Just to be able to breathe.
But my plan was shot to shit when Jack called. I could tell by the tone of his voice, he was flying high on the mania and instantly I forgot my own needs. I forgot I was up all hours of the night struggling not to succumb to my own demons and put Jack and his before mine.
Like a trained chimp, I followed command and dragged my ass to the safe house we had tucked away in the woods and braced myself for the next blow. However, nothing could’ve prepared me for what the fuck I found.
Apparently, while we were off reading Yankovich his last rights, Bianci, the former enforcer and son-in-law of the late mobster, Victor Pastore, decided to take care of the paramedic by tying her up and holding her hostage. Now, here I am, trying my hardest to ignore the young woman begging me to shoot her.
“What the fuck are we going to do with her?” Deuce asks, forcing my attention away from the girl thrashing in the chair.
“Fuck if I know,” I growl, stepping out of the room. Brushing past him, I make my way into the tiny living room and slice my eyes to Pipe. “Did you know about this?”
Crossing his leg over his knee, he leans back against the chair and scratches at the scruff lining his jaw. “Not at first,” he replies. “When we got back to Brooklyn, we made our way to the garage and found the place swarming with cops. They were bagging her partner and wanted to take us in for questioning. Jack told them Yankovich came to the garage looking to throw down. He proceeded to tell them Yankovich killed the paramedic before he tied this bitch up and shoved her in the back of the ambulance.”
“The ambulance Jack drove into the front gate of Yankovich’s house?” Deuce questions.
“That’s the one.”
“And they bought that?” Deuce fires back.
“Forget that,” I hiss, jutting a finger over my shoulder. “What the fuck is he planning on doing with her?”
“What do you think he’s going to do with her? Keep her as a souvenir?” Pipe retorts, dropping his leg. I watch as he leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees and diverts his eyes towards the bedroom where the girl is crying. “I’m guessing that’s why he called you,” he says, slicing his gaze back to me. “Make the call, Black.”
“Fuck that,” I sneer. “We’re not killing her.”
“So, what do you suggest we do?” Pipe growls. “If we let her go, she’s going to run to the cops. You ready for that because they’re going to lock him up, motherfucker, and you’re going to be the one sitting at the head of the table.”
Reaching behind me, I cup the back of my neck and clench my jaw.
“We’re not going there,” I tell Pipe.
“Get your head out of your fucking ass, Black,” Pipe roars. “We’re fucking losing him and it’s time you accept that. The sooner you do, the sooner we stop painting the streets with blood. You need to step up, take a fucking stand and claim what’s yours before we all fucking get killed.”
“No one’s dying,” I shout.
“Oh, no? Tell that to the girl inside.”
“Look, I won’t deny the fact we’re in over our heads, but we just got rid of Yankovich. That’s major. Any ally he’s got is going to be looking to make a move on us and let’s not forget we haven’t gotten to the bottom of this mess with Wolf. That shit has got to be weighing on Jack. Hell, it’s fucking weighing on me.”
“It’s weighing on all of us, brother,” Pipe seethes. “We went to the hospital after the cops let us loose. Jack and Wolf spoke but he wouldn’t tell me what the fuck happened.”
“What? Why not?”
“Who the fuck knows. I’m tired of figuring out that son of a bitch, but whatever excuse Wolf gave him for keeping Linc a secret, Jack seemed to accept. I’m gathering he’ll share when he calls church. In the meantime, we hold our dicks and wait.”
“Where’s Wolf?”
“Where the fuck do you think he is?” Pipe fires back, pulling a cigarette from his ear. He shoves it between his lips and lights the end. Taking a long pull, he exhales a ring of smoke and lifts his eyes to mine. “The man is sitting vigil, praying to whatever God might be listening that he spares his boy.”
“Does anyone else know about this?” I ask, referencing the fucking paramedic in the bedroom.
Pipe takes another drag of his cigarette before shrugging his shoulders.
“Maybe Riggs,” he says, looking over my shoulder at Deuce. “You would know better than me since I’ve been on paramedic duty for the last twenty-four hours.”
“Stryker and Cobra don’t know and I gotta tell you after everything Ally went through, I wish I didn’t know either.”
“What about Bas and Needles?”
The last I heard, Bas stayed in Purchase to see what happened with Yankovich’s wife and kids. Being his daughter’s sole caregiver, I doubt Needles stayed behind too.
“Bas left early this morning for Kentucky,” Pipe reveals. “Some kind of family emergency,” he adds.
“Needles is home with his daughter,” Deuce supplies. “He gave Ally off the next few days so I’m guessing he’s planning on spending some time with her.”
“Must be nice,” Pipe mutters.
Sensing he’s at his breaking point, I cross my arms against my chest and jut my chin towards the front door. I know the pain that comes with losing your wife. I also know when you get a second chance, you hold on tight. Pipe’s waited a long time to have something good to go home to. Now, he’s got it all. A woman to keep him in check and three beautiful kids to keep him on his toes.
“Go home to your family, Pipe,” I order. “I’ll take it from here.”
Crushing his cigarette in an ashtray, he peers back at me. I turn my head and meet Deuce’s gaze.
“You too,” I tell him. After everything his girl endured, he doesn’t need to hear that girl in there crying. He doesn’t need to hear her beg for death. Not when Ally begged for fourteen years. Not when she still wakes at night reliving the days she was held against her will.
“What are you going to do with her?” Deuce questions.
“I’m not going to hurt her if that’s what you’re asking,” I assure him. If Jack wants to kill this girl, he’s going to have to do it himself.
“You want me to send someone to relieve you?” Pipe asks. “We got the prospect Leo who does nothing but jerk his cock.”
“I don’t want a prospect on this,” I tell him.
“Alright, brother,” Pipe says. “I’ll be back tonight. We’ll take shifts until Jack figures out what the fuck we’re going to do with her.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, dropping my ass on the worn couch. Settling in, I run my fingers through my hair and silently will the girl to shut the fuck up.
“And Black?” Pipe calls.
Lifting my head, I meet his gaze.
“Don’t get soft,” he warns. “We don’t know her, ain’t got no ties to her. She’s just space.”
“She’s a fucking innocent bystander,” Deuce argues. “All she did was go to work. She didn’t ask for any of this.”