Page 11 of Pit Stop

Nine

Tillman

It’s been a couple of weeks. Decker and some of the other guys helped me celebrate my nineteenth birthday. It was fun and I appreciate the effort they all made, but it felt wrong without Axell and his brothers there. Plus, the whole time I kept wondering if this was the last birthday I’d ever have. It’s hard to imagine that. The idea of it has soured my entire mood and left me with regrets I can’t even begin to sift through. We’re currently out collecting from the businesses that we provide “protection” for in this area of town. It’s ironic really considering the only people they’d actually need protection from is us. Sure, robberies happen but they aren’t as likely as someone from the Street Kings causing some kind of issue.

Roberto looks over at me as we get into the car. It’s the last stop of the night. “Why do you think Boris made you come with me?”

That’s the same question I’ve been asking myself. The answer worries me. I look over and shrug. In my mind though I’m thinking it’s a trust issue which means it won’t end well for Roberto. Collecting is what I used to do when I was still too young to get tied up in the other aspects of the SK. Roberto is just shy of seventeen. A baby compared to what I’ve seen and done in the last few years. He’s new. I don’t know his whole story, but he claims no family. He’s scrawny but rough around the edges. Something about the way he looks at people makes you think twice about crossing him. There is an underlying anger lurking in the depths of his nearly black eyes. They remind me of Bowie.

“I’m worried man. Boris is a scary dude and I’ve seen my fair share of scary dudes.” Roberto rubs his palms over his baggy jeans.

My phone rings and I answer. “Did you finish collecting?” Boris’ voice comes through the line.

“Yes, sir,” I reply. “We’re heading in now.”

“Good. Bring the collection and Roberto to my office.” The line goes dead and something about Boris' voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was completely lifeless. He never shows much emotion, but this was different. I glance at Roberto from the corner of my eye and I can’t help but wonder what rule he broke or line he crossed. As I pull into my parking space behind the run mill, Roberto jumps out of the car so quickly it’s almost as if he was never here. “Hey, stop. We’re going to see Boris.”

Roberto turns to look at me with fear in his eyes this time. “Why?”

“I don’t know. When he called, he said to bring the collection to him along with you so that’s where we’re going.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Roberto’s voice wavers and I notice the way his eyes jump from one place to the next.

I nod my head and carry the money bag with me. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”

We head inside the barely standing house. It’s in desperate need of some attention but Boris is more concerned with making money than spending it, even if this place houses most of his money. I roll my eyes. This shit is not what I want to be doing. We walk through the house seemingly unnoticed and head for the stairs. At the top we turn and head for Boris’ office. I knock once and push the door open. He’s expecting us so I don’t wait. Boris sits behind the desk. “I’m glad to see you both made it. Have a seat.” Boris motions for us to take seats in the two leather chairs positioned in front of his desk. He holds out his hand for the money bag. I pass the bag to him before sitting down. The air in the room is tense and filled with dread. I would do anything to escape from here right now. We sit while Boris counts every last bill. Roberto’s nerves grow and grow. They are basically a living thing at this point.

My eyes roam the office. Something is definitely happening. The sinking feeling in my gut tells me it’s not good. Boris finished counting the money. He looks up and a wolfish smile is on his face. His eyes are dark and greedy. “Thank you, Tillman. I can always count on you.” His comment throws me off some, but I nod my head. Boris turns to Roberto. “As for you and your dirty hands. Did you honestly think you could scam money from me? Steal what is mine?” Boris’ voice bellows into the space. Even I cringe back some.

Roberto looks like a deer in headlights. “It wasn’t for me. It was for my siblings. They don’t have much, and I wanted to help. I’m sorry. It’s in my room and you can have it back.”

Shit. I knew it was something like this when Boris had me go with the kid to collect. I understand where he’s coming from. I would have done the same thing if Emmet had told me no when I asked for him to help Annie. However, doing it this way is a sure-fire way to end badly. Boris stands. He’s not a tall man but something about him is intimidating. “Do you think you can just give me the money back and that will make this all go away?” Roberto hangs his head as Boris walks around the desk. Anger in every movement.

I clear my throat. “Sir, I’m sure he didn’t mean it the way it seems. He saw an opportunity to help his family and he took it. Surely, you can understand that?”

Boris turns to me. I talked back and now I’m in his line of fire. “He stole from his family. The SK is his family. How can you uphold that?”

“I’m not saying what he did was right, but he is new. Maybe he needs time to adjust. Lots of us have people outside of the SK that we care about and want to take care of.”

Boris glares at me. We’re lost in a silent struggle. So lost that I don’t even realize until it’s too late to stop him. A gun comes from behind his back. Three deafening shots fired. Blood splatters everywhere. A life lost. Taken too soon by the greedy monster in front of me. Boris didn't need what little Roberto had taken for his siblings. My heart sinks and my stomach rolls with nausea. Boris is saying something, but I can’t make it out. The ringing in my ears is so loud that everything else is muffled.

I don’t need to be able to hear anything to know that when he turns the gun on me what will happen next. Muffled noise comes from behind me and before I can turn around more shots are fired. Boris falls back onto the desk. Gunshot wounds pour blood from his chest. I jump to my feet from the chair I’ve been sitting in. When I spin around to face the door, I’m surprised to find Decker. He’s standing perfectly straight, arm outstretched, a gun perfectly perched in his hand, still aimed at Boris. Decker’s face is a mask of shock.

Air rushes into my lungs all at once and I move forward, slamming and locking the door. I yank the gun from Decker’s hand. Tossing the gun on the floor, I grab Decker’s shoulders. Based on the look on his face I think he’s in shock. “Decker! Snap out of it!” There’s only a small window of time where we can get away with this. Once Boris’ right-hand men show up, Decker and I are as good as dead. I shake his shoulders again, more roughly. Finally, his eyes find mine. He opens and closes his mouth multiple times. “We need to figure this out. I need you to snap out of it.”

“I thought... I thought... I thought the first round of shots was for you. I didn’t know Roberto was here, too. When I came in, I just saw you and the gun pointing at you... I don’t know, I lost it. My finger just started to pull the trigger.” Decker’s body shakes. His eyes start to scan the room. The results of his actions finally are beginning to register with him. “What did I do?” he whispers.

I shake my head trying to clear the clutter. Decker acted without thinking, but considering everything we’ve been through lately and how many brothers we’ve lost I can’t say I blame him. If I had been worried about him and entered the room and seen the same scene, I’m not sure I would have reacted any differently. “Look, it’s okay. We can figure this out.”

Decker starts to pace and running his slender hands through his growing hair. His eyes are wide and wild. He keeps muttering ‘what have I done?’ over and over. The truth is that this mess will be the death of us. He killed Boris, the leader of the SK. It’s not something that most will take lightly. They’ll be out for his head, and they’ll get it one way or another. “Did anyone see you come in here?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

My eyes roam the office. The stark white walls and paintings that are hung on them are now stained with blood. Boris is still lying back on the large wooden desk. Blood is like a river as it makes its way out of his body, across the desk and slips off to hit the slate gray carpet below. Staining it forever more. Roberto’s lifeless body sits slumped in the chair. My stomach churns again with sickness. I walk over to Boris and check for a pulse. It’s gone, just like him. When I turn back to face Decker, I see him sitting against the wall, knees pulled to his chest, rocking back and forth.

The decision is easy at that point. There’s only one choice to make. Decker needs this place. He always has. His personality requires him to be around people. The SK is really all he’s ever known. Decker wasn’t lucky enough to have had a family like the James’ in his life. I did. I wanted the SK to keep from bringing hardship on them, but I never needed them. At least not until Annie got sick. I needed the money they provided at that point.

Walking across the room I pick up Decker’s gun and slip it behind my back, into the waistband of my boxer briefs and jeans. Pulling mine out I approach Decker and kneel down to his level. I extend my gun to him. “What are you doing?”

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