Cell Mates (boyxboy) (Book 1: Behind Bars)

Chapter 41: Family.

"Awhile back my dad told me he had a plan to set us up for life." James began. " I won a scholarship, but he wanted me to go to college feeling comfortable, without having to work while going to school, but we didn't have that kind of money and..." he wiped his eyes with  the tail of his shirt.

"Anyway, I didn't really take him seriously. He always has all these plans and schemes  that never work...but... it wasn't long after he told me that he started bringing in cash...buying me things, things we couldn't ever afford before." Another deep breath.

"I knew though, I knew he couldn't be getting the cash legally, I just knew, it but I didn't care...for the first time we had things and my dad was happy so-"

"We don't have time for this." Eddie interrupted. "The longer we stay here the closer they come to finding us."

"Unless they have intimate knowledge of this place, it'll take them a good while to find us." John told him, but Eddie wasn't having it.

"Yeah well I'd rather not sit here and wait for them. We've gotta make a move."

"With what? We've got four bullets between us. We're not exactly equipped to start a war with these people." Nate responded. "If there's a chance we can get information to use against them...information to scare them, or bluff our way through, then we'd better take it." He finished.

Eddie shook his head, but otherwise remained quiet, and Nate nodded at James to continue.

"One night my dad came home...he was a mess. Been crying and...just a mess, and that's when he told me everything. About where he got the money and that he was dealing drugs and..." James wiped at the fresh tears again, then jerked when he heard something downstairs smash against the floor. When he realized we were waiting intently for him to continue he did.

"My dad saw some things...people getting killed, and he couldn't stand it anymore so he told them he wanted out. They threatened him, threatened to kill both of us, and his boss is somebody really powerful so he told me he didn't have a choice.

"When he came home that night, he'd just killed somebody. They made him do it. The guy at the party...they made him kill him." James continued, his red, watery eyes pleading with each of us to believe him.

"Joseph Menza you mean." I said quietly and James nodded.

I looked at Nate, my heart in my throat, not sure how to feel now that we'd finally discovered the truth. I suppose I should feel relived, or even angry at James for not coming forward with the information as soon as he'd found out, but I only felt sick to my stomach.

"Why'd they make him kill Menza?" I interrogated but James shook his head.

"I don't know. He was one of the dealers, I think he owed money...I don't know."

"So the guys after us now, they think you have something on them and that's why they're after you." John said and James nodded.

"Is that why your dad left the apartment? Because he knew they'd come after him too?" Kyle questioned. This time James looked a bit uncertain.

"It's why he sent me to a university out of state. He wanted to hide me, just in case they tried anything, but they didn't have a reason the come after us. My dad was still on board...well he was until they killed Malone." James trailed off and I leaned closer.

"Malone?" Nate questioned, his brows knitted together in confusion.

"This guy I knew back in high school. He was my friend, I was stupid, I told him, and he went to the prison and they killed him because he was gonna talk."