Double Edge | WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST + AMBYS 2023 WINNER

Chapter 13

"He kept looking, and when he saw your face, he kind of smiled. It was weird and rubbed me the wrong way." Anthony scratched his head. "Kimi unlocked this car close by and told me to get in it. So, I hurried up and got the dude to leave."

So the creep saw me and smiled. It couldn't have been Tommy. I'd snapped his neck. He didn't have a heartbeat before I blacked out. "What did he look like?" I asked.

"I don't know, short dude, baggy hoodie."

I cocked a brow. Short dude? Anthony slowly nodded. "He was big, though. Like," he flexed his arms to imitate muscles, "worked out on the regular. I could tell by the muscles on his neck and shit."

A short dude with muscles? Didn't ring a bell. "And he just left?"

"After he looked at you, yeah." Anthony's jaw clenched. "At first he looked worried, like, he was going to help. But when I told him I got it, he saw all the blood on the floor and smiled." He gulped, looking down at his shoes, "I think he said, 'Finally.'"

I gripped the car door's handle so hard it cracked. Finally. It sounded like whoever it was wanted me dead. I snorted. Was it because I hunted down my old 'friends?' This has to be the guy at this last address.

"Thanks, man," I said as I closed the door and rolled down the window. Anthony peered at me with curious, concerned eyes. The electrical pulses in his brain went nuts. I sighed. "I'll be alright if that's what you were wondering."

"Yeah." He rubbed his hands together. He was nervous.

I snorted again, shook my head, and looked at the road in front of me. "When you get the eggs, make sure they're extra large eggs." I glanced back at him as I pressed the engine button. The engine came to life. "And tell my mom I love her."

"Wait—" Anthony tried to open the door again, but I didn't want to give him a chance. It felt like he'd try to get me to stay, to see my mother instead. I had never seen him like this. He'd found me on the side of the road, coughing blood, near death; Anthony's fears rose to the surface. He was afraid. And he knew wherever I was going; there was a chance I wouldn't come back.

Honestly, I knew that, too. My odds tonight were fifty-fifty. But I hung onto hope that one of those sides was higher, stronger; I wanted to see my mom and daughter one more time. More than once. I sacrificed my freedom for this chance, but seeking revenge could take that from me. I'm a man who stuck to his commitments, regardless of what they were. Too much like my dad.

"You better come back!" Anthony's shout echoed as I sped down the road.

***

My internal GPS beeped when I got close to the address. This wasn't like the neighborhoods I grew up in. Modern condominiums and larger-scaled houses replaced old-school buildings and signature bungalows. Fucking mansions. I parked in front of one of them. Someone's living the life, huh?

With one hand on the steering wheel, I stared up the long, clean driveway brightened by small garden lights. Two cars were parked in front of the garage. Both glistened, glowing under the moon. I snorted, annoyed. My fingers slipped behind my ear and pressed. A conversation log appeared. I mentally selected Kimi's name; it took a second, and a chime echoed in my head. Kimi was on the line.

"You're there," she whispered.

I nodded, not that she could see. My mechanical eye changed, scanning the environment. No one was close by. Not even security. Figured in a neighborhood like this, the patrol would be somewhere, or guard dogs, something.

"Do you know who's supposed to be here, Kim?" I asked, trailing my tongue over my lip. My mouth was dry, and I needed water. I should've had some before I left.