Page 79 of Falling Too Late

Giving the figure a two-finger salute, I gave my attention back to the sedan, pulling open the passenger door and sliding onto the leather seat. Looking back to the guard that was watching us, I flipped him off.

“Tint’s too dark,” the driver said,chuckling.

I proceeded to roll the window down and flipped him off again. “There you go.”

The guy threw it in drive and peeled out of the dirt parking lot, kicking dust and rocks at the guard. We started down the long winding road till he braked at a stop sign.

“So, you going to ask who I am?”

“I learned a long time ago that it's better to not ask questions. Less you know the better off you are.” I kept my eyes forward. Out of my peripheral vision, the guy was wearing an expensive looking suit, watch, and sunglasses. The car itself screamedmoney, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire thing was bulletproof.

I didn’t know much about Nikolas, but my instincts had told me he was dangerous. I would rather be on the devil's side than against him.

The guy turned in his seat to look at me, pulling off his sunglasses, showing ocean-blue eyes. Eyes that were eerily familiar.

“You protected my brother.”

I weighed my words before I spoke them. “Can’t survive in there being the only one watching your own back. He had my back, and I had his.”

The guy pursed his lips. “You had my brother’s back in there, I have yours out here.” He held his hand out to me, and I shook it. “I’m Ezekiel.” His eyes dropped to my hand, reading my knuckles. “This must be her.”

I pulled my hand out of his grip, eyeing him. “What did Niko tell you about me?”

“He said he owed you his life. He said you killed a man with your bare hands for her.” He nodded to my tattooed knuckles.

I flexed my hand. “I did. And I would do it again.”

Ezekiel seemed unphased by my declaration. “Tell me, Alexander, do you like to kill?”

I thought about it. Did I like killing? I had enough blood on my hands to be escorted to hell by the devil himself. My world changed being in prison, and I’d had to adapt if I wanted to survive.

“It’s not about liking it for me. He deserved to die.”

“Did those other men you killed deserve to die?”

“They started it.” The words almost felt childish coming out of my mouth. As if they had stolen my toys or something. “If they didn’t want to die, they shouldn’t have picked a fight.”

My entire driving force was to survive in prison to get back to Wren.

I had to know why she abandoned me.

“What do you need from me?” Ezekiel asked.

“What kind of pull do you have in there?” I nodded my head back in the direction of the prison.

He chuckled. “Well, you saw what I could get in and out of there. Why?”

I did know what he could get in there, but I didn’t care to know how he did it; I was only grateful he could. “I need people to still think I’m in there for a while longer. That guard that watched us leave will be a problem.”

He shrugged. “Okay. I’ll make phone calls.” He reached behind the seat, pulling a duffel bag out and dropping it on my lap. “This is for you.” I unzipped the top as he turned onto the road. “Nikolas said you needed things to get started on your new life, so here you go.”

Inside the bag were some clothes, a phone, and shoes. I kept digging through it. At the bottom were several envelopes of cash. “What am I going to owe you for this?” No one did anything out of the goodness of their own heart. There was always a favor to be owed.

“No favor. You are a part of the family now. We take care of our own.”Familyhad little meaning to me these days.

“I need to get back home.”

“To her.” He gave me a sideways glance. “If you go home, they’ll know you are out. Plus, she hasn’t spoken to you since you have been in there, right?”

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