Page 58 of Brick

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Brick

Brick couldn’t believe his eyes when his Olivia walked out of Tre’s apartment. He didn’t know what she was doing there, and he didn’t care. It was bad enough he had to spend so much time here collecting cash and busting ass—like he had already tonight—but this was exactly the kind of place he’d fought so hard to keep her away from. Nothing good could come of this.

He sped into the shadow of the neighboring building. As soon as she got close enough, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the darkness beside him. He cut off her yelp of surprise with his hand over her mouth.

“Quiet,” he hissed in her ear. “I need you to trust me.”

Her tense muscles relaxed slightly against him, and she nodded beneath his hold. Her hand slid up to cover his and gently pulled his fingers from her mouth. She didn’t make a sound.

Keeping her hand in his, he led her into the burned-out shell of Building D. He knew this place like the back of his hand and could navigate it easily, despite the quickly setting sun. He had no doubt in his mind Tre would be looking for her soon, if he wasn’t already.

Sure enough, he could hear someone whistling “Time Is on My Side” moments after they stepped into the darkness. Heart in his throat, he pulled her deep into the back bathroom where the ceiling had given way, then readjusted his backpack and boosted her up to the second floor. An old toilet seat gave him enough height to grab hold of the broken boards above to pull himself up beside her. The place stank of charred wood, and there were probably rats, but Olivia was a hell of a lot safer in here than she’d be outside.

“I would take you higher, but there are some places in the building where the floor could give out on us. Especially in the third-floor hallway. This will have to be good enough for now. We have to stay out of sight,” he breathed into her hair. “He won’t give up easy.”

Though he couldn’t see her, he felt her lift her head toward his. “You mean Tre?”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “You know his name. Does he know yours?”

“He knows it,” she whispered, and he felt a shiver go through her small frame. He pulled her into his arms. For warmth, of course. Not because he needed to reassure himself she was all right. And definitely not because he’d been little better than an empty shell since he’d touched her last.

“Why did you pull me in here? What’s going on?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

He needed answers first. “What are you doing here, baby?” Her cheek pressed tightly against his chest. She could probably hear his racing heart.

“I was worried about one of my students. Devon Lowry.” Lowry? Shit. “He hasn’t been in class since the school year began. I thought—” Her hands reached up to curl around his bicep. “I don’t know what I thought.”

He petted her hair. “You thought you could help. I love that you want to, but Tre is about as messed up as they come. I’ve met a lot of bad men. Some do bad things because they have to. Some do them because they don’t care. Tre does them because he likes it.”

Liv drew a sharp breath, her fingers now digging into his arms. “You’re scaring me. What are you talking about?”

“You should be scared. I’d lay odds he’s marked you as a target. If he had his way, he’d probably be torturing you right now…or raping you. Or both.” He wished for at least a sliver of light, so he could see her face, but the darkness was his best bet to keep her safe. He kept his ears trained for a hint of any movement below, though he doubted Tre would think to check here. He would’ve expected Liv to go straight to her car.

“Why? Why would he want to hurt me?” Her breaths came out in short pants. “I’m trying to help his brother.”

He wracked his brain, trying to remember anything about Tre’s family. Of course, his parents were dead. Sucre would have made sure of it before he recruited the kid. The little brother had to be how he asserted his leverage—or at least he would be if Tre were any kind of normal human being. “The guy is a sociopath, in the truest sense of the word. He doesn’t feel things the way you or I do. I doubt his brother means any more to him than his favorite pair of shoes. Maybe less.”

“H-how do you know him?”

He hesitated a moment before he answered. “We have the same employer.”

She cursed under her breath. “Devon told me there was a guy in the neighborhood who said he had to work for him. It’s the same bastard who trapped you, isn’t it? He targets entire families.”

“Sucre has a knack for finding a person’s weak spot and exploiting it. Maybe at first, he thought your boy was a way to manipulate his brother. I’ll bet you next week’s paycheck now it’s the other way around.” It only got clearer as he thought things through. “Tre’s a loose cannon. He messed up real bad once already, but Sucre didn’t kill him. Fuck. He’s keeping him alive to recruit the kid brother. You said he’s smart, right?”

“One of my best,” she whispered. Horror laced her words. “He’s supposed to have a future.”

“You can force someone to work for you, but you can’t change who they are. Tre’s not built right. He’s got something…broken inside.”

“Devon’s only a kid, though.” If she was trying to convince him, she was wasting her breath.

He answered quietly. “So was I. Kids are easier to break down and build back up the way you want them. I’m sorry, baby. If Sucre’s got him, the kid is lost.”

“No.” Liv tried to step back. “I refuse to accept that. He is not lost, and neither are you.”

He circled her arms with his hands and shook her lightly. “Fuck, woman. What will it take to make you understand? We’re talking about killers, Livie. I am a killer. Every person I’ve killed was someone’s mother or husband or son. Yeah, they were addicts and criminals, but they were still people.”

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