“It’s not like we have a lot of options,” she said quietly. “And it’s only my body, Nick. He’ll never touch my soul.”
Nick Milligan broke down and cried. He would have done anything at that point if he could have spared his sister the pain and humiliation she would soon face. He cursed the woman who birthed them, cursed her to the worst pits of hell. What kind of woman sold her children, knowing how they would be used? At least he had been “promoted”; Benny Marscone realized Nick could make him a hell of a lot more money dealing drugs at the schools than as a boy toy for perverts, especially now that he had lost most of the boyish features that many had paid top dollar for.
But Nicki – she was strikingly beautiful, her features bordering on angelic. Pale skin, pale eyes, jet black hair – she was the picture of innocence, even though she’d spent most of her life on the streets as he had. Somehow she managed to retain a childlike purity about her that was irresistible to the darker elements, and Benny would exploit her for all she was worth.
Nicki held him, let him cry into her shoulder as she stroked his back. “I’m strong, just like you. And someday, Nick, I swear to you, I’m going to kill Benny.” Her voice was soft, but held a conviction as strong as steel.
Nick nodded, wishing it were true, but he knew better. Benny Marscone was untouchable. He didn’t just deal with the dregs of society; Benny had the cops, the local judges, and several “pillars of the community” in his pocket. What could a delicate flower like his twin sister do?
“I’d better go,” she said, pulling away and wiping at her own eyes.
He swallowed hard and nodded, sick with grief but proud of her courage. He watched her walk down the alley, her head held high, until she disappeared around the corner. Then Nick picked up his backpack and followed her out of the alley, turning in the opposite direction when he hit the street to make his deliveries.
Chapter One
Ten Years Later, Pine Ridge, Pennsylvania
“Goddamnit!” Sean cursed as he hung up the phone. “Nick!” His voice bellowed out clearly from his office, easily heard by the mechanics at work in the six-bay garage. Nick Milligan received sympathetic looks from the others as he put down the wrench and wiped his hands carelessly on his coveralls.
“Yeah, boss?” he said, poking his head through the open doorway. There was only a slight hint of cockiness in the guy’s tone, a huge improvement from the mountain-sized chip he sported only a few months ago when Sean decided to take a chance on his sorry ass.
Deep down, Sean sensed Nick was a decent enough guy who’d had a lot of bad breaks. According to his application, Nick was pushing twenty-four chronologically – only a scant few years less than Sean – but there was something about Nick that made Sean think of him more as a kid. Maybe it was the way he moved, or the way he smiled – though those occasions were few and far between.
Or maybe it was his inability to respond well to authority. Nick simply hadn’t grown up yet, but there was potential. This garage was probably his last chance before he ended up as a permanent guest of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania penal system. That made Sean push even harder, because he really wanted the kid to make it. Once you got past the attitude, he really was likable, not to mention an excellent mechanic. He had a real future ahead of him.
If he could keep his head out of his ass, that was.
“Why isn’t Mr. Thompson’s Benz finished yet?”
Sean was proud of himself. He kept his voice even, non-accusatory. His sister-in-law, Taryn, said he had a tendency to yell first and ask questions later. That, she’d explained, was probably why he’d gone through four mechanics in the last three months.
As much as he liked Taryn, Sean disagreed with her assessment, though arguably they shared the same kick-ass temperament. And while he was more than ready to recognize her innate tendency to act first and ask questions later, he failed to see how that applied to him. In contrast, he was more apt to cite blatant incompetence and attitude problems rather than what Taryn had dubbed his ‘impossibly high expectations’, but conceded, somewhat reluctantly, that Taryn might have a valid point about his quick temper.
Sean saw the tick in Nick’s jaw, caught the slight narrowing of the eyes. Don’t go there, kid, Sean thought. Every eye in the place was on them. Don’t make me make an example out of you.