Page 74 of Our Blood, Our Pain

“What do you mean a gang name? We ain’t a gang,” Lev snaps, insulted at the very idea.

“Well, we kinda are,” Ivan says.

“No we fucking ain’t, Ivan. Can we go? I’m excited to play,” Lev says grinning, rubbing his hands together.

“I want control of this,” I say.

“We can manage that, but you finish when I say, we can’t linger for too long,” Lev says as we start to make our way out of the hospital.

I’ll be back soon, Kai.

After a ten minute drive, we arrive at an apartment complex in a shitty ass part of town. It’s late evening now and too fucking cold for anyone to be out on the streets. We park on the side of the road and get out of the car, and walk up to the entrance of the depressingly gray building.

“What’s the apartment number?” I ask Lev.

“1D.”

As we head inside, a musty damp smell floods my nostrils as I take in the worn out entrance. Paint peels off every wall and along the wooden bannister that leads upstairs. We climb up to the first floor, the apartment we want is the second door on the left of the narrow and dark corridor. Not a window in sight.

Lev and Ivan stand on either side of the door, out of the peephole line of sight, and I knock on the old brown door twice. Footsteps approach, and the door opens. A guy with a bald head answers, keeping the door chain on its bolt as he peers through the gap.

“Can I help you?” the guy says with an attitude I can’t wait to beat out of him. Is this Zac or Jez?

“Are you Jez?”

“No. He ain’t here right now.”

This guy is so high, he’s struggling to keep his eyes focused on me.

“That’s too bad. I have some weed for him. A new batch.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but I can come back.”

“No…no you can come in. I can help you instead.”

Bingo. That was way easier than I thought. Just as he unlatches the door, I step through into his hallway while Lev and Ivan barge their way in, slamming the door behind them before Lev gets this piece of shit in a headlock. He clutches at Lev’s forearms, but Lev isn’t going anywhere.

“What’s your name?” I ask as I move further into the living area. What a shithole. The place reeks of weed and sweat, the furniture is all falling apart. I don’t think this place has ever been cleaned. I turn to face the idiot who is still clinging to Lev.

“Zac,” he rasps.

“Just the man I’m looking for.”

Lev pulls Zac upright, and Ivan joins him as they take an arm each, holding Zac up in a standing position. Open to anything I give him.

“This may come as a shock, but Kai was stabbed earlier today at his home. I heard you were friends, so thought it would be a nice thing to let you know.”

Zac watches me, he doesn’t respond, unless sweating profusely is a response.

“Nothing to say? That’s okay, I’ll keep talking and you correct me if I’m wrong with what I think happened.”

Still no response.

“I think your brother did it. I heard Jez was his good friend and I think you’re covering for him.”

“No. Jez would never do that, he was with me today.”

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