Page 2 of Volatile

Another fifteen minutes and I debated trying to call my boss. Only there were two obstacles: one, it was the middle of the damn night, and I didn’t want to deal with his temper if I woke him up, and two, I’d have to go home or find some change for the pay phone. Neither would have me here if the drop came late.

I kicked the stair I stood in front of, checking my watch again. If I stood out here too much longer, Ma would get back from her night shift and know what I was doing. Another thing I didn’t want to risk. She might not beat me like my dad used to, but she would find a way to get me to stop, and we couldn’t afford that.

A muffled cry drew my attention. I spun around, but I saw no one.

“Mind your fucking business.” My father’s words echoed in my ears.

I rooted my feet into the concrete and tried to ignore the scuffle. It was probably a couple of homeless guys or junkies having it out.

Not a big deal.

Another grunt and the distinct sound of a fist hitting flesh had me drawing further into the shadows. I didn’t need any of that.

Aspen burst out onto the street, rounding the corner so fast he almost lost his balance, fingers brushing the ground as he recovered, sprinting by me as two guys came after him. I stepped in their way. The guys skidded to a halt, sizing me up.

“What kind of fucking scam are you running?” one screamed in my face.

“Excuse me?” I looked down at them. I was big for my age, always had been, and at six-four, I towered over most people, especially in Southie, as Irish men weren’t known for their height.

“You got him running jobs for you? Getting services prepaid for then dipping?”

I glanced over my shoulder but didn’t see Aspen anywhere. What the fuck was he doing? “I got nothing to do with that, but he’s a kid.”

“And?” the guy asked.

My stomach turned.“The fuck is wrong with the both of you?”

“He was offering. How the fuck should we know how old he is?”

“And there’s fucking two of you?” I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.

They exchanged a look, and anger filtered through my veins. No one messed with kids, not even the families tolerated that business. They might take advantage and leverage the sex trade, but only with adults.

“You defending him or not?” the first one asked. “Because if you’re not in on his little scam, you’ll get outta our way and let us handle our business with him.”

“Why don’t you handle your business with me?” Not only was I taller than both of them, my dad had me boxing before I was outta diapers, much to my mother’s dismay. He’d always wanted me to follow in his footsteps.

They exchanged another look and moved to come at me, but they underestimated my speed. I threw a right hook to hit the first one right in the temple, and he went down. The other guy grabbed him, and they both staggered back.

I spit at their feet. “Get out of here before I call my boss and tell him what you two are trying to get up to and see what he thinks.”

They exchanged a look that said, ‘Shit, we better get outta here. I got a feeling this kid ain’t lying.’

They limped off, and I shook my head, making sure they were long gone before I turned to see if Aspen was still around. There was no sight of him.

“Fuck.” What did he think he was doing?

I didn’t know what to do. I scrubbed a hand over my face, unable to leave my post to go look for him. This night was turning into a real can of fucking worms. Why did I care what he was doing? It wasn’t my business. I didn’t know him well. He wasn’t my responsibility. But still I had the urge to find him. I knew I’d heard him take at least a couple of hits, and those guys, while smaller than me, were much bigger than scrawny Aspen.

My mind kept pulling in his direction. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’d go look for him as soon as this guy showed up. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t.

“Are you going to say I told you so?” Aspen reappeared just when I’d given up on the drop.

“No, but I am going to ask you what the fuck you were thinking.”

He lifted his shoulders.

“Do you even know what those guys wanted from you?” With his angelic face, he looked too young to even know what a trick was.

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