhattan, and we have plans to open a new one this year. But it’s not our official territory, so even though I can make a few calls, I can’t do much else. We work alongside the Sardisco family, who runs that territory. If there’s anything going down in the city, they’re the ones who oversee it. “What’s the job? You running drugs?”
He pauses then nods.
“Serious shit or just weed?”
“Serious shit.”
I don’t handle drug distribution for the Salesis. Nico has an arrangement with Viktor Ivanov, Kat’s father, and the Russian mob boss is the one who handles our drug business, so maybe this is a good thing. Viktor also works with the Sardiscos thanks to Nico. This might not be bad. We have a lot of ‘friends’ in the city. I nod. “Okay. So here’s the deal. I’m gonna give you my number. If things go bad or you need help or anything, call me. Don’t wait and think about it, just dial my number.”
Tommy nods. “Yep.”
I give him my number and the faintest hint of a smile appears on his face. But I feel like I need to leave him with more. He needs to know that his choices will impact Eli more than just the money. “Listen, Tommy. I get that you need to do this for your brother, and that you’re taking care of him. But just remember something. People who dangle a lot of cash in your face only care about what you can get them and do for them. And when you can’t get or do for them anymore or if you fuck up just one time, guess what? There are no second chances or do-overs. You got me?”
He nods, laying his head back against the chair. “I hear you. But this is a one-time deal. I don’t want to do it forever. And once they pay me, I’m out.”
I let out a dry laugh. “That’s the thing, Tommy. Once you’re in, it’s really damn hard to get out.”
