The First Last Boy(33)

He stomped away from the bike, grabbed the helmet and smashed it onto  his head. "I look stupid and the other kids make fun of me when I wear  it."

"Ignore the little shits and just ride your bike."

He swung his leg over and started pedaling down the driveway. I sat on  the porch steps to keep an eye on him and saw Juvante's car turn onto  the street. He blew the horn to get the kids to move out of the way and  then swung into the driveway.

He watched Mark ride up the street. "Look at you playing daddy."

"Better playing than being one."

"That was just a rumor. Alexa's not pregnant."

"She's what? The third rumor this year?"

"Just talk. They all want a piece of Juvante." He laughed as he sat  beside me. "The bets are in for the fight. You're going against Bobby  Perez. He's 20-3. Take him out and you're looking to bring in a little  over three grand."

I nodded, then stood up and yelled at Mark to get the hell out of the  road when cars were coming. When I sat back down, Juvante shook his  head. "Never thought I'd see the day my brother would get neutered."

"Shut up. I need you to line up the fights back to back. At least one or two a day for the next week."

"Back to back? What's the rush? You've got time."

"No, I don't. Chanos had photos. Mama Leena. Destiny. Tana. He even had  one of Ms. Shaw in the hospital." The memory burned in me. "Once I'm  jumped in, it might take me a few days to heal up."

Juvante scrubbed a hand down his face. "Yeah and you can't fight like that. Alright. When are you getting jumped?"

"Saturday. That gives me a week to get Tana's money back to her."

He rubbed his ear. "I'll make it happen."

"Thanks."

"Mama Leena finds out you're back in, the gang ass kicking won't be your only one."         

     



 

"I don't have a choice. Either I belong to Chanos or I risk Tana's life."

"And because you love her, you'll do it."

I looked at the ground, tired of fighting it, tired of denying it. "She can't ever know that."

"I won't say anything." Juvante nodded, then scowled. "Where's the Charger?"

"She drove it to work."

"Man, that must be love. You don't let anyone touch that car." He  slapped my shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow." When he reached his car,  he said, "You never know. Maybe you'll get lucky and Chanos will get hit  by lightning."

"Maybe something good like that would happen. We both know what a charmed life I've led."

"This is all Clarke and Roman's fault. If being an idiot was a sin, their dumb asses would have to move into the confessional."

"What's done is done." I stood so I could see the road. A car zipped past. "Mark!"

He pedaled toward me and parked his bike behind Juvante's car. "What?"

"You have to stay on the sidewalk."

Mark took his helmet off and looked at Juvante. "Can I drive your car?"

"Nah little man, my car's too big to be on the sidewalk." He tapped the hood. "I'll pick you up tomorrow for the fight."

"What fight?" Mark asked.





Chapter Twenty-One

TANA



As I drove home after work, I was reminded why I wasn't thrilled with  the later shift on certain days. There were always those middle-aged  men, stopping in for a drink before heading home, looking for more than  just a beverage. With stomachs lopping over their belts they thought I'd  be thrilled to give up my phone number. Lucky me.

I turned into the driveway of the house and waited for a few seconds,  trying to gather my resolution, my self-promise to keep my emotional  distance from Ryan. Soon, hopefully, Mom would be home from the hospital  and my life would go back to the way it was before the shooting. One  where I didn't see Ryan every day. Didn't have to be tempted to say  words he didn't want to hear.

Gathering my purse and apron, I locked the Charger and went to the  porch. The door swung open and Mark, already clean and in his pajamas  said, "Me and Ryan are going to get the food."

I smoothed his damp hair back from his forehead and leaned down to press  a kiss there. "Make sure you get sweet and sour chicken for me."

"'K." He wiggled his fingers at Ryan. "C'mon."

I locked up after them and went to my bedroom to grab some clean  clothes. The information packet from Bayside College was open and the  sheets in disarray. The amount of tuition I owed was circled. I didn't  remember doing that. I should probably call them. The third week of  August all the money had to be in for classes starting the first week of  September. There was no way I was going to have enough money. Since  Shelby and I planned to room together, I'd have to let her know too. But  I was too wiped out to deal with it right now. I'd deal with it  tomorrow. I grabbed my clothes and went to take a shower. By the time I  was finished, Ryan and Mark were back.

I took some cups from the cabinet and set them on the table while Ryan  grabbed the plates. Mark opened one of the containers and dumped some  fortune cookies on the table. He put one in front of each of us like he  used to do when we'd get Chinese takeout and eat it with Mom. My eyes  stung at the memory and I blinked back the tears.

He picked his up, I took mine and we both looked at Ryan.

"What?"

"We're supposed to open them together and read them out loud," Mark  said. A little of the eagerness went out of his expression. "We always  did it with Mom," he said softly.

Ryan picked up his fortune cookie. "I'm on it."

"Ready?" I looked at Mark and when he nodded, I said, "Go!" The one to get their fortune out first was the winner.

Mark waved his slip of paper in the air. "Something wonderful will  happen." He folded the paper and tucked it beside his plate, then looked  at me.

"Follow your dreams," I read aloud.

"Your turn," Mark said.

"The early bird gets the worm," Ryan said and started to put the fortune in his pocket.

I grabbed it from him. "It doesn't say that." My smile faded as I read  it to myself. Love is not easy, but worth it. I handed the slip back and  reached for a box. There were so many questions I could ask Ryan about  why he didn't want to share that fortune, but I didn't. I was pretty  sure the answer that I was looking for wouldn't be there. "Did you  remember the sauce this time, Creature?"         

     



 

We ate and when we were almost through with the meal, Mark said, "Ryan is going to a fight."

"What?" I lowered my fork.

"Juvante said he'd pick Ryan up for a fight tomorrow."

"A fight." I looked at Ryan.

His eyes darkened. "It's not what you think."

Mark scooted his chair back. "Can I watch TV?"

"Read a book or something," I said, still staring at Ryan.

"I read them all."

"Then reread one. You know Mom has TV limits."

"But-"

"Creature, I need to talk to Ryan."

Without another word, but with a long suffering sigh, Mark left the kitchen.

"A fight is the reason why you can't come to the hospital with me? You'd  rather go beat the hell out of someone? For what reason?"

He scowled. "Did I miss the part where you became my girlfriend?"

"Oh, you think I don't have the right to question what you're doing?  You're around Mark. I have to look out for him. That makes anything  you're involved in that could hurt him my business."

A muscle in Ryan's jaw worked. "Do you think I'd do anything that would hurt him?"

"Would you?"

Ryan slid the chair away from the table and picked up his plate. He  dumped the scraps into the garbage and set the plate into the sink. With  his back to me, he said, "How could you even ask me that?"

"Because...because you have a history and it's not a good one."

He turned around and the look on his face made me regret my words. "I  never said I had a good past and I never promised I was your prince  fucking charming."

I moved to join him. "No, you never said you had a good past, but you  never said how bad it was either. When I asked you before to tell me  that your past was over, you didn't answer me. Why are you going to  fight? Is it something to do with your past?"

"I'm going to bed." Ryan walked past me.

"Ryan!"

He stopped but wouldn't look at me.

"If you're doing something wrong you can't stay here."

He faced me and his lips twisted up in a mocking smile, so handsome it hurt to look at him. "Define wrong."







RYAN



Two o'clock in the morning and I was still wide awake. The argument with  Tana kept playing over and over in my mind. After I'd said to define  wrong, she'd gone off on me. Unloading everything she'd thought but had  never said until now. She was pissed at me and afraid for me.

I would never be free of my past and now that I was going to do a U-turn  right back toward it, Tana was right to be scared. Because that's what  I'd seen in her eyes. Fear. The kind of fear that hadn't been there  before her mother had been hurt.