AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Marco, where are you?” I shouted into the phone.
“They… I fucked up badly, Ti-Ti. And they won’t let me off the hook unless I can pay up.”
I swore under my breath. The last time that he called me with a similar story, the guys he owed needed seventy-five thousand dollars. I didn’t even know that a debt could go that high. My father gave it to me and I was still paying him back. I made good money working, but because nobody knew what I was doing, I had to keep things low-key. Embarrassed, it was difficult for me to say it to myself sometimes.
I switched computer screens and pulled up my bank account. There was fifty-two thousand in my savings and a thousand in my checking. If he needed all of that, I couldn’t save his lying ass until tomorrow. But he’d said that he’d fucked up big. That probably meant that it was more than the last time.
Daddy was struggling in the family business and he was losing respect left and right as other families were growing in the area. If I got the money from him this time, depending on how much it was, I didn’t know if he could recover. It seemed like he owed everybody anymore.
“Two fifty large.” He sputtered. “Ti-Ti, I think they’re going to kill me.” He whispered into the phone. His voice cracked, conveying how terrified he really was. “If I don’t see you again, I’m sorry that I’m such a fuckup.”
“Please tell me that you mean two hundred and fifty in large bills. Two one-hundred-dollar bills and a fifty.” I slumped down into my chair. Cause if he meant…
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, sis. Where in the fuck am I going to get that kind of money?”
“That’s what I want to know. If you couldn’t get it, why’d you wager it?”
“I felt like it was a trap. They want something. I-I can feel it.”
He was stuttering. He knew what they wanted.
“Cut the shit and tell me the truth. They want daddy to disappear, don’t they?”
“If it was that simple, I’d be calling him.”
“But you’re calling me.” What could I have that they possibly wanted? “Who are these guys, anyway?”
“The Ekon brothers are taking over everything down here on the south side.”
“You decided that now was the time to try your luck and test them? Marco, you’re not known for winning. This time wouldn’t be any different.”
“It could’ve been.”
“When will you learn that having luck doesn’t mean winning money? Luck is fool’s gold and you have a lot.”
“They’re coming.” He hissed.
“Text me the address. I’ll bring daddy and see what we can work out. You went too far, Marco.”
“Yeah, I know.” He disconnected the line, and I got dressed—something like this you didn’t say over the phone. I needed to see my daddy in person, hoping he didn’t have a heart attack.
* * *
“Say what?!” I shouted at the four men looking my way.
“No offense, old man. We know you’re losing steam around here quicker than most other families. We could have taken you out first.” The taller of the four leaned forward in his seat and looked my way. “We’ll let you work for us. Your only son gets to live and then you’ll give us seventy percent of everything you earn, plus your daughter.”
“You–” I protested, but Marco gave me a sharp look meant to shut me up. I had a voice, and I was going to use it.
“My daughter won’t become a whore!” My father’s anger rose from somewhere deep. He’d been agreeable until that part. “Kill me instead.”
“I can. She’ll still end up married to me, brotherless and fatherless. If we do it this way, you all get to keep breathing. You’ll even come out ahead. We’ll take your princess off your hands, give you a chance to fix your worthless son, and making any money has got to be a profit. Shake on it and keep your dignity.”
“This deal fucks me up the ass. Dignity? That died the moment that Marco took the damn bait.” Daddy turned toward Marco as he spoke.
For the first time, I could see the regret in Marco’s eyes before he dropped them to the floor. We were in a pizzeria that my family used to own. He’d lost it a while ago, and now it was where he was negotiating his doom.
“True. She won’t become a whore, though. As my wife, she’ll become the most powerful woman around. I’d never treat her with disrespect.”
