Page 90 of Wicked Little Game
“Nothing,” I reply. “Nothing happened and nothing will happen.”
“I saw how you looked at her, Samuel. Jesus, do you think I’m senile? You’re one of my best men, as if you really needed more time.”
I only groan, looking out of the window. Maybe he’ll stop pestering me with this if I ignore him for long enough.
“And Max told me a few things.”
“Fucking snitch,” I say, adding it to the list he deserves a whopping for. He’ll end up in the infirmary the next time we spar. I don’t care if I have to bribe Logan to not interfere.
“What’s the problem with liking her? Sure, relationships are hard for us, and I know you’re still cautious because of the whole C—”
“Don’t,” I say. “Please.”
“She’s not Carla, Samuel. She’s good for you, even if you don’t want to accept it.”
Before I can argue with Rockwell, her father stirs in the backseat. It’s concerning that I am happy about him interrupting us, but at least it keeps Rockwell from talking. I put more tape over his mouth and his nose and soon, he slips in and out of consciousness.
Red is already waiting in front of a jet as we arrive at the airport, a few of his men behind him with machine guns.
I hope Mr. Barron sees his nice welcoming committee. I also hope he’ll enjoy his last flight on a private jet because the rest of his life won’t be as pleasant.
He tries to protest as I yank him out of the car. He’s a mess; bloodied, battered, and bruised, his expensive suit torn in a few places. He’ll get used to it.
“Have fun in Mexico, asshole,” I whisper in his ear as I shove him toward Red.
“Hola, Jay,” Red chuckles as he grabs his shoulder. “Ah, we’ll have a good time, I’m sure. Butcher, take care of him.”
He shoves Mr. Barron towards a big guy with a gnarly scar over the right side of his face. Probably a burn, and as he grabs Mr. Barron to guide him into the plane, I see that he’s missing two fingers.
We all quickly learned to stop asking too many questions when Logan introduced us to Red a few years ago. Apart from Max, but since Red and Logan both have a soft spot for him, he gets away with way too much.
“Aye, was nice to see you again guys, but we should hurry a bit,” Red says before we part ways, but not without inviting us to his mansion. He also called Rockwell Rocky and saidsomething about him being a wild one, which in return caused Rockwell to clear his throat in a very sad attempt to distract from it.
Didn’t Max say something about them going to Mexico for a short mission a while ago? Guess the fuckers were just there to party.
But Red is right. The sooner Mr. Barron is out of the country, the better. Anything else can wait.
“Did you two get close over too many tequilas?” I ask with a laugh while we watch the jet roll away on the airstrip. “Rocky.”
“We’re going back to base tomorrow,” he sighs, ignoring my question as we walk back to the car.
“Why not tonight?”
“Because you still have something to sort out.”
33
RUBY
When Samuel and Rockwell left with my father, I was more than anxious to stay behind. I promised myself not to get attached, aware that it is dumb, but right before they drove off, I wanted to clutch to Samuel like he’s an emotional support teddy.
I didn’t do it, though.
They all risked a lot and I bet none of them are happy about the hassle I caused, so I really didn’t want to add hysterical emotional meltdown into the mix of things no one asked for today.
Thank God that Max and Logan are still here with me. I never enjoyed being alone in this house, and right now, it would feel suffocating.
They talk to me; I realize as Max softly nudges my shoulder. We have known each other for what, ten minutes now, and still, he seems to sense that something is bothering me.
