Page 15 of Driftwood Daffodil

Technically he wasn’t lying. I had a lot to say to Simon while my fist slammed in his face. Like where the fuck is my money?

The worst imitation of a female voice I’d ever heard came from the other side. “I sorry, no Simon here.”

Darry and I both dropped our heads in a shake.

Atlee on the other hand, that fucker’s entire demeanor brightened up. “Oh, he wants to play, does he?”

That was the only warning we got before he stepped back, lifted his leg and gave the door a hard kick. A splintered cracking rang through the air as the door broke, and not cleanly. That shit cracked in half, causing the left half to swing inwards while the part with the knob stayed latched in the frame.

All I could do was pinch the bridge of my nose.

So much for inconspicuous.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Subtlety wasn’t Atlee’s strong suit. Let’s just hope whoever was out on that boat didn’t hear his not so quiet entrance. That would cause way more cleanup than a couple thousand dollars was worth. Not to mention the fact that my father would get involved. Unlike my older brother I didn’t cause problems. I solved them.

“Don’t worry,” Darry gave my shoulder a squeeze, “I’ll stay out here and keep watch.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Atlee was already kicking pieces of wood out of his way to storm in the house.

The scream came before I could take a step and follow. By the time I managed to jimmy my way through the entrance, Atleehad Simon pinned to the ground with the tip of the bat digging into his neck.

“Atlee,” I warned.

Dead men couldn’t pay debts, and Simon was starting to turn blue.

“What?” Atlee shrugged, “He tried to run.”

Sure he did.

I looked at the bat, then back at Atlee, who groaned and eased up on the pressure. Simon immediately started coughing oxygen back into his lungs.

“Simon, Simon, Simon,” I tsked while walking further in the house.

Other than the chunks of wood littering the floor, the place was fairly tidy. It even kind of smelled good. But the thing that caught my eye were the various gator parts sitting around like trophies.

“Look Gio, I’ll get you your money,” Simon coughed out. “I just need a few days.”

That’s what he said last time, and the time before that, and the time before that.

I came to a stop where he was sprawled out on the floor and tipped my gaze down to his paling expression. “Does it look like I have a pussy to you?”

No words came out of Simon’s mouth as it opened and then closed.

This apparently agitated Atlee, because he slammed the bat down on the ground next to Simon’s head. “He asked you a question motherfucker. Does it look like he has a pussy?”

“No,” he answered quickly.

“Then why are you trying to fuck me?” I shot back at him.

There was a moment of silence where I could see the thought flash across Simon’s face. He was gonna bolt. And that’s exactlywhat he tried to do. His shaking frame shot up and booked it for an open door to the right. I didn’t chase him. I didn’t have to.

Atlee was all over that shit. Instead of making the grand escape Simon thought he would, he wound up slammed back against the wall with a forearm pressing into his neck.

Atlee arched a brow. “Did you just try to run?”

“No,” Simon wheezed out.

---