Darkness Falls

Chapter twenty-one

Willis reached for his coat and set his bag down by the front door. 

"So you're leaving now?" I asked. 

"I'm going to tell him and leave. Why drag it out?" He shrugged. 

"I thought you were going to wait?" 

"I don't want to. I just want to tell him and get out of here. The sooner the better." 

I nodded, rubbing my hands together, which suddenly felt chilly. 

Will came and wrapped me in a hug like when I was younger and he was just 'Uncle Will' who came around every weekend to play with me and teach me things like how to climb a tree and use a pocket knife. He did all the things my papá never did with me and taught me all the skills I had hoped Papá would teach me. 

He walked towards the door where Papá would be behind the soundproof walls before spinning around and biting his lip as he looked at me. 

"Hey, can you stay with me when I break the news?" He asked. 

"Sure. Why, are you a bit scared?" 

"He'll kill me." He muttered. "You know what he says. Once you're in, you're in."

He took a deep breath, touched the gun at his side for reassurance and opened the door without another word. 

"Nicky?" He asked. 

"Yes, Will?" 

He didn't look up and I considered backing out whilst he was still calm. But I couldn't abandon Will. Not after all the crap I'd put him through with my reckless behaviour over the years. 

"Nick, I don't want to do this anymore." Will said, clearly, with not a hint of fear in his tone. 

"No one does. If you don't want to file then you can find something else to do. There's lots of mail that needs sorting out. Errands to run. Though I need you to check through these once I've finished with them." He muttered, not looking up from a file of names or something on his desk. 

"No, Nicky. I don't want to do this anymore. Any of it. I quit." 

That caught his attention. 

"What?" Papá said, pushing his chair back.

"I quit." He said again.

"Willis, what are you doing?"

"I want a steady, legal job, Nick. I don't want this to be my future."

"Well tough. When you're in, you're in. Will, you know this."

"Well I want out." He said. "I want to be able to get up and go to work without checking over my shoulder. I want my family to be safe from danger. And I want, for once, to have a job that doesn't lead to prison."

Papá's eyes glowed with an anger I had never seen before.

"You don't leave this job, Will. You know this better than anyone. There is only one way out, and I still have use for you at the moment." 

"I quit." He said again. 

"You have no idea what you're doing, Will. Think carefully about your next move." 

"I have thought carefully. I've thought it over and this is my decision." Willis said, meeting his eyes. "I know what I'm doing. I'm ready for something new." 

"You were just a kid when he took you on. What do you know about a legal job? Where would you even get the qualifications necessary?" He growled, and I could tell he realised that he was serious. He was scared. Few people had done this before.