Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I reluctantly understood that Finn showed mercy in his own way—by letting Tony live, at least for the moment, for Colby’s sake. Now it was up to Tony. Finn had spared Colby from watching his brother die. That was something.
“Alfie, youse get outta hea,” Kellan told me. “Eric’s running interference in a few seconds.”
“Okay, cheers.” I assumed he’d get a ride with his hubby later. So I gestured for Colby to follow me, and he grimaced, embarrassment coloring his cheeks. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. We’d find something he could sit on in the car until he got cleaned up.
CHAPTER 9
Alfie Scott
Technically, it was a motel.
I stayed in the doorway as Colby packed up his shit, including Tony’s things. If Tony wanted his bag, Kellan could arrange for a pickup—or we shipped it to Dublin. I didn’t care. All I knew was, Colby was checking out of here tonight.
The stains on the carpet spoke of years of guests spilling, throwing up, getting off, maybe bleeding, and…pissing, by the smell of it. The two beds were different heights, one looked awfully lumpy, and the closest nightstand had one leg duct-taped.
We were also half an hour outside Camden—on the wrong side.
“What’s the rate here?” I asked.
Colby heaved a breath and stuffed another bundle of clothes into a duffel. “Um, about sixty bucks.”
“Youse got robbed.” I wouldn’t stay here if I got paid a grand a night.
He shrugged a little. “The TV works.”
Even with scratches across the screen? Impressive.
“Not too many bed bugs either.”
Oh, for chrissakes. I immediately moved off the doorframe and wiped my arm.
“And you’ve been here for how long?” I asked.
“Um, a few weeks. We was at another place before, but we got kicked out.”
I hummed. Since we’d left the safehouse, I’d asked a handful of questions to get to know Colby a little, and he always spoke in terms of “we” and “us,” but I was getting the distinct feeling that the guilty party for most of the bad shit was Tony.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?” I wasn’t gonna correct his grammar when my own wasn’t the best either, but I was definitely curious about when he’d dropped out. ’Cause it was clear he had. This wasn’t just summer break.
“I don’t know. They never taught me anything valuable.”
Right.
He hesitated by the bathroom door. “Do you mind if I, uh…”
He wanted to freshen up. No wonder.
I checked my watch. Ah, Christ. It was almost three in the morning.
“Make it quick,” I said.
He nodded and ducked in with a pair of jeans and a tee.
While I waited, I brought out my personal phone, and I was stupidly a little wounded there was no text from West. Then again, gone were the days when I’d deserved his worry.
He’d never been one of those who wanted to keep me from my friends or anything, not that I’d ever had many, but he’d wanted to know when I was planning on coming home, so he could either meet up with me, come get me, or just know when to expect me.
I sent him a message in case he was up.
I’ll be back in an hour to uphold my promise to Trip.
I stood up straighter automatically when the “read” symbol flashed at the bottom almost instantly. So he was awake, that was for sure.
As the seconds ticked by, I figured he wasn’t going to reply, though. Not even with a thumbs-up reaction.
“Heartbreakin’ cunt,” I muttered to myself.
Forty-five minutes later, we were closing in on Ardmore, and I’d picked up food for us after I’d heard Colby’s stomach growl one time too many.
He inhaled his hoagie as if his life depended on it, he was still skittish and wary of eye contact, and he called me boss and sir.
There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I was dropping him off at a hotel.
“Did your brother sign youse up for shipments because of the money?” I asked.
I’d been around Kellan long enough to know many in upper management had started out early. Fourteen-fifteen wasn’t unusual to dip your toes in petty crimes if you’d grown up in the syndicate. But to volunteer to accept shipments was another level of stupid. If you got caught, you fucking went away.
Colby nodded and peeled away more of the wrapping around his hoagie. “He said we could afford an apartment faster.”
Yeah, you could also find yourself serving ten years in prison faster if you didn’t know what the fuck you were doing.
“And JJ didn’t mind?” I pressed.
The kid made a face and shrugged. “He advised against it, I guess.”
He should’ve put his foot down and said no, period. Tony and Colby had technically been a part of JJ’s crew, so it was his decision.
“I take it you’re cousins through your moms?” I mean, since they didn’t share a last name. “Where did you grow up?”