Page 40 of Gemini
“You’re upset. I get it,” he said.
“Upset?” I shook my head. “I’m appalled.” There was a look in his eyes that was there one moment then gone in an instant, too fast for me to decipher. I moved a little closer. “Did you once even think of my sister? How you put her at risk? What if she was at that bar, hidden somewhere? In the basement or somewhere else? Did you even think to look—”
“I looked,” he answered. “She wasn’t there.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am.”
I stood rigid, forcing my gaze to meet his. “They might really kill her now because of what you did. If she isn’t already dead.”
“She’s not.”
I was taken aback. His eyes drifted to Dom before returning to me. “I didn’t get much out of one of them before he went unconscious. But he swore she was alive.”
I went quiet for a moment. “And a location?”
He shrugged. “Not the bar. He didn’t know where, said he was too low ranked to get that information. He said he only knew she was alive and they weren’t looking to kill her. He said something along the lines of ‘Sicarowanted her too much to kill her’.”
“Who’s Sicaro?”
“Guy passed out…or passed away before I could get it out of him. But my guess it’s a code name.”
I bit my lip. Just when I might feel relief knowing she was alive and would remain that way, now I had to worry about the man who was keeping her. I shifted on my feet, putting my weight on my left even if it hurt. “You still went too far,” I replied softly. “I didn’t need you to…to hurt people like that for me.”
“You asked for our help,” Lez said coldly. “Don’t get mad if you don’t like the way we work. You knew this was how we played. We don’t play nice. Especially after a rival gang does what they did.” He closed the distance between us. “Did you honestly think I would just sit around and let them get away with that? They needed to know they fucked with the wrong people.”
I kept my ground even if he was starting to scare me. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
He tilted his head. “But you didn’t stop me either, did you, sweetheart?”
My mouth twisted. “Don’t call me that.”
“It’s true. You knew I was going to do something awful. You fucking knew, don’t deny it. And deep down…” He leaned in, his face close to mine. “You wanted it.”
I wanted to smack him. Instead, I said, “Not like that.”
“Oh, yeah? How then.”
I felt vulnerable under his gaze. I looked at Dom but he only waited for me to answer. “I want…I want them to pay. I want them to get caught and go to jail.”
Lez faltered and laughed. “You innocent little thing. You are too good for this world. Shall I call up the local pigs then? How about I give them an anonymous tip and tell them what that guy told me? Then go find Jasper and the rest of his gang and tell them we should put this silly feud behind us and have a nice littledance off instead, winner gets your sister. Dom’s gotten pretty good at the robot and I can do the worm. What do you say?”
I glared at him, angry that I couldn’t find a comeback to his idiotic take.
“That a no?” he said. “Surely Jasper will agree. It’s a fair game, after all.”
“Stop it,” I whispered.
He clicked his tongue, turning away from me as if annoyed. "I'm sorry, I should be nicer, shouldn't I? Because that's gotten you far. Going to that shitty bar to talk to one of them—Jesus—and look what happened?" He gestured to all of me. "You have no clue how these people run, but we do. They need to be snuffed out like the rats they are, not put in some cage so they can get out and fuck us later. Or get their little buddies to do their dirty work while they're locked up." He turned to me, his gaze venomous. "Putting them away is just waiting for the inevitable," he continued coldly. "You're living in a dream world. With rules and pretty little lies. Not the harsh reality that none of that fucking matters. These guys don't follow rules, they don't give a fuck about the law. And neither do we. Because that's how we survive."
“You’re right,” I clipped back. “I live in a different world. I’m nothing like you.”
“That’s right, you’re not. And before you go clinging to Dom, thinking he’s better and safer, know he’s just like me. Don’t go pretending any different. Get it out of your head completely. Because you’re not in LaLa land anymore. You want your sister back? Get rid of the snobby bitch attitude and deal with who we are and what we do.”
I gripped the handles of my crutches tight to keep myself from shaking. "I've dealt with who you are," I said in a low voice. "I dealt with it back at the church. I don't need a reminder of what kind of person you are and what you do. I was a victimof it. For several nights. And that was enough." I threw the crutches on the ground at his feet and turned to walk away—or rather limp away, not daring to look back. Thankfully he didn't call to me as I trudged across the courtyard. No insults or snide remarks. The pain in my leg made me grit my teeth, but I forced myself onward. As I stumbled back inside, a hand shot out and caught my elbow. I looked up at Dom, who glared back at me, the crutches under his arm. I let him lead me back up to his room in silence. When I got inside and he shut the door, I turned on him.
“I think I should go,” I said as he placed the crutches next to the door. “Thank you for helping me, really, but I should go back to my apartment now.” I picked my phone up from the couch where I had left it and went to the bedroom to grab my bag. As I made sure my car keys were inside, I turned for the door, only to find Dom blocking my way. “I’ll call you. I just…I just need to get back and clear my head.” I stood there, waiting for him to move but he didn’t. He only continued to glare at me. I tried to skirt around him but he wouldn’t budge. “Dom…”
