Page 13 of Wicked Tricks

The image of her was burned permanently into my brain.

Her long tangle of dark hair and full burgundy lips.

I was still recovering from the experience, still coming down from the thrill of her. Just the simple way that she stood over me, breathing menacing things in my ear. I could tell that she was unashamed of her dark side, I saw the fire spark in her honey coloured eyes as I teased her, pushing her buttons.

Mother clicked her fingers together excitedly, “you could date her.”

“What?” I laughed.

“Take her out, get to know her, get her to open up.”

“That’s… not the worst idea,” Ren said. I shot him a dirty look and he zipped his lips and threw away the key.

“Itisthe worst idea. She just threatened me and threatened to murder my mother if we don’t stay away.”

“A bluff,” Robert scoffed.

“How do you know?” Sammy chimed in for the first time.

He had been silent this whole time, standing in the doorway and observing. The whole reason he wasn’t more involved with the family business directly was his hatred of confrontation. He was slow to anger, passive, and laid back - but he was still dangerous, he was still one of us.

“Either way, it’s a risk, Antoni. I would rather you take the risk and actually take action. It’s what your father would want.”

“She’d never agree to it anyway,” I shook my head, “Ren should do it,” I said, pointing to him and attempting to sway the plan.

He leant back putting his hands up, “nah, man. You guys had a vibe.”

Dimitri nodded in silent agreement.

To be honest, I was glad that I wasn’t the only one who had felt it.

“It has to be you,” Mum said, stirring her tea with her back turned to us.

Everyone else in the room had their eyes plastered on me, waiting for my answer or direction.

“This is fucking stupid,” I stretched as I stood from my seat, “the answer is no. Figure something else out, call me if you have any useful ideas,” I said, striding out of the kitchen and to the front door.

“Antoni!”

I ignored the calls of my mother, and picked up my pace as I felt the boys follow me.

Was it too much to ask for ten minutes alone?

I slammed the front door behind me in their faces, and rushed to my car. Sliding in the seat, it purred to life and I locked the doors.

The tyres screeched as I sped off, and looked in my rear view mirror to see Ren standing in the middle of the street flipping me off. He was no doubt pissed at me for leaving him with Robbie once again.

I sped down the street, weaving in and out of traffic - trying to get as far away from the city as possible. I needed a long stretch of road and time to think.

I had no desire to be like my father, and I had no idea why everyone else wanted me to be like him either.

Deep down I knew that I had a desire to carry on his legacy and make him proud, but I wasn’t fooling myself into thinking that he was this great person either. I had always struggled to understand why my mother idolised him so much.

As a boy, she was my only solace from my father. From toddler-hood he had treated me as if I were a man, and expected me to behave as one. Mum was the only person around whom I could actually be a child.

Growing up, she had raised both Sammy and I to be different. To be kinder, to be honest - to be different from our father. But, since he died, she had been pushing me to become more and more like him. This man who mistreated her for as long as I could remember.

The mist was heavy on the dark road, and my headlights only hinted at the curves in the path ahead. My shoulders relaxed, as did my hand which was clenched tightly around the steering wheel. I took a deep breath, and tried to leave the bullshit behind. Even if it were only for a while.

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