Page 41 of Of Blood and Smoke

Taking a sip, I thought of the not-so-mysterious-anymore cups that would appear on my desk. Brett made a decent brew, but nothing like what I had at work. “Thanks.”

The movers came exactly at nine and loaded up their truck, Brett supervising the whole process for some reason. The team worked fast and efficiently, and his running commentary was likely unneeded.

We were outside when I noticed my car was gone. “Umm, where’s my car?”

A sinking feeling filled my belly when I thought of how I’d have to report a missing or stolen vehicle. “I’m just gonna let it go, I don’t want to deal with this,” I said. There was no point, I could buy another, now.

Brett grinned. “I had it towed to my Ma’s.”

“What? You didn’t even ask me!”

He shrugged. “What were you gonna do? Push it across town?” I rolled my eyes at him.

The lead worker walked up to us, as a couple men slammed the back of the box truck shut and locked it. “All good, we’ll meet you there,” the man told us.

He hopped into the cab, and we followed in Brett’s vehicle. The drive was about thirty minutes and the closer we got, the more excited I became. I’d finally made it. I’d broken out of the poverty cycle my dad and I’d been plunged into, and we entered a brand-new era.

Unconsciously, I reached over and squeezed Brett’s free hand. I hadn’t realized what I’d done until he looked down at me and smiled, a smidgen of hope flittering across his face.

I released him and returned my hand to my lap, rubbing my leg. “Thank you for helping with everything, I appreciate it. Just keep my car, I’ll buy a new one at some point.”

“I know,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Where’d you get this car?” I didn’t remember him owning a Lexxus and this was a pretty nice, new one.

“Borrowed it from one of the guys. Told him I was helping you.”

“Oh.”

We pulled into the parking lot and went to my assigned spot. The area was lightly landscaped, for the small space, and much, much cleaner than my previous home. It had manicured bushes and shrubs, and pretty, orange lilies bordering the area rather than the blunt wrappers, fast food bags, needles and god-knows-what-else I’d gotten used to.

Glancing around I noticed the better cars. Newer model Toyotas, Acura's, and a few German-made vehicles littered the parking lot, sans bullet holes and plastic bag-wrapped windows.

A black full-sized foreign car with deeply tinted windows idled by a curb close to the front entry way but not blocking it. Another sign I was moving up in the world. I felt Brett tense beside me and heard him mutter something under his breath as he exited the vehicle.

Ignoring his mood swing, I followed and entered the foyer, letting the front desk know I’d arrived with the movers. When I walked back out, my workers were shuffling around the back of the truck, taking their time while watching something just out of my line of sight.

It didn’t take me long to figure out what was going on.

“If anything happens to her, you’re fucking dead,” Brett sneered, pulling out his phone.

Josiah came over to me and kissed the top of my head, surprising me. “Good morning,” he said, ignoring my friend. “I trust you slept well?”

“Not so much gossip anymore, is it?” Brett bit out, glaring at me. “Fuck this shit, Della. What’s wrong with you?”

Josiah spun around. “You will not speak to her like that,” he warned him. “Do you understand me?”

Placing a hand on his forearm, I said, “Josiah.” I felt rather than saw his eyes on me, his gaze blocked by the ever-present shades.

“Seeing as you have help, I’m leaving,” Brett announced. He marched back to his car before peeling out of the parking lot, leaving me gaping. He’d left before I could say anything.

I hung my head in my hands and then dragged them down my face. “Why are you here?” I asked my unexpected guest.

Josiah moved his head up a fraction of an inch and three men exited the black car and began walking over. “What’s going on?” I asked.

The movers took my new keys from my outstretched hand and started unloading the truck and bringing my stuff inside. “Making your day easier,” Josiah said.

He stepped away and addressed the men that had come with him. The elegant sedan with blacked-out windows was his, I realized.

---