Wingless Book Series (book 1) (16 page)

“
You remember that time we talked
about overseas funds that Dad doesn’t know about?”

Evan grabbed Kenny up by the
throat slamming him hard on the floor; pushing his head down. The
look on Evan’s face was pure rage, he was deeply upset. Kenny held
on to his arm not fighting him off. “I told you!” Evan let him go,
pacing the room.

“
I didn’t do anything yet. I was
out of my mind. I had to come here before I got in over my head.
Look, I know what you have told me, but this would be a big
undertaking.” Kenny watched Evan pace, his face white.

“
No, I don’t know where in that
brain of yours is common sense. You can’t take over a possible
goldmine without Tony finding out. And you’re taking from your own
father if you do it as well. He will kill you. And don’t think
because you’re his son and earner it would make a difference to
him.” He continued to pace, oblivious to Kenny.

“
He won’t even know. There is no
way he would find out; you know what this could mean?”

Evan started toward Kenny again.
Kenny backed up, bumping into the glass table, moving away from
Evan.

“
It can’t happen; you’re not just
taking yourself down, your taking me down. I am going to be just as
responsible seeing you told me about this. Do you really want to
make me go to Dad and have to tell him how much of a rat you’ve
become?” Evan hissed.

“
I’m not a rat. I’m trying to do
the same thing Tony has done his whole life. Why is he the only one
in control? Why can’t someone else make a name for their self
without it hurting his feelings?”

“
Do you not realize how quick it
will be over for you?!” he yelled. He grabbed Kenny by the shirt,
smacking him in the head. “Do not make me do this to you. I don’t
want to rat out my brother. But if you’re putting me and my life in
jeopardy, so be it. And I promise you Kenny, I will kill you
myself.”

Kenny pushed Evan, his shirt still
locked in his grip; Evan slammed him into the wall.

“
It’s not always about looking
good for your Dad! When you going to grow up? If I had this kind of
control I could move us both away from here he would never even
find us. If Tony got a hold of it, what, maybe fifteen percent
versus one hundred?”

“
It’s not one hundred. You’re
paying a lot of people to keep your business incognito. And if you
are smart you will do it that way, but it doesn’t matter because
you’re not doing it. So call whoever it is trying to interfere with
you living and tell them no, because it’s not happening! I will
drag you to Tony right now!” He punched Kenny in the
mouth.

Kenny touched his bleeding lip.
For one reason or another, he didn’t hit Evan, maybe out of
respect, which I doubted, because Kenny didn’t seem to have much of
that.

“
I’m in his house every day. If I
wanted to shoot him in his head, I could. Don’t think I haven’t
thought about it before. I could be out of the state before any of
his goons found me. Then where would anyone be? What, is he going
to hand it over to you? Do you really think any of his orphan kids
are in his will? He got us for one reason and that was being a
living Grim Reaper!” Kenny pushed Evan off him.

Evan ran his hand through his hair
staring at Kenny in disbelief. “Since when do you feel so strongly
about all of this?”

“
Since I’ve thought long and hard
about everything we have been through for him, and how I’m a puppet
to his existence. I do what he wants and have to live with myself
for offing people. I’ve done some messed up shit, and you’ve done
some as well. The only one whose hands are looking halfway clean is
Tony. Yeah, there are some perks, but I’m tired of being his
puppet.”

Life sometimes seems simple when
you’re on the outside looking in. I was watching two young guys
battling the most dysfunctional thing anyone could ever imagine,
and I probably didn’t even know the half of it. Maybe Kenny was so
messed up because of this family.

“
I told you no,
and I hope you respect my wishes,” Evan said, crossing the room and
coming into the kitchen with me. He sighed, resting his hands on
the counter
and
hanging his head.

Kenny watched me coming closer.
“He is a good person Eve, but we have been through some messed up
things. I killed a kid for that man, a little snot-nosed
kid.”

“
Kenny, she doesn’t need to know
this,” Evan said.

I didn’t react; I just stared at
Kenny in awe, waiting for him to say more.

“
She wants to be with you so why
not tell her everything? Evan worries about Tony offing us if we go
seek something out for ourselves. But did he tell you that he
usually offs you anyways at a certain point in your
life?”

I gasped; Evan tossed a glass at
Kenny.

“
Evan, stop. If that is true, why
do you care so much about what he is trying to do?!” I said
breathlessly.

“
It’s not true.”

“
It’s not?” Kenny asked him.
“Doug, Jon, Seth, Morgan. I could name about five more. Where they
at?”

Evan shook his head. “I got his
word that it wouldn’t turn out that way and I am going to believe
him. As long as I am doing what I should be, I am not going to
worry about it.”

“
Well, you know what? I got that
same word. I’m not waiting to see if he holds up his end of the
bargain. I’m out.”

He slammed the door, tires
squealing
moments later as he sped
away.

Evan flung another glass across
the kitchen. I flinched at the noise and his behavior. I touched
his arm, he pulled away.

“
Stop. Really, calm down. Is he
stupid enough to really do all that he says?”

“
Absolutely.”

“
Well you’re not involved, so why
do you think it would affect you?”

“
I’m his keeper. I live with him.
We are brothers. That’s the way things work. I should have known
and acted in accordance. Blah, blah, blah.” He pulled his cell
phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and staring at
it.

“
Are you really going to call your
dad and tell on him?” I scoffed, getting irritated.

“
What other choice do I
have?”

“
Let it be. If you have so much
trust in your so called dad, then trust he won’t punish you for
Kenny screwing up. And let Kenny get a chance to do something he
wants.”

“
Why, because you feel for him?”
Evan asked. “Because you see that this is a messed up situation
finally?” he snapped, shaking his head in disbelief.

“
Yes, because
one person should not be allowed to dictate everyone else for
frivolous reasons. And you’re okay with him doing that. And I don’t
care if he thinks he can just
because he
is your father!” I screamed in his face.

“
Well, I’m glad you don’t care!”
he screamed back.

This was a side I hadn’t seen and
that I didn’t think even existed. I wasn’t backing down, no matter
what he said. I cared about the Evan I knew, monster or not, he
needed someone to tell him when he was wrong. That’s what I would
want someone to do if I needed it.

“
You can be mad at me, but I think
you’re looking at this all wrong. You’re letting your dad hold your
life in his hands. You’re letting him tell you to commit crimes and
murder and you’re okay with that! Would you kill me if he said to?”
I asked him. His face softened. “Would you?!” I yelled at him
again, hitting him in the chest to make him speak.

He looked at me in disbelief
turning away from me. “I don’t need to worry about that because
that would never happen.”

“
Just like Kenny probably never
thought he would ever kill a kid because he thought that would
never happen?” I asked, sickened. “It’s all good. Just do me a
favor when you do have to kill me. Could you make it peaceful?” I
hurled the words at him, his body seemed to react.

“
I am not going to kill you. He
isn’t going to ask, and I really wish you would watch how you talk
about him to me,” he said, staring at me in sheer
agitation.

“
I’m glad one of us is so
confident. Because to me, I think he thinks I am a pawn, and as
long as I do what he wants, he is alright for the moment. Do you
know he told me he wanted me to make you happy and be with you? Or
is that part of all of this and you already knew?”

“
No, I didn’t. And no, it’s not. I
am here with you because I want to be. My dad, he just sees what I
see. That we are good together.”

I was beginning to feel he was
brainwashed and I was starting to get a clear view at how sick of a
person Tony was.

“
Is there anything else you want
to share with me?” I asked him, picking up a stray piece of
shattered glass near my foot.

“
This whole thing is bigger than
you know. It’s not dishonesty, it’s just hard to imagine,” he
mumbled, practically in a zombie-like state.

“
What are you even talking about?
I swear to you Evan, just open your mouth and spit it out already!”
I yelled. I was getting so tired of trying to understand something
that seemed to have so many different angles.

“
Do you believe in higher beings,”
he asked me, his eyes becoming more alert.

“
Like what, God or
something?”

“
Yeah, like God or Satan? Or if
there is one, how is all of this running,” he said.

“
I’ve been to church. I’ve heard
the bible. Doesn’t mean I have an exact answer to what it all means
or how it all works,” I said, staring at him.

“
Okay. Well, if there is a God and
there is a Satan, then how are all these people getting to where
they need to be?”

I half laughed at him for asking
me this. “Now is not the time for philosophy.” I crossed my arms,
becoming uncomfortable.

“
I’m not trying to philosophize
with you! I’m trying to explain what Tony, my father, is!” he
yelled, slamming his fist down on the counter, glaring at me, his
face going pale.

“
What is he?” I asked
quietly.

“
Who do you
think gets all that done around here?” he asked. “And maybe it
doesn’t make that much sense to you or anyone, but
I’ve explained this already to you in the past.
But what Tony is doing is not the Mob; it’s a process of
elimination. It’s a way of life. It’s all a big cover for something
so much bigger going on underneath everyone’s
noses.

“
Tony is no different than any of
us who help do all of this. It’s just what is meant to be. Kenny
may not understand as well as I do, but even if I am tired. I can’t
quit because that’s what I’m here for.” He kept on talking,
spilling his words all over the place. I sat there, stunned,
listening to something I never in a million years would have
believed if I wasn’t there for it.

“
It’s not a matter of him so
called offing us. It’s a matter of us doing what is right when it’s
right, and if we don’t, it’s Tony’s job to get rid of the bad.” He
sat down on the barstool.

“
I guess the only way I can
explain this to you is think of it as a Grim Reaper. You know, like
in the movies, the guy with the dark cloak and the scythe? Well
that’s what all of this is about, and that’s what we are. It may
not be explainable, but we are the unimagined people that everyone
always wonders about. They walk on Earth just like everyone
else.”

It’s one thing to believe
what someone tells you, and it’s another to process it and move on.
I was moving on but I was feeling like I was no longer there. My
body felt as if it was there, my being above it floating, maybe
in
shock, I don’t know. It’s something
unexplainable.

“
So are you human?” was all I
could think to say?

“
Basically, yes, I am. I’m
stronger than most humans. My soul is different.”

“
What does that mean?”

“
I really don’t know. I never
understood. Creation of you took place between two human beings.
Creation of me took place between two, um, marked
humans.”

This was all so complex my head
hurt. “You can die like me?” I asked.

“
I guess you could say I live.
It’s basically like being dead now. If I died it would be like I
live for the first time. No one really dies.”

I held my head in my hands. Evan
came over to me. Holding my hands, he looked me in the eyes. “Do
you have faith in me Eve?” he asked, searching my eyes for
answers.

“
Yes.”

“
Then all I need you to do is
trust in me and that I will do the right thing for you.”

Chapter 16

Unexpected Guest

In the morning, I lay
staring at Evan while he slept. I didn’t move a muscle; I didn’t
want to wake him. Last night was very stressful and he was dealing
with a great deal. He still did not know what to do about Kenny.
And Kenny never came home, Evan waited up late calling Kenny’s
phone again.
He told me at one point, if
he wasn’t there by morning, the only reasonable thing to do was to
tell Tony. He said that even if Tony didn’t punish him for the mess
up, it was still very bad for Kenny.