Pete settled down at the end of the table while Zeke and Sam found their places next to the man opposite of me. Though he had introduced himself when we first had sat down, I couldn't remember his name. Hopefully, someone would call out for him or it would come up in conversation.
I would need to remember every one of these men's names.
I rejected the beer but happily accepted the chicken sandwich thrown my way as they emptied the grocery bags. With Pete and Sam's presence back around, Barney seemed less chatty. The conversation was definitely steered by the newly arrived members.
The wind in the parking lot had stilled, leaving the air feeling hotter and more humid under the evening sun. Several of the men shook off their jackets and cooled down with a cold beer.
I regretted not bringing my wallet. A bottle of water would do well right now.
I let my eyes wander across the faces of the men as I chewed. Their ages, I guessed, ranged between twenty and twenty-six. Though, Pete looked to be older than everyone else in the crew. Maybe twenty-eight?
Jonah, one of the less talkative men around the table, caught my eyes as he tugged at his sweater. When bringing the jumper over his head, a bandage wrapped around his upper arm came to view.
«What happened to your arm?» I asked out without thinking. Jonah glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
«Got slashed with a knife,» was all he said before going back to his conversation with Sam.
Next to me, Barney pursed his lips and looked from Jonah's exposed arm to me. «You should have seen how the other guy looked,» he snickered.
«Hey,» Barney suddenly perked up, turning back to me. «You'd like this, actually. Didn't you have a grudge against RL? The person who gave him that cut was that leader of theirs.»
I swallowed.
«Zayden?»
Barney nodded and gleamed. «Jonah may have gotten sliced in the process, but before that we messed that guy up pretty badly. Couldn't believe the speed he had in him after that beating he got.»
I watched silently as Barney chuckled at the memory, my eyes glued on the gleeful expression on his face.
Little piece of shit.
«I got a few kicks in, but Jonah and Sam are the actual heroes here. Jonah jumped on the guy's back out of nowhere and sent him right into Sam. Ben and I had a bet going on whether we'd be able to beat him unconscious without using the knife.»
It was difficult hiding my repulsion as Barney went on and on about the ways they had mutilated Zayden. My throat closed up as I listened. My head was pounding.
I wanted him to stop. I needed him to shut up.
With a clenched hand, I was just about ready to risk my cover being blown when Zeke cleared his throat from across the table.
«I'm sure Claire doesn't need to know the details of the assault, Barney,» he called out.
«Why?» Barney glanced at Zeke, then back at me. «You hate that gang, don't you?»
I met his gaze, the urge to punch his nose into his head growing by the second.
He cocked his head and looked at me questionably. Gathering up the last of my restraint, I sent him the fakest smile I had and nodded my head.
«I just don't enjoy knowing the details,» I said.
«Girls don't want to hear about all that, Barney,» Zeke chuckled and threw me an apologetic look. «Stabbings, blood, broken bones; can't you see she's uncomfortable?»
I remained silent and settled for taking another bite of the sandwich in my hand. I needed to shut up before I did something I might regret later. Let them believe what they want. It wouldn't matter in the end. They would figure out why I acted the way I acted soon enough.
I peaked over the table at Zeke as the conversation shifted to a topic I had no reason following. His elbows were resting on the table with a beer bottle loosely gripped in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other. His hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, just as he had worn it yesterday. A few loose strands of hair were tucked behind his ear.
Looking at him up close like this, I noticed he had a light stubble across his chin, the blonde hair barely visible in the light.
As expected, he must have noticed my grimace back then with Barney. Thankfully, he had misinterpreted the reason behind it.
He truly was one to look out for.
As if noticing my eyes on him, Zeke's attention turned to me. Saying nothing, he just smiled and gave me a quick nod of the head.
Ugh.
I forced a small smile back before finishing the sandwich and crumpling the wrapper into a ball. I should leave quietly while I still had my wits about me.
Tossing the wrapper into a nearby trashcan, I cleared my throat and stood up from the table.
«Well, I'm off,» I muttered, putting my hands into my pockets. I turned before waiting for a reply.
«Hey, wait!» Barney's voice rang out behind me.
I rolled my eyes at his obnoxiously loud voice. Still, I paused.
«You'll join our talk with that accountant at six, remember?»
I frowned, not remembering any mention of a talk with an accountant.
Turning back around to face the group, I cocked my head in question.
«We're paying one of our old buyers a visit after their shift tonight,» Zeke clarified after swallowing the food in his mouth.
I noticed Pete slowly nodding at the end of the table. «For the time being, you'll be treated as a part of the crew. That means you'll join in on the crew's business for the next couple of days. No slacking or leaving early.»
Though my short walk back to the table was sour, I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to present itself. I'd better make my time with this crew count.
**
The accountant in question was not one for small talk.
The second the crew showed up by his car outside the accounting firm, his phone was in his hands and the number to the police was already dialled. His finger was hovering over the 'call' button when Pete put his hands in front of him, gesturing for him to calm down.
«Hey, now. What will your son say when he figures out you're the reason he ended up in jail?» Pete asked mockingly.
«What will... what?» The man stuttered.
Pete's eyebrows raised mockingly. «Your son. Heard he's been smoking and recently got involved in some drug dealing in the clubs around here lately. That would sure ruin your image at the firm, don't you think?»
The man frowned and shook his head at Pete's words. «Don't bring my family into this, Pete. You and your crew are done for after I report you.»
Still, his finger didn't press the button
Pete gestured for Zeke to hand him the phone he was holding. He held the phone up to the accountant.
«Mr. Wallace. Is this not your son sniffing coke in the restroom of a club on seventh street?»
I didn't see what the video on Pete's phone showed, though I heard the scratchy sound of muzzled club music coming from the speaker. Judging from the accountant's horrified expression, the video showed exactly what Pete had described.
Trying not to draw too much attention to myself, I moved closed to the pair. I needed to hear their voices better.
«That's not... he wouldn't-» the man stammered, his eyes glued on the small screen.
Pete retracted the phone from the accountant's viewing and pressed some buttons. «Yes, well. He did, and now this video will be enough to ruin his chances of getting accepted into that university you wanted him in.»
Pete's voice lowered, placing the phone and his hands in his pockets. «Wallace, if you try anything funny, I'm dragging you down with me. No matter what the consequences, no matter who gets hurt. You understand understand that, right?»
The man stood speechless. His eyes only looking at Pete's pockets, where the phone was stored. I almost thought he would try to snatch it out.
«Now, pay up.»
The accountant reeled back, looking up at Pete, flabbergasted. «Pay? For what?»
Pete smiled back sickly. «For buying my silence, of course. Why else? And getting that video wasn't cheap, so you better not hold back on the zeros.»
As Pete forcefully made the man fulfil the digital payment to his account, I nudged my way backward to blend in with the rest of the crew. I kept my head low, not reacting to any of the jokes muttered by the other guys at the accountant's expense.
«Enjoy your ride home, Wilson. Say hi to your wife from me.»
The surrounding men hollered at Pete's departing words as they followed him away from the parked car.
From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the man's slouched figure, his hands clenched at his side. The leather briefcase he had carried had fallen to the ground next to him. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. Or was it fury? It was hard to tell at this distance. Either way, this meeting was bound to have affected his personal life for the days to come.
Zeke offered me a smoke as we walked, an already lit cigarette resting between his lips. I looked down at the pack of cigarettes he held out to me, and sighed. Might as well. This day couldn't get any worse as it was.
I didn't acknowledge Zeke's broadened smile as I accepted the cigarette and his lighter.
I walked a few steps behind the crew as we made our way back to the alleyways of the city. The sun was about to dip under the horizon, shading the roads before us.
Holding the cigarette up to my lips, I drew a breath as I quietly watched the backs of the people I most despised.
They moved along the shadows like a mischief of rats. Their purpose only being to scramble for crumbs and take advantage of anyone worth stealing from.
My hand was in my jacket pocket, absently touching my phone. I exhaled, smoke engulfing my vision for a second as I walked through the cloud of tobacco.
If there was one thing I had learned from my studies in law so far, it was that justice was, in many ways, subjective. To them, this way of living may be reasonable. Perhaps they've been wronged by the system. Perhaps it was a social problem, dating back to trauma from their childhood. Perhaps the accountant deserved the treatment he got. Maybe Alex and Chris were the only bad guys in the equation, and the debt collecting crew only a consequence of their actions.
I was in no position to decide. Just like them, I worked with a reason. Though my actions might be masqueraded as a way to crack down on a violent, societal threat, I only went after these guys because I wanted revenge for Zayden. I feared for Celine, and for how men like this could take advantage of good people like her in their most vulnerable moments. I didn't do all this for the safety of punks like Chris and Alex.
At the end of the day, I was only working with selfish intentions in mind. I may not even be all that different from these men.
Still, one thing was for sure. Giving them the same treatment as Mike had received would do the people around me a bigger favour than not. That was reason enough for me to keep walking.
I would continue following these men until we reach their assigned concrete cells, and steel bars slide into place between us.
Right now, I just needed a plan. And above all, I needed to not get caught.
_________
Next chapter is scheduled to be up on 14.08.21