Page 68 of Waiting Game

“This is dumb.”

“Well, that’s my order, Ren.”

We sat in a tense silence for the rest of the drive, and Antoni pulled around the back of the tiny house nestled in the suburbs. It was the only safe house that hadn’t been compromised yet. We had them scattered all over the city, just in case, but one by one they had been burned to the ground.

It was a message sent from the Redliners directly. It started soon after we torched their garage in retaliation to them doing the same to a warehouse of ours. It was a cycle of vengeful destruction.

So pointless, and yet neither side would fold.

Antoni had been trying to months to reach a truce with them, but they wanted nothing to do with it. They wanted control, which was something that The Family would not give over without a fight.

Toni walked into the house with me, making sure that I would stay put, and threw a bag of my clothes into the corner.

“I’ll send one of the boys over soon, okay?”

I nodded, not looking at him and easing myself down into the armchair in the lounge room and I turned on the television.

He turned towards the door, looking at me over his shoulder.

“Stay,” he pointed at me and I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to the TV and ignoring him.

He watched me for a few more seconds, deciding whether or not it was safe to leave me alone before he left, locking the door behind him. I heard the purr of his car as he pulled back out onto the street, and I stood, going to the window and watching him drive away.

I lingered by the window for a while, watching the outside world from my makeshift prison. Eventually I sat back down and stared at the TV screen, not really watching anything.

Instead, my mind was racing.

If these bastards were coming for me because I killed one of them, what would they do to Val? I doubted that they would spare her. For the first time, I was actually glad that she left. I was glad that she was long gone before all of this went down.

If I couldn’t be there to fight, and to help my brothers, the least I could do was protect her. I sat and stewed, thinking about what I could do, and then it came to me.

All I had to do was wait.

* * *

I slept in the armchair, waiting for someone to arrive.

The rumble of a car woke me as the sun rose, and I peaked out through the curtains to see Robbie walking up the driveway, twirling his keys in his hands. If I had to betray one of my brothers, I was glad it was him.

I was relieved that it was Robert who had been assigned to my first babysitting shift, because I didn’t feel as bad about ditching him, and I knew he would be an easy target. I pressed my back hard against the wall by the doorway as he got closer and closer to the house.

He opened the door, stepping inside and looking around.

I noticed the keys in his hands, and I lurched towards him.

Catching him off guard, I pushed him up against the wall and forced his arms behind his back, snatching the keys from his hands.

“What the fuck?” he yelled, his words mumbled by his cheek being pressed against the wall.

I dragged him to the kitchen, and pushed him into the walk-in pantry, shutting the doors quickly behind him. He protested loudly from behind the doors, banging and clanging as I leaned my body weight against the pantry to keep it shut. Reaching over, I opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a metal spatula, then threaded it through the handles.

I knew that it wouldn’t hold him long, but I didn’t need long.

The physical movements caused my side to hurt, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been. I ran from the house, grabbing my bag and throwing it into the passenger seat of the car before I drove off.

Robbie was already free from the pantry, and ran down the driveway with his arms waving in the air. But it was too late, I was already on the street. There was no way he would catch me on foot. I held a hand to my side as I drove, waiting for the pain to recede after all the movement. If I could just make it onto the plane before Antoni found out, then I knew that I would be safe.

I was nearly at the airport, when my phone rang.

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