“Shut the fuck up. I know you don't mean that shit, but I'll be a goddamned devil before I let you say that fucking bullshit to my face again. You'd better learn to control your tongue, babe, or someone a whole lot shorter fused than me's gonna cut it right off.”
I stopped thinking. My hand went up and grazed his face, slapping him across the cheek.
I didn't care what happened anymore. This hot and cold, good cop-bad cop act had to die, or else I would first. I flew out of my chair before he could grab me and hit the couch.
Rolling, I wondered why he wasn't holding me down, laying into me with words or worse.
What the hell? Brass wasn't even looking at me.
He was staring at Jackie, who'd just come into the room and stood staring at us, one hand clenched on the corner of the wall.
“It's okay!” I spat, twisting my feet to take a normal sitting position. “We were just talking about work...a job opportunity...”
I looked at Brass, hoping he'd give me a little support. His face was completely cold, if it wasn't just pure fire.
“We're done talking. I'm heading out 'til later.” His eyes drilled deeper into mine. “I gave you some shit to think about and said everything I needed to. You're gonna mull it over and find a tutor for your sis while I take care of business.”
He turned, heading straight for the door, and slammed it behind him without another word.
I hated him even when he was gone. He'd just forced me into this hell's tightest corner: trying to convince my sister everything was all right when I didn't believe it for a second.
I didn't hear him come in that night. When I woke up and padded to the bathroom in the morning, I saw the lumpy blanket thrown across the couch, but he wasn't there either.
It wasn't until I went into the kitchen to check and see if we had any food that I finally saw him. He was leaning on the counter, shoveling a bowl of food into his mouth with a spoon.
“Eggs, hash, and sausage. There's more underneath those lids on the stove if you want it. You find a tutor for your sis, or what?”
“Just barely started looking,” I said. “Had other things on my mind.”
It had taken an hour just to calm down and convince Jackie everything was okay. By the time I got on the crappy old computer he'd left us and started to look, my brain was overwhelmed with my own selfish problems.
Rock met hard place the instant I held Brass' dirty money in my hands. The bastard made me realize there was no way out unless I did exactly what he said. I hated it, and hated even it more that I couldn't deny it.
Brass finished his last bite and dropped his bowl in the sink. It landed with a clatter that made me jump. Annoyed, I straightened my long pajama shirt and looked at him.
“Listen, I thought about what you said last night...” I waited until he looked up. “Your club's full of the most disgusting pigs I've ever seen. But that doesn't mean I want to live like this forever. I can't be a prisoner, and neither can Jackie. If I have to clean up their messes to get away from this and get on with my life...I'll do it.”
He cocked his head. Red shame flooded my cheeks. Jesus, who was actually saying these words? I felt disembodied.
“Good. Had a feeling you'd come to your senses eventually. Go clean up, babe. You're heading in with me today.”
Panic clogged my throat. “But...Jackie doesn't have a tutor yet...”
“So? You said you're working on that,” he said, taking a step closer. “I trust you're not shitting me about the girl talking, right?”
Part of me wished she would. If it wouldn't mean changing our names and hiding like rats for the rest of our lives, I wanted Jackie to freak out, run to the police. Anything to get this apartment and their clubhouse raided. My heart swelled with grim satisfaction when I imagined all the Grizzlies clapped in irons and loaded into a SWAT team's van.
Everybody except the bastard standing in front of me. For some unholy reason, imagining him in handcuffs tugged at my heart, filled me with a thick, sickly guilt.
Stepping up to him, I closed the distance between us, standing on my tip-toes until we were eyeball-to-eyeball. “I keep my promises. Neither of us will say anything to anyone. She can stay here...just let me talk to her before we leave.”
I turned before he could say anything and headed for her room. Knocking several times on her door gave no response. I grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open, finding her halfway awake, sprawled out on the narrow double bed.
“What's going on?” My sister sat up, her eyes wide. There'd been too much bad news lately not to panic when these unexpected visits happened.
“I'm going out for awhile. I need you to stay here. There's games and reading to do on the computer. I'd really appreciate it if you can do some math or history while I'm trying to get you the teacher we talked about.”
She wrinkled her nose and sat up, throwing off the covers. “You're working for him, aren't you? Are they even paying you, Missy, or are we just total slaves now?”