Page 44 of Bullseye
“No way, man! No freaking way!”
Followed by the voice of that poor, dumb kid crouching in the corner.
“No!”
“Aw, don’t you recognize me?” that voice asks.
“What do you want, Mikey?”
“Just wondering how the weather is there in Hoppa?”
Gripping my phone, I snarl. “Fuck do you want, Mikey?”
“Just some friendly chit chat. Shit, man. Haven’t seen you in years, but I’ll bet time has been good to you. Your skin’s probably nice and tan by now, seeing as you’ve been in the beautiful Arizona sun for the past couple of years while Tony and I have been rotting away in a six-by-six cell.”
“It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t choose to get out, and I didn’t ask for you to stay in.”
“Oh, I know. You were just Don Bordono’s favorite. Always were. But guess what? I don’t give a fuck anymore. We’re gone.”
“Not with the Bordonos anymore?” I press him for all the info that I can.
“Oh, we’re still with them. But let’s just say we’re playing the field. There’s gonna be a new boss in town.”
“Ironclad?”
“Hey, Bullseye, if I were you, I’d watch my back.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Well, you’d better watch your back too, Mikey.”
“Me? Nah. I’d much rather watch the ass of that fine girlfriend you have. What’s her name? Seneca?”
Fuck, they know. Clicking off my phone and shoving it into my pocket, I clamp on my helmet, jump on my bike, and take off. Taking such a sharp turn by the entrance that I have to put my foot down to steady myself, and spinning my wheels, I burn rubber, leaving the parking lot. As soon as I hit the open road, I let my bike out to its max.
“Come on, Sen, be there. Be there,” I mumble as I race down the deserted streets.
Maybe if I call her…? No, I’m not stopping now, and she probably wouldn’t answer, anyway.
Pushing my bike to its limit, I race down dark streets way faster than I should. But since Mikey and Tony know about her, that brick could have come from them…
“Come on, come on…” Shifting down and leaning forward, I push as fast as I can. There’s no way I’d ever be able to stop at these speeds…
But I can’t stop. They know I’m here. They know about her.
In his warning, my father told me to stay away from New York. So why wouldn’t they just kill me here? This whole scenario has to be bigger than me. That’s it. It’s like a real freaking lightbulb goes off over my head. Don Bordono trusts me. They’re going to use me to take him down, leaving Ironclad in charge. Then, Ironclad will promote those punk-asses Mikey and Tony and let them kill me for fun. It only makes sense.
And they’ll use Seneca as the bargaining chip every step of the way.
Damn it. I never should have gotten involved with her, but the truth is, from the moment I saw her at the range, there was no choice for me. I had to have her, and now, she’s going to pay the price because of it.
“Come on, baby…”
My racing breath calms slightly as I see the lights of her apartment building dead ahead. And squinting, I can just make out… Is it…? Yes, thank god. Her bike. She’s here. Now, I just have to make sure she’s safe.
Flying into the lot faster than I should, I stop my bike with a jolt and hop off. Taking off my helmet and glancing up at her broken window, I spy the figure of someone moving behind the stapled curtain.
