We pulled up in front of a large brick apartment building and Dex cut the engine. “Stay in the hallway and bang on the door if anyone’s coming. Then haul your ass down here and start the car.” He handed over the keys.
“You’re not worried I’ll steal it and leave you behind?”
He leveled a hard stare my way. “You’re not that stupid, Roman.”
No, I wasn’t.
“Are we doing something illegal?” I asked. Apparently, I was stupid enough to keep asking questions.
“Nope.”
That wasn’t reassuring.
He punched a code into a keypad by the front doors and we went inside. He looked around for a second before jogging up the wide staircase in front of us. On the second floor, he scanned each apartment door before stopping in front of 4F.
“Stay right here.” He pointed to the wall next to the door like I was an unruly puppy in need of training. “Keep your mouth shut.”
“All right.” I hated everything about this situation, but I was also intrigued. What exactly was he willing to pay me so much money to do?
Satisfied I’d stay like a good boy, he banged on the door.
From inside, someone shouted, “What?”
Dex mumbled something incoherent.
The door opened. “What do you want?”
Dex shoved his way inside.
“What the fuck!? Who are—”
Thump! The unmistakable sound of a fist smashing into someone’s face.
The door slammed shut, but the sounds of the beating on the other side continued.
What did Dex drag me into?
Crash! Thwack! More thumping. I scanned the hallway. All the doors remained shut. None of the neighbors were concerned about the situation in 4F.
Another smash. A loud grunt.
Shit, what if the guy had gotten the upper hand and Dex was the one getting his ass kicked? The dude was obviously nuts, but Juliet loved him. I didn’t want him to get hurt.
I nudged the door open and peeked inside.
“You like beatin’ up on girls, motherfucker?” Dex sneered.
Boom! He slugged the guy in the stomach. With his foot.
“She fell!” the guy on the floor hollered.
Thwack!
“Fell my ass.” Dex pummeled the guy in the face. “This ain’t the first time you put your hands on that girl. But it will be your last.”
And the beating continued.
The guy had not gotten the upper hand. I don’t think he’d even touched Dex.
More punches. A few kicks.
The guy either died or passed out. I couldn't tell and didn’t care to investigate.
Dex looked up and focused on me. I fought the urge to piss my damn pants under his intense stare.
“Christ you’re a sneaky bastard. Didn’t I tell you to stay outside?” His tone wasn’t that sharp. He didn’t seem all that concerned that I’d just witnessed him beating a man half to death. No, the scariest thing about him was how calm and controlled he acted.
“I heard a crash.” I shrugged. “Thought you might need help.”
He cocked his head. “So you ran in here?”
“Well, yeah.”
He chuckled, but I got the sense he approved. The guy at his feet groaned and Dex spit on him.
“Let’s go.” He slipped off his black leather gloves and stuffed them in his vest pocket. Eager to get the hell away from the scene, I followed.
On the sidewalk, he held out his hand for the keys.
“You make a habit of breaking into strangers’ homes and beating the hell out of ’em?” I asked once we were in the car.
“Who said he’s a stranger?”
“Okay, you make a habit of busting—”
“Don’t ask more questions than you want answers to, kid.” He waited a second to see if I’d open my mouth again. “That piece of shit broke a girl’s wrist and shoved her down the stairs so hard she sprained her ankle. She can’t work for weeks now. And she’s got a kid to support.”
Who? His sister? A friend? “You must care about her a lot.”
He glanced over but didn’t say anything at first. We navigated out of the neighborhood and back onto the highway before he spoke again. “Someone who works for me.”
“Calling the police wasn't an option?”
“Why?” His tone sharpened. “So they can harass her for being a stripper, humiliate her, and then do nothing about it anyway? My way’s more effective.”
“Stripper?”
“Crystal Ball.” He smirked. “What’d you think it was?”
I shrugged. “Fortune-teller’s parlor?”
The asshole laughed for a solid minute. “Maybe we’ll host your eighteenth birthday party there. I’ll make sure the girls show you a good time.”
Disgust rolled through me. Watching strange girls dance around naked would feel like cheating on Juliet. “No thanks. Not interested.”
He glanced over and quirked an eyebrow. Was this another test? Whatever. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared straight ahead.
“I see why Juliet likes you,” he said quietly.
No wonder he wanted me to tag along. It solved two issues for him. Payback for the girl who’d been hurt, and the beating provided me with a powerful visual of what would happen to me if I ever hurt Juliet.