“Making sure you’re not going to try and kill me,” I said.
Tommy opened his arms. “I’m not here to hurt anyone. Jesus Christ, Wes.”
Tommy smiled ear to ear. He looked more excited than I'd ever seen him in my life. Hell, the only time he got excited was when he got to blow people up.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Do you realize what the hell is going on right now? I had to fi…”
“Wes, shut up,” Tommy said. He stepped into the cabin and put his hands to my shoulders. “He’s alive.”
“What?”
“Aton. He’s alive.”
“He’s always been alive.”
“No, Wes. He’s awake. He’s up. He’s… he’s Aton.”
I was in shock. I couldn’t speak.
Tommy still grinned ear to ear.
Behind me, I felt Rose touch my back.
“Aton is awake?” Rose asked.
“Yeah,” Tommy said. “Awake. Sitting up. Talking. Eating. It’s like nothing ever happened to him.”
“I don’t…,” I said.
“He just popped up. Doctors said it happens all the time. Just how the body works. He opened his eyes and started tearing at the tubes in his mouth and nose and stuff. He’s going to be fine. He remembers everything. He’s not telling the police though, of course. This is family. This is business.”
“That’s amazing,” I said.
“He wanted to know where you were.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. He wants to talk to you.” Tommy’s eyes went from me to Rose, back to me. “He’s wants to talk about everything.”
“Everything,” I said.
“He’s going to tear your brother apart,” Tommy said to Rose. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” Rose said. “He better gut Luke.”
“Not if I can get to him first,” I said.
Tommy patted my cheek. “Look at you. That Irish blood boiling over. I wish you were from the old country, kid. You’d do so good in a suit and tie. Out on the street with me.”
“Never,” I said. “I couldn’t stand your smell.”
Tommy laughed. “Look at him. Talking like his Irish shit don’t stink.”
My head spun.
Aton was alive. He was awake. He knew it was Luke who shot him. He knew everything. That meant…
“When can I see him?” I asked. “I need to tell him so much of everything, Tommy. That fight I had… that was some kind of set up. You now? The guy I fought, Phantom…”
“Whoa, whoa,” Tommy said. “What are you talking about? Phantom? He was a low life dealer, Wes. He was found shot twenty times down by the river.”
“What? I fought him.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yes, he did,” Rose said. “I was there.”
“What the fuck…” Tommy shook his head. He stepped back and kept his hand out. “Wes, I’m telling you, Phantom was a dealer. Some scumbag that was always in debt. There’s no way you…”
I opened my mouth, ready to scream. What the fuck was Tommy talking about? I was there. I punched Phantom. Phantom punched me. It was a goddamn fight. And then… the gun… shot…
I looked at Tommy, trying to make the connection of it all.
Before I could speak, Tommy’s neck exploded. Literally.
35.
(Rose)
I screamed because I knew what had happened.
Tommy had been shot.
I grabbed at Wes, trying to wrestle him to the ground. But he didn’t move. He stood there like a statue, definitely in shock.
I screamed in his ear and he shook me away. As he turned, tossing me to the floor, a bullet flew through the cabin and went through the back window. Wes turned, his eyes went wide, and he dropped down.
That was just in time for another bullet to zing through the cabin.
The bullets kept flying as Wes crawled on the floor toward Tommy.
“Wes…”
There was blood pouring from Tommy’s mouth and nose. His neck was rubbery and looked like strings of spaghetti. I had no idea how he was still alive. Not that it mattered because he died a second later.
Wes got to his knees and hovered over Tommy. His hands were inches away, moving, like he wanted to comfort Tommy, but he didn’t know how.
That’s when Wes jumped to his feet and let out a roar like a wild beast. He charged to the front door of the cabin.
I grabbed at the couch and pulled myself up. As I stood, I was then greeted with a gun to the side of my head. A man in a black mask stood there.
“Hey,” he said.
“Wes!” I yelled.
Wes turned and the man put a hand out. “No dumb moves, motherfucker.”
As Wes put his hand up, another man in a black mask came from the kitchen. He charged at me. Now there were two guns pointed at me.
“I think we get the point,” I said.
“Shut up, bitch,” the second guy said.
Wes stepped forward, eyes on fire.
“Do it,” the guy tempted. “I’d love to paint her brains all over the cabin.”
Wes stopped again. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”
“No, Wes, you don’t.”
I thought about making a move. I could throw an elbow and duck down. Right? I could make some wild escape. Wes could dart out the front door and I’ll dart out the back door. Then we could meet up out back and…
“Fucking pieces of shit,” Wes muttered.
From the corner of my eye I saw both guys were looking at Wes.
This is your chance. Do it!