Page 17 of Fight Me Daddy

Gabriele

I pulledup in front of Calix's house and shut off my lights. Through his curtains, I could see his shadow moving around, pacing back and forth. I'd already let him know that I was on my way and he was waiting for me.

My eyes tracked his movements. He was like a caged tiger ready to be set free so he could maul someone. Why does he have to act so damn naive? He would make an amazing killer if he stopped pretending the world was good.

Calix had the wrong idea if he thought the people we collected from were upright people. He seemed to believe what I did was wrong, but the truth was that I was the balancing of the scales in the world. I was karma incarnate. What was wrong with setting things straight?

I watched as he picked up his phone and stared at it. My heart skipped a beat as he brought it to his ear. Who the hell is he talking to? I gripped the steering wheel tighter, the leather protesting my hold until I released it.

Ever since the night Calix bumped into me, I had been watching him. Not all the time, but usually when he was at the gym or when he had a fight. He was an interesting person. A hard worker who took no shit and yet was constantly walked on, a worrier, a loner. The only people he hung around were his father, the people who worked for him, and Six. Other than that, he came home alone, cracked open a single beer, and relaxed for forty-five minutes before he went to bed.

"For someone so young you act like an old man, Calix," I muttered. "What the hell happened to you?"

No one without a shit ton of trauma would volunteer to be a hermit at his age. Back then I was partying, being a moron, and still taking on jobs for the family. The only thing he seemed focused on was working, MMA, and sleeping when he got the chance.

My hear sank. It looked sad. And lonely.

Stop sympathizing and get to work!

I pulled out my phone and stared at it. Right, we had a job to do and the sooner it was taken care of, the sooner I could go back to living my life and not watching Calix.

Gabriele: Let's go.

Calix: You're here?

Gabriele: No shit. What do you think? I like texting you for fun? Come on.

Calix opened the curtain and stared out before the lights went out and he jogged out of the front door. This time around he wore a red button-up and black slacks. The first two buttons of his shirt were undone and I was sure it was because he had forgotten and not because he was trying to be sexy and draw my attention to the hair I caught peeking out of his clothes.

"What?" he asked when he slid into the car. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not," I grumbled, clearing my throat harshly as I turned forward again. "Be quicker next time."

Calix scoffed. "It took me two minutes!"

"Next time make it one," I snapped. "Why do you like talking back to me so much? Do you need me to show you what happens when you keep running your mouth?"

I glanced over at Calix and his teeth were buried in his bottom lip as if it was taking every ounce of self-control he could muster to stay quiet. Something about that look made me want to laugh. He's trying hard. I knew he hated me, hell a lot of people did, but he was also trying not to die which I admired.

Smart move.

When Calix went quiet, I knew I wasn't going to get much more out of him. I pulled away from the curb and floored it, peeling out of the neighborhood and hitting the highway. The overhead lights flooded the road, and as I glanced at Calix out of the corner of my eye, I could see the frown on his lips.

"What's your problem?" I asked.

Calix glanced at me, raised one shoulder, and let it drop. "Nothing. Just thinking," he muttered before he glanced out of his window. "Who's on the list for tonight?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I took in the way he slumped forward and the frown on his face that had only intensified. Something was on Calix's mind. Was it more complaints about having to collect? That I couldn't do anything about. But if it was anything else...

"No, really," I asked, focusing on the road. "What's the matter with you? Is it the job? Or something else?"

Calix laughed dryly drawing my eyes back to him. The frown had disappeared and in its place was a sneer. "What the fuck do you care?"

My stomach clenched and I gripped the wheel tightly. "Fine," I spat. "Fuck you too, brat."

"I'm a brat?" Calix scoffed. "I think most people would be upset if they were hurting people just to save their fucking property. The one they'd worked their ass off for since they were thirteen. So yeah," he said as he faced me and glared, "I'm a brat."

My blood pressure rose as I stared at him. "You know what kills me? What just absolutely burns me the fuck up, Gonzalez?" When he simply looked back at me, I shook my head. "People like your dear old dad come to us askin' us for money and we give it to him. Fine. But then they can't pay it back and suddenly we're the fuckin' bad guys? Give me a fuckin' break," I muttered as I snatched up my pack of smokes and fumbled them as my hand shook. "People like you? You're always looking for a villian when most times it's just your own bullshit that trips you up. Fuck!" I dropped the pack and sucked in a deep breath. Amadeo was the calm one, and I liked to think I was the same. But I had a breaking point too. I stared at the pack on the floor of the car beside Calix's feet before I focused on the road again. "Pick those up, pull one out, stick it in my mouth, and light it for me."

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