Chapter 2
Taylor sat down at the table and looked at Leon, then at Joe. "Ok, just what was Joe's fault?"
"He went to Flaco and tried to get me out of the gang. Flaco wanted 10 grand. Joe didn't have it," Leon explained.
Taylor looked up at Joe. He nodded in confirmation. "You know you could have come to me, and I would have helped you out."
"I couldn't do that, Taylor. First off, we were just barely dating again, and secondly, a guy does not ask a woman for money."
"This is different, Joe. This is family. We do what we can for family. My money is your money if you need it."
"It's your money, Taylor. I'm not touching your money. But it doesn't matter now. Flaco's dead and Leon was able to get out- for a while."
"And now he's back in?"
"No, but Voight got wind of it. He wanted to use Leon as a snitch."
"And knowing Voight, I'm sure he had something on Leon that made it impossible to refuse."
"Something like that," Joe admitted, refusing to elaborate.
Leon looked at Joe, knowing he wasn't telling her the whole truth, and wondering if he was going to.
Taylor sighed. She adored Joe. She adored his family, but Leon had tested even Joe's sainted mother's patience time and time again. "So, I'm assuming shit went down tonight?"
"Big time. And now Leon needs to leave town for a bit. Only he doesn't want to go live with our Uncle in Tampa."
"I don't want to leave!"
Taylor closed her eyes and leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table, her head landing in her open hands. Wearily, she rubbed her temples. She took a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly.
"Tay?" Joe asked.
'I'm thinking," she said.
"About what?"
"About whether or not I should say anything or just let you handle this."
"And?"
"As female as this sounds, I'm going to let you handle this. Not because I'm being a wimp, but this is between you and Leon. I don't get a vote. And I have a feeling that no matter what I say, someone is going to like it and someone is going to be pissed."
"Tay, you just said we do what we can for family," Joe pleaded.
"That is true. Really though, this is Leon's decision. It isn't right for us to make it for him."
"Leon won't listen to reason!"
Taylor opened an eye and looked at Joe. "Did you when you were his age?"
Joe sighed. "I'm not going to let him kill himself!" he exclaimed, his temper finally exploding.
Leon stood up. "You don't have any say, Joe! This is my life!"
Taylor looked at Leon. "Well, you have two choices. You can stay here and get killed or you can go to Tampa for a bit and be alive."
"You just want to send me away!"
"No!" Joe yelled. "I want you alive and safe! I don't want to lose any more family to these assholes! WHY can't you understand that?"
Leon sat back down. "Because it's not as strong as it used to be. I'll be safe here. I know it."
"Times of weakness are the worst times, Leon. With Flaco gone, someone is going to try to power grab. You may be safe for a week or two, a month at the most. But you're not going to be safe forever. And now they think you're a snitch, you're really not safe."
"And you know this how, Miss High and Mighty Nurse?"
Joe opened his mouth to say something, but she waved her hand. "I know this because I used to date a member of the Gang Unit. And you will not address me that way again, or I will knock your teeth so far down your throat you will have to chew through your asshole. Got it?"
Leon stared at her, eyes open wide. He remembered Joe dating her when he was a kid, but he didn't remember her being such a bitch. Bitch being the relative term. He was giving her shit and he knew it, but he didn't expect her to not only call him on it, but make him clean it up. "I got it. And I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. Not for what I said. You needed to hear it. I'm sorry you seem to have such a low value on your life that you can't think about anything but staying here."
Leon sighed. He knew Taylor and Joe were right, but he didn't like it. He also knew it probably was best for him to lay low in Tampa for a bit. "Alright," he conceded. "I'll go to Tampa. But I'm only staying a month or so."