Page 18 of We're Not Strangers Anymore

Deirdra looks at me, contemplating.

“What?” I ask her.

“I don’t know if I should say anything. Grayson would kill me.”

“Well now you have to tell me because nowIknow thatyouknow something. Besides, I like you a hell of a lot more than I like him. I won’t say anything to Grayson.”

Deirdra hesitates for a moment.

“Okay, but you have toswearnot to tell anyone because I could lose my job.”

“Deirdra, I wouldn’t risk your job especially with you being the only person around that I actually like.” I assure her.

She takes a breath, before telling me. “I was ordering supplies for my station the day after the wedding and I overheard him and Luciano talking in the office across from the laundress room, arguing.”

“What were they arguing about?” I lean in.

“You. Luciano was yelling about how Grayson is putting the family at risk and then Grayson yelled at him that it was the only way to keep you safe from ’them’.I don’t know who he was talking about.”

What the hell? Why would this guy I don’t even know be talking about my safety?

“Then Luciano started asking him what his fixation with you was but I couldn’t hear much after that.” She continues, practically hearing my thoughts.Fixation.What would lead his brother to think he’s fixated on me?

Grayson

“I want them out of your recently deleted folder too. let’s go, I don't have all day.”

I tower over six-foot-nothing Brenden in his dimly lit apartment as he deletes the pictures he had of my wife. He can barely see out of his right eye after making the assumption that I was just some jealous boyfriend of Rowan’s, and initially refusing to delete the pictures of her. Now I have the cold metal of my gun pressed against the back of his skull as I watch him, making sure every single photo of her is erased, permanently. Seeing the pictures Rowan took just to send them to some wannabe gangster rich boy that lives in the Detroit suburbs–it brings out anger that I can’t contain. While she wants nothing to do with me– granted Idid abduct her. I can’t leave without bringing her a souvenir. I need her to know that I’ll be the only man that ever sees her like this again.

“There, that’s all of them. Can you please go now?” He says with fear etched in his tone.

“I’ve got a better idea Brenden.” I snap, dragging him to his kitchen, the size of a walk-in closet.

I press his hand to the faux granite countertop and pull out a knife from the butcher block. Before he can protest I raise the knife and in one sharp movement I cut off his pinky. I take the kitchen towel from the handle of the oven and shove it into his mouth to muffle his high pitched scream as blood spills onto his countertop.

“Thanks for deleting the pictures Brenden. I’ll be taking this for my troubles. Have a good night, chap.” I laugh, picking his pinky up off the counter and stride out.

The drive back home felt longer than it did the last time I came to Detroit. Probably because I didn’t have Rowan next to me. I laugh at the memory from two short nights ago. If we met under different circumstances, we’d actually get along well. I know it. We had a connection when we talked, before she knew who I was. If I could show her that what I was doing was justified—I can’t. I won’t even entertain thethought. Not to mention the fact that I really don’t care where her head is at. It’s time to focus on business. This personal shit has gotten in the way for two days now and that’s a record for me.

“Where are we at with Frank?” I ask Luciano as we make our way down to the bunker where we still have him chained up.

“He refuses to talk. Convinced that death by ‘Conejo’ will be a lot worse than us killing him.”

He’s probably right considering the cartel is a lot more ruthless than we are. I have no problem admitting that. The problem is that we need information from Frank and we can’t kill him until we get this situation with the cartel straightened out. Truth is we can’t even go to war with them. It’d be a bloodbath for our family if we even tried.

“So Frank, you think Conejo isn’t going to kill you already when he finds out you don’t have precious little Rowan to offer him?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He asks.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. She’s married to a kingpin now. Untouchable. So now that you have nothing to offer him, you’re useless to his organization. Unless ofcourse, that wasn’t the only thing you were offering.” I say casually.

“Grayson I don’t know where you’re getting this info but-”

“Cut the shit Frank.” I interrupt. “You didn’t start working with the cartel by just offering up your daughter. Especially when you know damn well we don’t fuck with that type of business or the cartel. It’s very clear that you owed Conejo something, now you’re going to start talking.”

I open up the utility closet on the opposite wall and pull out a power drill. I stride over to Frank, start the drill and inch it toward his eye.

“Alright fuck I’ll talk!”

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