“Easy, Alexander.” Max shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “There it is.” He pointed to a small stucco house that sat back off the road.
At first glance, it seemed nice enough. But upon closer inspection, it was a mess. The landscaping was unkempt and the back gate had been left unlatched and was halfway open. The gutter on the front porch had come undone and was leaned against the ground.
The parallels between Simon’s home and the man himself were uncanny.
Max slowed the truck as we crept past, trying to see if there were any signs of life.
The entire area seemed to be dead. There were no moving parts: no cars, dogs, or lights in the neighboring houses. It was a fitting way to live for a piece of shit like Powers.
“Yeah, but the Avalanche isn’t in the driveway. So I’m guessing he isn’t home.”
“Well, what do you want to do?” Max asked, pulling away.
“We wait.” I looked around for a spot that allowed us to still see his house, but not look obvious. “Over there—pull in behind that barn.”
Max drove ahead a few feet and then cut it in behind an old barn. Pulling around it and shutting off the lights, we had a clear view of the road.
“Well,” Max said, looking around, “at least we are at the back of this dead end. Something’s going our way tonight.”
“Whatever. I’d beat him in the middle of fucking Phoenix if I knew where he was. I’m going to tear him apart, Max.”
“I know, man. Just don’t waste your energy bouncing around this damn truck. You know how this shit works.”
Max was right. As fucking usual. It wasn’t going to do me any good to get worked up until game time. I needed to breathe and focus.
“I’m going to kill him, Max. If you know anything I don’t, now’s the time to tell me.” The fury built again as I imagined her scared and at his mercy. My jaw clenched, my teeth grinding together.
“Just that he had sent her a text that said he owes her one or something like that. That was how I know for sure it was him.”
“Really,” I said, stretching my neck side to side. “Well, we will see who pays who when he gets home.”
“We could sit here all night, you know.”
“Then we sit.” I leaned forward, popping my knuckles. “But we may have just gotten lucky.”
A set of lights turned down the gravel road and the vehicle sped our way.
I focused on controlling my breath as my anticipation grew. I liked to go into fights as controlled as possible. It made picking apart the opposition that much easier. It was something my boxing instructor had taught me growing up and had proven to be right every time I needed it … and I had needed it a time or twelve.
“It looks like his SUV,” Max said quietly, leaning forward on the steering wheel.
“Okay. As soon as he pulls in, slide the truck in behind him. If he gets in the house, he won’t come out. He’ll know why I’m here.”
Adrenaline started shooting through me, making me feel like a live wire. I inhaled deeply, trying to keep myself in check and ready for the task at hand.
The task of tearing Simon Powers apart limb by limb.
Max slowly pulled his truck around the barn with the lights off as the Avalanche approached the house. Simon hit the gravel of his driveway and Max hit the gas, flying up to the mouth of the driveway as Simon exited his SUV.
I hopped out of the truck, my nostrils flaring, and rushed around the front.
I vaguely heard Max’s footsteps behind me as I stalked forward. Simon stood beside the front of his car, his eyes darting around the darkness.
“Well, well, well. Imagine finding you out here,” Simon said, the arrogance I had always known him to have loud and clear.
I couldn’t stop the smile that slowly spread across my face. I was going to enjoy this way more than was fucking right.
With every step, my heart beat faster, every sense heightened. It was all I could do to reign myself in and not just knock him the fuck out. But I couldn’t do that.
Anticipation was half the fight and I wanted him to have the full experience.
Simon stood upright, throwing his shoulders back. His fists were balled at his side and I grinned, hoping he would at least fight back so I could extend his pain … and my pleasure.
“Put your hands up,” I instructed, trying to keep myself from just planting him into the ground.
Simon cocked his head to the side, eyeing Max for a split second before landing his sights on me again. “You know I’m a lover not a fighter, Cane. Just ask the little bitch I took to dinner tonight.”
The words were the detonator to my fuse, ensuring that he would be unrecognizable the next morning.
“Put your motherfucking hands up, Powers!” I boomed, motioning for him to raise his fists. I brought mine up to my chin and looked down my knuckles, waiting for him to get ready.
There would be no mistake this was a fight.