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Oz refilled his glass and poured another, handing it to Trey. “Let’s hear it.”
Trey arched his brow. “Hear what?”
Oz narrowed his gaze. “Your empathetic plea on Rogue’s behalf.”
Trey fought against a smile and lost. He let out a soft chuckle and looked over at Oz. “Am I that predictable?”
“Since the day I met you.” Oz walked around Trey to the couch in the corner of the room. He sat, grabbed a cigar from the humidor, and reached for the lighter.
“What are your thoughts?” Oz asked.
This was the real Underground that not many people witnessed. They worked together, which was what made them stronger. But it was all behind the scenes. From any outside observation, Oz was the leader. It didn’t matter to Trey, he knew his place. And he was solid and content. Rogue was a different story. Resentment was a hard emotion to set aside.
Trey rounded the chair and sat across from Oz, taking a sip from his glass.
“There’s no other way around it. Taking that much stock on the interstate holds a lot of risk. They all know, which was why the original driver bailed on it. Even if they buckle down and make the trip, knowing what’s at stake makes them an easy target. The odds are not in their favor for making a clear run.”
“Can it be traced back to Rogue?” Oz asked.
“Not likely. They’d take the hit and the fall. We have way too many people on the inside, and they know it. Even if one flipped, he’d never make it to pre-trial. But…”
“What?”
Trey sighed. “There’s a risk, Oz. And not to mention the cash.”
“But it’s more of a monetary loss for Rogue?”
“Yes.”
The corner of Oz’s mouth curled into a sinister smile. “Rogue hates to lose money. Been that way since he was a kid. This might serve as a good lesson for him. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Maybe.” Trey settled into his chair. “If that’s the route you want to take.”
Oz smirked. “Are you suggesting an alternative?”
“Maybe he learns another lesson. You have the opportunity to bail him out. Whether you recognize it or not, it’s not an easy situation for Rogue to accept. He’s coming to you because he needs you. It doesn’t happen often, Oz, you know that. If I came to you asking for assistance, you’d give it to me.”
Oz rolled his cigar between his fingers. “Are you sure about that?”
Not a doubt in my mind.
“Yes.”
Oz took a deep drag. “You’re negating the obvious difference. Rogue didn’t ask, he demanded.”
Trey slowly nodded. “I’m asking, Oz.”
Oz laughed, grasping his jaw and veering his gaze across the room. This was nostalgic. Trey was forever covering and trying to save Rogue. How could he not? It was how their friendship was initially forged. Trey rarely went back in time, thinking of his past. It was traumatic and nothing he remembered fondly. But he’d never forget.
Abandoned at two, placed in foster care, and shuffled around until he was almost nine. Some placements were better than others, but it was a constant revolving door. By the third time he was moved, Trey knew better than to unpack and lived out of his duffle bag. Almost nine years and everything he had to show for it fit into one small bag.
The last house had been the worst. The father had taken a special interest in younger boys. He’d make a point of spending one-on-one time in the yard and taking them out to ballgames. Trey had been so eager for a father figure at nine, he’d been waiting patiently for his turn. When it finally happened, it was nothing like he’d expected. The signs were obvious when looking back as an adult. The father, Dale, worked the night shift while the mother worked during the day. All the kids in the house had left for school, but Trey was home with a fever. One day shy of his ninth birthday, he was truly introduced to the monsters of humanity. He never even saw it coming. How could he? Trey was rigid with fear. The panic and helplessness against the inevitable made it almost impossible to breathe. He had no idea what was happening, but his horror was immobilizing.
Trey had no voice. No way to fight against the man. He needed a hero to save him.
And one showed up.
To this day, Trey had no idea why or where he’d come from, but Rogue appeared, busting through the door wielding a baseball bat. Trey barely had time to react and watched in revulsion as Rogue beat the man relentlessly until he passed out. There was so much blood Trey had been frozen until Rogue grabbed the back of his shirt, pulled him out of the room, and dragged him down the hall to the last bedroom on the right.
