He was dumb enough to carry his gun in the front of his jeans with his shirt tucked behind it. It provided easy access for me. With his eyes focused on Lily, I was able to snatch the gun and flick the safety just as they’d shown me many times before. I willed my arms to be strong enough to hold the gun steady in my hands and aimed at the man’s head before he could react.
He jerked back a second too late, and when he finally registered his gun in my hand, his eyes widened in surprise a split second before a sneer marred his features.
Lily continued to scream, but I could feel her eyes watching me as well as the eyes of the unknown man across the room. I didn’t dare take my eyes or aim off the worker. He could take this gun from me without much effort if I looked away for even a second.
“What are you going to do with that, boy?”
“What you taught me to do.” I re-aimed the gun, and without hesitation, I squeezed the trigger.
The room was now silent, and my beating heart slowed to an ethereal cadence.
*
PRESENT DAY
“Keiran, I need a favor.”
These impromptu meetings with Mario would have to end. The school’s parking lot in the middle of the day was hardly the place to plan mass murders or acts of conspiracy.
“And by favor you mean something I’m likely going to regret agreeing to?” Mario was constantly involved in numerous dealings that required more than a few favors. Many times, he hinted at recruiting me into his business, but the idea of organized crime bored me.
“Call it an act of good faith,” he grinned jovially.
“Spit it out.” The answer was already no, but whatever it was, I needed to hear. I didn’t trust Mario. He wore too many faces.
“It’s my daughter.”
“You have a kid?”
I didn’t bother to conceal my surprise. As long as I’ve known Mario, he’s never once mentioned a daughter. What else was he hiding? It occurred to me that I hadn’t been doing my homework thoroughly. If all this were going to work in my favor, I would need to ensure all the cards were on the table.
“Yes. She’s a little older than you are, but not by much. With Arthur out for blood, I can’t keep as good of an eye on her.”
“Where is her mother?”
“She’s never met her. Her mother was a crack whore and not a very good one because she’s dead.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“I need you to keep an eye on her until the heat dies down.”
“No.”
“Keiran—”
“I’m not running a babysitting service. I have my own shit to deal with.”
“And how much do you expect to accomplish if I’m weighed down? Remember, you need me just as much as I need you. This can and will work out for all of us,” he stated harshly.
Did he just threaten me?
I stared at him long and hard, weighing my options. There wasn’t a chance in hell that Mario scared me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend.
“Where is she?”
Could I really be entertaining the thought of babysitting his daughter? She may have been older, but her life was essentially in my hands. Mario wouldn't take that lightly.
“She’s on standby. Somewhere safe for now where my men are watching her.”
“Like the men who watched Trevor and Anya?”
“Look, I still have guys on that to find out what happened. I’m just as shocked as you are. No one is talking, but I promise you on the life of my daughter that I did not order the hit. It was a freak accident at best.”
“Someone poured gasoline on two of my classmates and set them on fire and you’re calling it a freak accident?” He still had yet to explain how Trevor and Anya were killed under his watch. Not only were they killed, but they also managed to make it fifty miles away from where they were being held and burned alive just outside of town.
“I know how it sounds, but what would you like me to say? The men on guard were taken care of.”
It was always the same response, and eventually, I would start to do my own digging. If I found out he was responsible, it would tip things in another direction. I didn’t care at all about what had happened to them, but my freedom was on the line.
“How long?”
“Come again?”
“How long do I need to be your daughter’s bodyguard?”