Page 61 of Carnage
He kicks his feet happily. “Maybe I could get a job there. I don’t know how to dance or anything, but I could be a server.”
That idea makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle. “I’m not sure you’d like that. It’s a nice place but…” But what? What is making me hesitant? Rue is an adult, and he can do whatever he wants. If Specter can be cool with Colson dancing there, why would I have any reason to care what Rue does? It’s not like he’s my man.
“But?” Rue asks.
“I don’t know what I was gonna say. You can do whatever you want.”
He tilts his head. “Are you mad?”
“Of course not.” I sit in the armchair and tug on my boots. “Why would I be?”
“I don’t know. You just seem… I don’t know, annoyed or something.”
Exhaling slowly, I twist my head left and right to stretch my neck. “I’m not. Sorry. Just focused on what I need to do tonight so you can get on with your life.”
I avoid his eyes. I need to remember that my role in his life is temporary.
“Okay, Carnage,” he says softly. “I appreciate what you’re doing to help me.”
“I know you do.” I let myself look up and immediately wish I hadn’t when I get sucked in by his pretty gaze. He looks so sad and worried and I want to make all those bad feelings go away.
“Tonight will be your fresh start, okay?”
He nods, dragging his bottom lip into his mouth again. I want to tug it away and tell him to be gentle with all his delicate features, but that seems weird and probably overbearing. He doesn’t need another pushy man in his life.
“I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”
“Okay.”
I leave the room before I’m tempted not to. What the fuck is going on in my head? Whatever it is, I need to push it down and focus on the task at hand: Making Leon sorry he was ever born.
Once I make my way downstairs, I’m joined by Stealth, Boone, and Wraith. We gather in the rec room with the rest of my brothers except Phantom. He’s out dealing with his own target, but promised to check in when he’s done and join us if needed.
I’m hoping this is gonna be easy and quick, but I get the feeling it’s not. Something about Leon rubs me wrong, like he’s not being straightforward at all. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll actually believe I’m going to hand Rue over to him.
Whisper looks up from his computer. We picked him to be the Rue decoy as he’s the closest in height and build. He’s wearing a gray hoodie, and with the hood up, you can’t see that his hair is darker and he’s considerably older, though he looks great for his age. He could easily pass for being in his late twenties or early thirties instead of pushing forty. He says it’s because he’s never smoked, but I think it’s just good genetics.
There’s a knock at the door that makes all of us turn in that direction, then I hear Colson say he’ll get it. Seconds later, Bellamy’s soft southern lilt reaches us, and my eyes immediately shift to Stealth. His expression remains neutral, but I catch the subtle tick of his jaw. I can’t read the emotion attached to it though. Is he jealous? Annoyed?
Colson, Bellamy, and Rue enter the room, pausing to look at all of us.
“Movie night,” Colson announces.
A few seconds later, Shadow walks in. He sort of smiles but it’s filled with tension.
“Rue is safe with us,” Shadow says, scratching at the thick stubble on his chin. Apparently he’s growing a beard or something since I’ve never seen him with that much hair on his face. “I’ll be here.”
“You’re joining movie night?” Ghost asks, clearly astonished.
“Yes,” Shadow says, his gaze shifting to Stealth, whose expression softens. He actually looks pleased. Oh-kay.
Colson grins, while Bellamy blushes. Rue is staring at his feet. He’s probably nervous about tonight, but I’ll prove he didn’t need to be in just a few hours from now.
“Alright, we should head out,” I announce. “Don’t want to be late.”
Whisper follows me to the car while the rest of our brothers split into different vehicles. We’ll head in first, and if all goes well, Leon will think it’s just me and Rue. Then we’ll unleash hell.
We head out to the old quarry, a desolate place that I know has seen its share of dead bodies. No one comes out of here for good reasons, and it’s not like the cops patrol this far out. It’s the perfect place to leave some dead gangsters.
