Broken Kings (House of Cards Series 0)

Tercer Paso: La llegada

The aftermath of Reaper's first successful taste of vengeance was swift, brutal and not always from the expected source. The mafia men struck against the Barrio Boys, other gangs that were out for blood of the Barrio were trying to sniff Reaper's location down to eliminate him for favour, and he had come down with an extremely nasty case of withdrawals.

He was holed up in the Barrio Boys' newest safe house, in a more affluent area of the city which made movement too and from the house chancey at best. And Reaper was down with the cold sweats and shakes. His stomach was knotted cruelly and his digestive system would cramp and neigh explode without warning. It necessitated that he stay in and close to bathroom, maintaining stoney silence throughout his misery while the few Barrio Boys who were more than just thugs to him looked on in sympathy.

The worst of it was being unable to avail himself of the pharmacy that his family ran, because to try would involve explaining to his parents just exactly what it was he had used and why he had to use it if he wasn't a drug addict. Just a wraith full of wrath. It was the perfect day for a boy who had no clue of the world he was entering to knock on the Barrio Boys' door.

The others had all scampered to the four winds as Malcolm's body slowly expelled the toxins he'd volentarily poisoned himself with. There's nothing anyone can do to make the process easier, and they had all learned a long time ago that when Reaper's patience finally did snap, it was best NOT to be around for the fallout. And yet Malcolm limped to the door and opened it, surprised to see a kid who was maybe twelve or thirteen stadning at the door and looking him straight in the eye. The kid was tall for his age, and painfully slender. As if he wasn't always getting three square meals a day until recently. And he had the strangest golden eyes that Malcolm had ever seen.

"I'm Westley Vincent James Jr." the kid introduced, thrusting his hand out towards Malcolm, voice confident even though Reaper could see the kid's hand shake as he held it out.

And for some reason Malcolm would never understand, he smiled at the kid and shook his hand. "Hello West. I'm Reaper."

"Reaper? That's not a real name." West stated with surprise.

"It's not my real name. But in this city, it's always safer if no one knows who you really are." Malcolm explained in a moment of cynical honesty. "What are you doing here kid? It isn't exactly safe to wander the streets without an adult." he had to ask, actually little worried over the bold tyke.

"I don't exactly have an adult available and I got tired on waiting for him to remember I existed." West replied with irritation lacing his tone. Although he was young, Malcolm already got a sense that this kid was less innocent now than Mal had been at that age. So he did something this kid never expected, he treated him with respect.

"Alright then, I promise not to murder you or do anything unsightly to you. Would you like to come in for a pop and video games?" Reaper asked, turning from the door, confident that the boy would follow him in. He'd seen that same look in his eyes too many times at that age not to recognize it; cautionless curiosity. Before the world shows boys how big, mean and nasty it really is, they believe they can handle anything that comes at him. West's spanish was accented and Malcolm knew he wasn't a local boy, but no matter what culture he came from it would be the same. The child had too much reckless in him to be easily managed by a regular adult. "Why did you come knock on the door?" Malcolm asked and he pulled out the few non alcoholic drink the Barrio Boys left in the fridge. This wasn't the main safe house, just the safest, the rest of the guys were laying false trails on where Reaper was holed up until the heat was off.

"I've been watching the street since I moved in with mi padre. Everyone else looks like they belong here but this house, no one here belongs. You all move more like los matones from home." West stated with confidence. "I finally wanted to come see if I was right and you are all bandidos too."