The Life: Sacrifice (The Life 3)
“You’re the one who went to med school. Why the hell are you asking me?”
“It means that she won’t be given a viable prescription for pain meds. You know they’ve cracked down on that stuff lately.”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“If that’s not bad enough, do you know what else he did?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“He had her released to her supposed personal driver. Guess who her driver was.”
“What did you do? Follow this woman around the hospital? I thought she wasn’t your patient. Didn’t you have anything better to do?” He still gives me that same disappointed look from when we were kids, and it had the same effect now as it had then, none at all. “Okay, tell me who her driver was.”
“Tommy, that’s who.”
“My Tommy?”
“Yes, you know any other?”
“Well, I guess you don’t have to worry about pain meds then….”
“Draco, this is serious.”
“Never said it wasn’t.”
“If you laugh, I swear, I’ll tell Ma about the time you broke her vase and glued it back together.”
“Bitch ass, I was ten.”
“Doesn’t matter; she still doesn’t know.”
“Fine, I won’t laugh, but what do you want me to do?” He started pacing back and forth again, giving me agita.
“Talk to him.”
“Why don’t you talk to him yourself?” Like, I don’t know.
“You know why. Because I’m the fun uncle who lets him slide, and you’re the annoying parent who doles out punishments.”
“He’s fricking eighteen, not ten. You think he’s still falling for that mess? How much did either of us listen to Pop at eighteen?” He dropped down in the chair across from me, “seriously, Draco, the kid is a menace. I think we spoiled him too much. Come to think of it; he’s more like Pop, don’t you think?” I didn’t even bother answering him, just let him work it out on his own like he always does.
After another ten minutes of his rambling and complaining, he got up and left. I guess my finding humor in Gabe terrorizing ‘that poor woman’ was too much for his Hippocratic oath-taking ass.
Once he left, the mask fell back into place. I couldn’t very well let him know that my kid scares the shit out of me; he’d really be spooked then. I already learned from Lancelot what really went down, though I could’ve guessed from the way the girls acted when they showed up to find the cops on our front steps.
He’s busy worrying about Gabe, and his nieces are mini thugs. I haven’t confronted them yet because I have no idea what to say to them. They just got into trouble for fighting in the damn parking lot, but that didn’t seem to do much good since they’re pulling drive-bys now.
I’m amazed at Gia though, I didn’t think she had it in her, but from the sounds of it, my kids had turned her into them in a matter of weeks. I can’t fault the cops for coming to my door, though I can blame Becky for sending them here. But it looks like Gabe had taken care of that. I’m pretty sure that’s why he’d gone nuclear on her.
If my brother only knew that the one thing I cared about right now was that once my son was done filleting this woman, he might set his sights on something much bigger and much worse, he’d have had a fit. Garrett tends to act as if he didn’t grow up in this family, that he doesn’t know the deal, when the truth is, he and I have done worse in our day, but that’s another story.
I picked up the phone at my elbow and rang the guesthouse. “Tommy, get over here.” I tapped my fingers against the desk as I waited.
“You wanted to see me, boss?”
“Where’d you take her?”
“Take who, boss?” I gave him a look to jog his memory.
“You remember where the car got burned?”
“Geez, Tommy!”
“Hey, it wasn’t my idea.”
“I’m still here, Tommy; my son hasn’t taken over yet. Since when do you do shit like this without telling me about it first?”
“Eighteen boss remember?”
“The old man went through the same with you.” He mumbled that part.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“What kinda condition was she in?”
“Bad, she’s gonna have to crawl outta there the state she’s in.”
“Did he give you any other instructions?”
“Just to make sure she didn’t starve, but since her jaw’s been wired shut, she won’t be able to eat any of the food he sent along with her.” Whoa, Gabe, that’s harsh.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, I’m supposed to check back in two days; if she’s still there, I’m supposed to take her to the homeless place downtown.”
“Why didn’t he just send her there in the first place?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, boss. But if you ask me, I think he’s trying to teach her a lesson.” Some lesson. She might deserve it, but the boy has no give in him; that can be a very dangerous thing, depending on how you look at it.