“What’s today about?” I asked, shifting from foot to foot. “What’s going to happening?”
“You going to accompany me on a collection run. Think of it as an unofficial ride along. You’ll get to see how I operate, and you’ll learn what is expected of you through me.”
I felt like I was going to puke. “Where are we going?”
Big Phil didn’t answer me. Instead, he walked out of the courtyard, and I had no choice but to follow him like a dog. When we left our compound, I looked around, noticing just how alone we were outside the high walls. Marco and my dad owned a lot of the land our compound was built on, and for miles in every direction, there were empty fields. We lived in North County, New York. The city was a few hours south, but it might as well have been a world away.
“Kane,” Big Phil hollered. “You have a shotgun.”
I turned to him and looked at the black Cadillac he climbed into. I swallowed down bile, and walked towards the car, sliding into the passenger seat. A quick look in the back told me I was on my own with Big Phil, and I hated that. We drove in silence for what felt like an hour, and when we came to a town, Big Phil drove onto a street and stopped in front of a small house.
“Follow me,” he said. “And don’t speak unless I say otherwise.”
That suited me fine. I didn’t want to speak anyway.
“Come on.”
We left the car, walked up the pathway to the house, and instead of knocking, Big Phil tried the door handle. When it opened, he stepped inside, and shouted, “Kade!”
There was movement upstairs, then a man wearing just boxers shorts appeared at the top of the stairs. I heard a baby cry, then watched as a woman rushed by behind the man and entered a bedroom, closing the door behind her. I could have sworn I heard a lock click into place, but I wasn’t sure.
“Big,” Kade said, looking more than a little surprised. “I wasn’t expecting you until the end of the week.”
“I know.” Big Phil nodded. “Things have changed, though, and Marco needs his payment. Right now.”
I watched as Kade’s face paled. “I don’t get paid until the end of the week. Marco knows that.”
“As I said, things have changed.”
Kade reached the bottom of the stairs, and said, “I don’t know what to tell you, Big. I have fifty bucks until payday.”
“What about your girl?”
Kade froze. “She doesn’t work. She stays at home and takes care of the baby.”
Big Phil rubbed his hand over his face, and said, “This is a sad situation. You know Marco doesn’t like to be left high and dry when he’s expecting money.”
“But he said the end of the week,” Kade stressed. “He promised me.”
Big Phil considered this, then looked at me, and said, “Kane, what do you think I should do?”
He’s asking me?
I looked up at Big Phil and said, “Why’re you asking me?”
“‘Cause I want your opinion.”
I looked at Kade then back at Big Phil.
“If Marco gave him a deadline, then he should stick to it. I think you should leave him alone.”
Big Phil grinned. “Is that so?”
I nodded.
He looked at Kade, and said, “You can have your original deadline back. I’ll see you on Friday.”
Kade looked like the weight of the world just fell off his shoulders. He thanked Big Phil, said goodbye to me, then locked his front door behind us when we left his house. I followed Big Phil back to the car, and when I was buckled into my seat, I turned to look at him. I sucked in a strangled breath when he reached out and swiped something across my face. He grabbed my head and forced it down to my knees with one had while the other went to my neck. It took a few seconds for pain to register, and for me to realise that Big Phil had just slashed my face and cut up the back of my neck. I pressed my hands to the wounds, then looked at them to find them covered with blood. I quickly removed my T-shirt and pressed it against my cheek, applying heavy pressure, while I flattened my palm on the back of my neck.
“Why?” I choked. “What’d I do?”
“You sided against me in there when you shouldn’t have. That was a lesson, and you just learned it the hard way. You need to be reminded who owns you, boy.”
His demeanour and tone was so calm. He didn’t act like he just cut me; in fact, he looked as if that action was part of his daily routine. Knowing him, it probably was.
“The bleeding,” I said, feeling my body tremble. “It won’t stop.”
“We’ll get you patched up back at the compound.”