AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I walked into my uncle’s kitchen the following morning only to see him and my dad sitting at the little round table in the middle. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was going on seven, but considering we hadn’t rolled in until about two in the morning, I was still pretty fucking tired.
“How’d it go?” Dad asked, but I could hear the worry in his voice. He wasn’t young anymore, couldn’t do the shit he used to, and because of that, he wasn’t as sharp as he’d once been. Not to mention, he’d been out of touch with his crew and out of the game for thirteen years. Handling everything from a prison cell was not the same as runnin’ a crew everyday and being on the streets with them.
“It’s done.”
My uncle sat up taller when I slid into the seat across from him. “Debt’s clear?”
“Yep.” Tank walked into the room, and I pointed at the coffee pot. “Coffee. Cups in the side cabinet.”
“I thought you only worked alone.”
Glancing at my dad, I saw he was studying Tank. “He’s a friend from the club. Came to see if I needed a hand.”
Tank faced me and held up the pot. “Coffee?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
“What’d you get?” Dad asked.
“Don’t worry about it,” I answered. “The less you know, the better for when they come askin’ questions.”
Tank poured two cups and then came to the table to sit on the only other open chair. He lifted his cup to his mouth just as I introduced him. “Dad, Uncle Theo, this is Tank.”
“Tank.” Uncle Theo tilted his head. “How’d you get that name?”
“Drove tanks in the Army.”
Uncle Theo jerked up his chin. “My boy’s in the Navy. Been overseas most of his career.”
He and Tank shared a look that told me only people who have served or their families could really understand the sacrifices made.
Tank nodded just as Dad spoke up. “Thanks for helping my boy last night.”
He shifted his attention to Dad and grinned before taking a sip of his coffee. “No problem.”
“He had fun.” I explained the grin.
Dad chuckled. “It’s the rush.” He ran a hand over his chest. “Loses its flavor after a while.”
I knew he was rubbing his hand over the scars that lay beneath his T-shirt. We’d known violence running the business we did, but nothing on the scale of nine stab wounds. I hoped it was a wake-up call for my dad to get the fuck out of the business and stay out.
“You heading back today?” he asked, but I noticed something when my eyes met his. Something I hadn’t seen in them before. Something that looked very much like sadness.
“Got a flight out at three, but we’re gonna hit the road soon. I think it’s better if we’re not around if they come askin’ questions.”
“Do you think they will?” Uncle Theo asked.
I frowned and shook my head. “They shouldn’t. Dad’s got an ankle bracelet on that tells the cops without a doubt that he hasn’t left the house, but just in case anyone saw me and talked, I need to be gone.”
“They ain’t comin’ here,” Dad said. “Can’t believe they’d think an old man like me is capable of snagging two cars in one night.”
I took a long drink of coffee before I set the cup on the table in front of me. With my hand wrapped around the base, I watched my dad. “What are you gonna do now?”
“Lay low.” Dad shrugged.
“You gettin’ back in?”
“Don’t know how else to earn a livin’, kid,” he answered, and my uncle frowned. They were complete opposites from each other. My dad was an adrenaline junkie. My uncle had worked his job at the paper mill for thirty years and never spent a day in jail. Hell, he never even got a speeding ticket.
