Page 60 of Beyond the Blue Horizon
“What’s up, brother?” Toga lifted his chin at Theo.
They called him Toga since he was a frat, pretty boy type, though he clearly had a thirst for the dark side.
Theo returned the gesture, though he didn’t take time for pleasantries. “Transaction complete?”
Trent sent him to do a job, so he was going to do it.
The money these three had collected from Deik in exchange for two kilos of coke.
Toga gave a nod as he tossed the leather satchel to the floor at Theo’s feet. “Yup. Fuckers tried to short us five large, but we made sure toemphasizethat we aren’t in the game to be played.”
“Good,” Theo grunted.
Deik never could fuckin’ be trusted.
He snatched the satchel from the floor and tossed open the flap so he could thumb through the stacks.
“Everything’s there,” Toga said, jutting his chin. “Counted it myself.”
Theo could hardly keep from rolling his eyes. Like that prick could be trusted, either.
It’s what happened when you surrounded yourself with swine.
But it was, in fact, all there, so Theo gave them a dip of his head as he tucked the satchel under his arm and headed out, going right for his bike and securing it in one of the saddlebags.
His chest squeezed with guilt.
He thought he and his brothers all knew this was coming up on a dead end. Theo just had no idea what that would look like for them when they hit it.
He swung back onto his bike and kicked it over. Arms outstretched and hands wrapped around the handlebars, he eased back onto the alleyway in the direction of the street.
He didn’t know what it was that drew his attention to the right.
Out into the overgrown field littered with trash.
To the shape that was almost concealed in the shadows.
He slowed and squinted, peering into the grim night.
It was a person.
A body, likely.
Crumpled and discarded like garbage on the ground.
It would serve him well to mind his own business. To move on and get this money to where it belonged.
But he couldn’t do anything but edge off the side of the alley, letting his bike idle low as he pushed to his feet and started out into the vacant field.
His pulse was thready and fast as he cautiously moved toward them.
Sickness balled in his stomach as they came into better view.
On their side and facing away.
Arms and legs limp.
Dark, tangled hair spread around them.
