Tommy looked at me. “Don’t, Wes. For Aton’s sake.”
“What’s happening out here?” a nurse asked as she came rushing to the room.
“My friend here slipped in some spilled coffee,” Tommy said.
“What happened to his face?” the nurse asked.
Danny’s left cheek was red and swollen.
“He’s allergic to coffee,” Tommy said. “Must have splashed on his face.”
“Can someone get me a fucking towel?” Danny growled. “Christ.”
I had to laugh to myself as I shook my head. Danny looked like a complete fool on the ground, sitting in coffee, but it was far better than what I had intended on doing to his face.
I wanted to fight anything with a pulse. Normally, when I got into that kind of mood, I would turn to the bedroom to relieve some tension. I didn’t even want that. Because of freaking Rose. I swore I’d never let beauty overcome the truth. I had seen some powerful guys get taken down because they fell for some woman.
That would never happen to me.
She was lucky I dropped her off when I did.
Christ, what have I done?
Her brother shot Aton. I could have kept her. I could have used her right now to get to Luke. The Assassin. The masked fighter that had killed Shane. The emotions all rose with me.
Even watching Danny clean himself up didn’t help. Hell, even when he stepped right back in the coffee and slipped again, almost taking the nurse to the ground, didn’t help me smile.
I was devastated. My blood was rich and pure like the rest of them. Not like the family Aton belonged to. No matter my loyalty or ability to throw a decent punch, it wouldn’t help a damn thing when the foot came down. I was Irish blood, nothing but a worthless street fighter.
“You look like shit,” Tommy said to me.
I leaned against the wall. “I can’t process this why her brother would do this.”
“Why do you think Aton wanted her taken out?” Tommy asked. “It’s no good, Wes. Even the marriage. You and her together? That’s a problem. I’m not blaming you for what happened to Aton… but… damn…”
If I hadn’t lied about being married to Rose, it wouldn’t have fucking happened, Tommy. I know that. I get that. Fuck.
Tommy looked around. Then he got closer. “Truth, Wes? Fucking Danny should have been on top of things. I don’t know how it happened. I just got the call. A fucking bullet.”
Tommy’s fat chin wrinkled and started to shake. He sniffed hard and turned his head. He then punched the wall and walked away.
Danny looked at me. “What’d you say to him?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“Yeah. Bullshit.” Danny wiped his pants with the towel and then tossed it across the waiting room. “When this is settled, your ass is gone, Wes. I’m done with you.”
“Fuck you, Danny,” I said.
Danny didn’t say a word to me. I stared into his eyes. I didn’t trust him one bit. He was a real piece of shit. In it for the money. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was somehow taking more from Aton than Aton knew.
I thought about getting another coffee, but I ended up seated, hands folded, staring at the floor again. I couldn’t get Rose out of my damn mind. Whether it was her beauty, her honesty, or how fucked up her life was, she had pierced me somehow. If I had kept my mouth shut, she’d have been dead and I’d be in my apartment, drinking and waiting for the next fight.
Instead…
The doors opened. I looked up and saw a doctor standing there. He looked a little weary. He had his sleeves rolled up and looked around the room.
“Aton?” I asked. “Is he…”
The doctor frowned and put his hands to his hips.
I wanted the world - and Rose - to burn.
~
The machines beeped, the only real signs of life from Aton as I walked into the dark room. I pushed a curtain aside like I was about to see a drug deal or card game go down. This was a far cry from the life Aton had gotten used to. Most of the guys that ended up in a hospital were there from old age and beat up hearts. If they took a bullet, it was almost always a kill shot.
There was only one person allowed at a time in the room.
The nurse stood next to me, our shoulders almost touching. She was a pretty little thing. A blondie that looked really good in all the white clothes. Fuck, those clothes would look better on the floor of a linen closet with my hands holding her waist while she bit her lip to keep from screaming while I pounded into her.
But that wasn’t going to happen. All I could stare at was the breathing tube sticking out from Aton’s mouth. He looked dead. He was normally full of life and full of color. His loud voice rang in my memory, but he was silenced now. I made fists and gritted my teeth. I wanted to tell the son of a bitch to wake the fuck up. To tell me what happened. To tell me how I could help.
But I wasn’t one of his guys. Christ, I probably had no business being in the room right now. The only reason I was was because Tommy and Danny thought Rose was my wife. The blood connection that started this war rested in my damn lap over a lie to keep myself and Rose alive.