Page 91 of Diesel's Perseverance
“When they were together, it was good. We had dinner as a family, Mom didn’t go out on the weekends, and Dad… well, Dad had his pool buddies. But Sundays, he’d putter around in his workshop. I used to help him, remember?”
“Yeah. I never did know what the hell you were doing in there.” He chuckled.
“Bonding with Dad. You were never interested in the workshop. You’ve always been a rebel.”
“Guess I have. I know not having our people give a shit bothered you much more than it did me.”
“Stop calling them ‘our people.’ They are ourparents—Mom and Dad. You always gave them trouble even before you were a teenager. I tried like hell to please them, do what I thought they wanted me to do. You said they were shitty parents, but they tried; money just was tight, and I hated being looked down on by the rich sonsofbitches at school, that’s all.”
“It’s best not to give a damn about what people think.”
“I’m not like you. I can’t do that. Icarewhat people think. I wanted to come back to Hayes and show all the assholes that I made it. You should’ve seen some of their fucking faces when I came back home to visit Mom and Dad last year. I arrived in a bright red shiny Mercedes convertible. Jade almost shit her tight-fitting jeans when she saw me roll into town. I bumped into her on Main Street the next day, and she went out of her way to chat with me. She never gave me the time of day in high school. Jade was one of the rich bitches who thought their shit didn’t stink, but there she was, laughing and talking and evenflirtingwith me. It felt good, you know?”
Diesel looked at the expanse of blue in the distance, watching the waves tumble onto the shore in an endless rhythm while seagulls swooped toward the pier. He leaned back against the chair. “Yeah, I bet it did. Let’s talk in person. We got a lot of memories to catch up on. Just let me know where you are, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“I told you– I’m nowhere.”
His brow creased. “This is stupid shit, man. I told you I can help you.”
“I can’t do time like you. I wouldn’t survive.”
“I can help you disappear and start a new life somewhere else. The brotherhood will be behind you.”
“Do Mom and Dad know about…” His voice trailed.
“Nah.”
“The cops didn’t go to them?”
“The badges don’t know shit. I made sure everything was cleaned up. There’s no evidence. There’s nothing but an empty house.”
“But Peter knows.”
Diesel scooted closer to the cell phone on the table. “Peter who?” Of course, he knew, but he wanted Freddy to keep talking, hoping his brother would slip and say where he was staying.
“Cano. He’s a bastard, but I made a shitload of money with him. He hooked me up. I was living in a ten-thousand-square-foot mansion. Can you believe that? Whaddya think about that? No one ever thought I’d make it.”
“That’s cool. I never doubted you, bro. So you were in business with this Cano dude?”
“Sorta. I started the pain clinics, but he came to me and wanted in. He cameto me.”
Scratchy, rough-edged laughter rang out over the phone.
“Then what happened?” Diesel asked softly.
“We partnered up, but I never trusted the bastard. Never thought he was on the up and up, but he had the connections and the protection, so I just went with it. The money kept coming in. So fucking much money. My girl was scared and kept telling me to stop whatever I was doing. She thought it was too much money. She never liked the house and thought it was too big, giving her the creeps. You know Myla, right?”
Guilt ripped through him. “Yeah.”
“She wrote to you while you were in the slammer. I was jealous of that. I guess I was always a bit jealous of you and how women flocked to you. But once I had some bucks, I was a chick magnet.” Freddy laughed too loud. “All I wanted to do is fuck. Myla had become a pain in the ass, but I didn’t know how to break up with her. Anyway, she made the best Irish stew I ever ate.” He laughed again.
“Where’s Cano now?”
“Cano? Oh, that asshole. He’s got his goons looking for me. He wants me real bad. I offed his baby brother. I’m not sorry I did. I’m sorry that I left Myla to deal with that mess. I called her a couple of times and she said she was in Elizabeth, but I didn’t believe her. I wonder where she is.”
“Why did you leave her with that mess?”
“I had to get outta there. I knew my ass was on the line.”
