Page 54 of Wandering in Darkness
“I wasn’t… trafficking him,” Ned responds.
“What the hell else is it called when you sell a human?” Grayson demands. “You think just because you looked the other way while it was happening that it’s not trafficking? I joined up in the hope of helping get some answers to this. But now… I’m not sure I want to.”
“I fucked up,” Ned says, and honestly, I’m shocked by his acknowledgment. Why is he over here agreeing with whatever Grayson is saying? Like one minute he’s selling Antonio off for money, the next he feels guilty about it? This guy really isn’t a very good criminal.
“You consider trying to sell off a human a ‘fuckup’?” I ask. “What was your plan here?”
“I knew that Antonio’s family has power I don’t have, so they could destroy the people who I was selling him to. I wanted to get rid of them, and I knew that if they took Antonio and tried holding it over Elena, she and the rest of Antonio’s family would rip them apart for me. What shit can I do standing here? I’m not a fucking criminal. None of us are. We’ve just been given no choice. What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t give a shit what’s going on with you. I just give a shit that you could have gotten Antonio killed,” I snap.
“I understand you’re hurting,” Grayson says to Ned. “I understand that, but what makes it right to hurt others over it?”
“This is on me and only me. None of the others approved of this. I fucked up. I just… I knew they wouldn’t kill him because they’d want to use him against his family.”
“They might not have killed him, but did you think they were just going to treat him like royalty? They could have beaten him half to death, they could have cut off his arms and legs. You don’t fucking know what they could have done to him,” Grayson says.
Ned’s jaw tightens. “You’re right, I don’t. I got fixated on my own shit. I’m sorry.”
“Is sorry enough?” I ask as I walk up to him. “I had to shoot multiple people. Was that worth it? They could die. Their fucking deaths could be on me. Is that worth it?”
“They’re bad people,” Ned tries to assure me.
“You know that for sure? You know that every single person I shot was a bad person? You know for a fact that they weren’t dragged into this? Hell, maybe they’re being coerced into it. Maybe they’re doing it to protect someone they love. You don’t know. But I’ve shot them now because that’s what I had to do to get Antonio back.”
Ned continues to stand there. He’s not backing away, but it’s plain to see that he’s not happy about any of this.
“Where are my friends?” I ask.
“Emma, go get the other two,” Ned says.
I stare down at him as he holds my eyes, but it’s not a defiant look. “If you try that shit again, my next bullet is going between your fucking eyes. You won’t even know it’s coming. You’ll just be walking out to your car and next thing you know, your fucking brains will be splattered all over the sidewalk. Understood?”
“Yes. I really am sorry. I just… I knew Antonio’s family had the capability to do something I couldn’t. I really didn’t think about the consequences or who could get hurt or die because of me. I’m sorry.”
I look away from him as Emma returns empty-handed. “They’re not where I left them.”
“What do you mean they’re not where you left them?” Ned asks in disbelief.
“The room was empty. I guess they’re just, uh… wandering around or something? Hell if I know. How the hell do you sneak around with that pig?”
Well aware that Felix would have gone for the most important room, I slip past Ned and head toward his office.
“Felix,” I call as I look around the office before my eyes settle on the only thing in there. “Come out of that dinky-ass cupboard.”
There’s silence for a long moment before the cupboard slowly creaks open. “It’s a trick closet where it looks small from the outside but is actually quite spacious inside,” he says with a grimace.
“Looks small both inside and outside,” I say.
“I’m going to pretend I heard none of that. Did you fuck them up?”
“Ned said we can go.”
“And I missed it? Like… was it exciting? I always miss the fun shit, but… I couldn’t get the closet door open and was convincedI’d have to live in there. All I had was this lighter I didn’t even get to use. But you saved me!”
Ned walks up to the doorway as Felix trots over to Ned’s desk and uses a paper clip to unlock a drawer.
“How long were you in here?” Ned asks.
