Page 23 of The Boy I Loved
Mom frowned, parting her lips like she wanted to object, but I was already spinning on my heels. It didn’t matter how she felt or what she said. This was my life now. I pressed down on the power button, sending him to voicemail.
When I made it outside, the warm air drifted over my skin.Nicholas was parked behind my car at the end of the driveway, his window partially rolled down as he waited. Beside him was Mason, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. The asshole was always fighting me for the passenger seat. I climbed in the back, situating myself beside Vincent who already had a cigarette between his lips.
“Where are we going?” I asked, spreading my legs out in front of me as Nicholas backed out of the driveway.
“The store, probably stop for lunch, and then Clay wants us to meet with Kurt at the shop,” Mason answered.
Kurt was close to my uncle and handled most of the shit here while Clay was away. He was the only one my uncle trusted enough to run the shop in his absence. He was just as demented if not more. When I first met him, I remembered feeling a strange sense of foreboding. The energy in the room had turned sinister, sending a cold chill sweeping down my spine. Maybe that should have been my first sign, but like everything else, I’d ignored it and pushed it down.
Mason glanced in the rearview mirror, his gaze settling on Vincent. “How’s Stacy holding up?’ he asked with a tilt of his lips.
“I haven’t heard anything yet.” Vincent inhaled a plume of smoke before releasing it, allowing the substance to coil through the air before disintegrating altogether. His blue eyes drifted over to me, and he tipped his chin toward the pack of cigarettes waiting in his lap. “Want one?”
I grunted an affirmation, reaching over and snatching the box from his legs before flicking the top up and tugging out one of the cancer sticks. I placed it between my lips and fished out the lighter, sucking in a deep breath as the flame roused.
“I can’t wait for school to be over,” Mason grumbled, leaning back in his seat. “I’d rather stay at the compound.”
If Mason had it his way, that’s where he’d be right now. He only agreed to finish out the year because it was what I wanted to do. Butthere was plenty of time for that. After graduation, he’d be lucky to even leave the damn place.
Nicholas’ hands tightened around the steering wheel, but he said nothing. A small sliver of guilt twisted my stomach. He didn’t want this anymore than I did, but it was our life now. We were stuck, and there was no way out. Even if Clay decided he no longer had any use for us, I wouldn’t know how to live a normal life. We solved our problems with violence, sex, and drugs. Working for Clay protected us against law enforcement. None of us would make it without him.
I glanced out the window as we traveled down the busy road. Houses decorated either side and a convenience store made its presence known up ahead.
“Stacy was one down,” Vincent added thoughtfully. “Two sorry bitches left to go.”
Mason shot him a crazed grin through the mirror, mirth sparking within his eyes. “That is one perk, huh?”
I tuned them out, focusing on the smoke filling my lungs with every pull. This was all we ever talked about. Before Clay pulled us into his reign of terror, we did other things. We hung out as most friends did and got into our fair share of trouble. But then it all … changed.
It didn’t take us long to reach the store. Relief rolled from my shoulders as I peered over at the looming building that sat mere yards away.
Snubbing my cigarette out in the ashtray, I slammed my hand on the back of Nicholas’ seat, causing him to startle with a jump.
“Goddamnit, Dominic,” he growled with annoyance.
I stifled my laugh. “Open my door.”
He blew out a frustrated breath and stepped out of the car, his shoes crunching against the asphalt. He kept the child locks on at all times, just in case we had a ‘spur of the moment’ kidnapping. It was annoying as fuck, but also convenient in times like those.
He jerked the door open just as Mason did the same for Vince. I stepped out and straightened my posture, glancing over in the store’s direction. A light breeze swept through my hair, rustling the dark strands.
Nicholas locked the doors and turned, leaving the rest of us to step into stride with him. Several cars littered the parking lot, along with civilians making their way to and from their vehicles. A few weary glances were tossed our way, but it had always been like that—even before we started tapping into the darker shit.
“What’s the plan after the shop?” Nicholas asked, crinkling his brows, and keeping his tone low as we started toward the supplies area.
“I have a meeting with a realtor,” Mason answered.
Our heads whipped in his direction, but it was Vince who spoke first. “A realtor? Don’t you have to have like…good credit for that shit or something?”
“Who says I don’t?” He lowered his voice as we took a right down one of the aisles. “For all anyone knows, I make a respectable living at the mechanic shop.”
I snorted in response. Arespectable livingmaking fifteen dollars an hour. Unless Clay struck some kind of deal with him that I wasn’t privy to. It’s something my uncle would do. He was very generous as long as people were loyal to him and did as he asked. But there was always a price to pay when it came to him. How big of a price did Mason pay for a house he could call his own?
The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I just hoped he knew what he was doing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HAZEL
