Page 82 of Manhattan Tormentor

We bump fists, and he leaves.

Not long after he leaves, a shadow falls over my table. Of course I can’t get through my coffee without the sidekick coming over. I roll my eyes up to see him looking down at me.

“Your mangled bones look better.”

“I wasn’t mangled, just a banged up hip.”

“You look more alive than you did. Thought you were dead for real.”

“Well, I’m alive so…”

I’m like my brothers in a lot of ways. We’re loyal to a fault, we’ll do anything for those we love, but I don’t hold grudges like Lachie would.

Bates was forefront in all the miserable days I had in high school. I’m unbothered by him and what he might have to say now.

“My boy took care of you,” he says quietly, eyes clear as he shifts on his feet when I rise.

Even without the mention of Finn’s name, my stomach clenches. I sling my white messenger bag over my head, letting it sit halfway down my back. Tagging my car keys and phone, sliding my wallet into my back pocket.

“Yeah, good chat.” I say indifferently. The last thing I want is a tête-à-tête with Bates about Finn. I’ll cut open my belly and let my guts fall out onto the floor too while I’m at it.

“Listen,” he starts, catching my forearm so I can’t walk by. He drops my arm when I glance down.

He looks uncomfortable.

“All the shit I said to you…”

My voice hardens. “Yeah, what about it?”

“I didn’t know something was between you and Mav.”

My stomach lining flames.

Does he mean he knows we had a secret relationship? Nah. Pigs would fly before Finn opened his mouth. He wanted to push me out of a window the few times Bates dropped by his apartment when I was there. Even though all we were doing was watching movies. Finn’s closet got too tiny for the both of us in there.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, and hate myself for the lie.

That’s not what I do. I’m not ashamed. But Finn’s sexuality is his business and I won’t out him or confirm a suspicion Bates might have.

“You didn’t see how he reacted that night you hulk smashed the car. He was out of his mind. He tried to tell me he was only helping. Made me drive him to the hospital. And chewed a nurse’s head off when she said she couldn’t tell him your status because he wasn’t family.”

Every part of me chills. Unable to process what I’m hearing. All I can do is school my face not to show a reaction because if this is him trying to punk me, he’s shit out of luck.

Is he telling the truth, was Finn worried for me?

Then why has he never reached out since?

Questions float through my mind as Bates goes on, “Finn isn’t like that, he doesn’t show concern. He was different with you.”

“Maybe he thought he’d killed me.”

Bates chuckles and scratches the top of his tattooed arm. “Could be right, but he was different, Fierro. All the time I thought he hated you.”

“He does.”

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

“You’re reading too much into it. I got knocked over by a car, he helped me out, my sister already told me.”

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