“What?”
“You think my father doesn’t have an entire vault of blackmail shit? Believe me, he does. You’re not family, Antonio. You’re a commodity and you’ve got a mouth so that puts you very firmly in the danger column. You’re only ever any use to him when he controls you. You take away his control, he has nothing.”
“You’re talking bullshit.”
“I’m not. I can access everything, just give me a chance.”
“Tell me who the fuck that man is in the picture. Tell me that isn’t a Fed.”
Raphael stepped toward the picture. “I’m not going to shoot you so don’t fucking do the same.”
Antonio lowered his gun, as did Raphael. He reached down, grabbed the picture, and opened it up. “Fuck!”
“Who is it?”
“It’s Timothy,” he said. “He’s a fucking doctor genius who likes to hurt people the justice system failed. He’s not a damn Fed.” He dropped the picture and called Timothy. There was no answer.
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” Antonio asked.
“You don’t, but that’s the man I took Elenore to. The slave girl you keep calling her. He’s on my side. He doesn’t report to my father. He works for me and I pay him in criminals. I’m not ratting out anyone. I’m fucking innocent, and if my father has this, then he knows where Timothy is. Fuck! He’s got her, he’s got Elenore.”
“How would he have Elenore?” Antonio asked.
“Because that’s where I was when I got your call. My father knew all along and he played me.” He lifted his gun. “Did you tell him? Did you do this on purpose?”
“No!” Antonio said. “Believe it or not, I’m your friend.”
“A friend who was willing to shoot me?”
“No, a friend who was willing to protect his woman because he thought you’d turned rat. You don’t think I don’t know who controls me? What he has on me?”
“I’ll give it all to you, including your freedom. You will never have to look over your shoulder. You’ll be free, just help me kill my father once and for all and protect my woman. I promised her she’d never get hurt and I already failed.”
****
After Raphael left
“Do you want a drink?” Timothy asked.
“No, thank you.”
Elenore looked down at her notebook. All of the hard work she’d been doing seemed kind of a waste of time. Raphael was gone. She was all alone again. That was all she ever seemed to be, alone.
You’re nothing.
No, I’m not.
Yes, you are.
Her own thoughts were turning against her.
She sniffled.
Timothy didn’t leave. He walked into the room and perched on the edge of the bed. “I know it seems like it’s more than you can handle, but I promise you, Raphael is coming back for you.”
“And if his father kills him?”
“I try not to think so negatively.”
“Raphael told me how he pays you. For someone who likes to be given human beings to hurt, you seem to see the negative in everyone.”
“I do. I enjoy hurting those who for whatever reason have gotten away with it. I don’t like it. I never have,” Timothy said. “But I don’t see that as a bad thing. They did bad things, and they need to be punished.”
“You’re doing a bad thing and getting away with it.”
“That’s because I’m righting a wrong.”
She sighed.
“I won,” he said.
She laughed. “You didn’t win.”
“I totally did. I won.”
“I don’t know if I like you very much right now.”
“It’s okay. Not a lot of people like me. It’s why I enjoy the quiet.”
“If you hate bad people so much, why are you helping Raphael?” she asked. “You know he’s done bad things.”
“Ah, I guess you can say he’s my exception to the rule. Raphael does bad things because he has no choice. He’s given instructions but I also know he does whatever he can to make it right.”
“So long as they have an excuse or a reason, you don’t mind what it is they do or don’t do?” she asked.
“Correct.”
“I find you confusing.”
“And I find you refreshing, Elenore. Do you like your name?”
“I do,” she said. “It’s better than being called Useless. For a long time, it’s what I thought my name was.”
“I couldn’t imagine being born into a life of slavery.”
“I didn’t know any different. I couldn’t imagine having nice parents.”
“Not every parent is nice, believe me.”
She giggled.
The moment came to a stark end as an alarm blared through his entire house.
Timothy tensed up and grabbed her arm. “Time to go.”
“What’s happening?”
“I’m being robbed.” He pulled her out of the room and they headed past the kitchen. He grabbed a knife and she cried out as the first person they came to attacked. Timothy stabbed him through the chest. He pulled out the knife.
He did that same with two more people, only, at the third, he was attacked.
“Run,” Timothy said, screaming above the sound.
Just as she was about to run, someone grabbed her around the throat.