Miranda [Watty Awards 2013]

Chapter 6

Over the next week, I got more insight into Jack's life, and into Brady's as well.

            As far as I could tell, Jack had no idea what his dad was doing for a living, and he didn't care at all, really. To him, Brady was only good for one thing: money. He couldn't care less how Brady got that money, as long as he got a cut.

            And from what I'd heard, Brady got a lot of money. The ring must be bigger than I'd originally thought, if they were giving someone on such low levels that much cash.

            It was plain to me that Brady was obviously going to be one of the future casualties, but I wanted to know what was going to cause that. That weekend, late on Saturday night, I was back on their street, waiting for Brady to make his move. He went out almost every night, and I was almost a hundred percent sure tonight would be included.

            My window was rolled down, tonight bringing with it a break in the temperature, despite the ungodly hour. It was warmer than it had been for weeks, even in Ireland, and I could get by with no heater and my usual old sweatshirt. Besides, without my car turned on at all, I was even more silent than usual. I guess that counted as bonus points.

            A pair of headlights appeared turning the corner at the other end of the street, and I slunk down in my seat so that they wouldn't see me as they passed. I didn't need to, though, because they turned into a house before they got to me. As I sat back up, I could see from here that it was Ethans' house. It was just Brady and Jack in that house, and from what I'd seen of Jack so far I doubted he would be home.

            I watched as a tall man got out of the car, walking straight into Ethans' house without knocking. I was too far away to see who it could be, but I had a feeling it would be either Vinny or Charlie. There was only one way to find out, and I was eager to get out of this cramped car.

            No lights were on in any of the houses except for Ethans', but that didn't stop me from sneaking up the house as stealthily as a cat. Flowers and other various plants rimmed around the house, along with a row of trees dividing him from the neighbor. The bad thing about that was I was going to have to be careful for tree branches, and I couldn't trample anything right outside the window. That would raise the suspicion into overdrive.

            A dim light rimmed one of the windows on the side of the house, seeping through the tightly closed blinds. With a careful step, I gradually made my way closer to the wall, taking the time to make sure I didn't crush a flower. I didn't really know how it was still growing with the cold, but whatever.

           They clearly didn't think that anybody would spy on them, and as a result I could hear them perfectly.

            "Charlie's out watching that Lola girl," a voice said, one I recognized as Vinny's.

            "Is he?" I could almost hear Ethans' nervous pacing.

            "Is there anything else that you have to tell me about?"

            There was a pause while Ethans recollected his thoughts, choosing his answer very carefully. "No. It was only her."

            "Really? Because if I find out that you're hiding something from me, then you understand the consequences. Am I clear?"

            "Y-yes, sir, very clear."

            Lola was most likely the witness that had been discussed nearly a week ago. It surprised me that they had let her live that long, but there must be a good reason for that. More likely than not they would be bringing her around here. I'd been near enough drug rings to know how they taught lessons.