I wasn't given much of a narration after Billy stormed from my living room. I'm sure there were orders and plans, but I wasn't brought into the loop. All I can tell you is what little I observed.
After his ominous proclamation, my brother paced in the kitchen, growling with his best friend. I didn't listen. I was too tired to listen. All the adrenaline and pain had drained me thoroughly; and now that I was surrounded by angry, territorial criminals, I felt more secure than Fort Knox. No one was pledging to avenge my honor, like an old western, but they were pissed. Joey hadn't been further than five feet away since he'd found me; and Bodie wore his fury on his sleeve. Settling into Joey's embrace, I was happy to let my eyes droop closed. With the new relief in my shoulder, sleep was easy.
And as I slept, I had a dream.
It seemed to last only a few seconds, appearing from darkness. First there was the sound of wind. It whistled around my ears with the sigh of swaying grass. Quiet and peaceful. Then there was the dirt. Hard and dry against my cheek. A gust of wind blew a fine dust into my face and I blinked.
I was lying down on my side. There was dirt, speckled with grass as far as I could see and the ground met the black sky in a solid, clean line. Staring numbly at the serene scene, I sighed, the breath from my nose blowing a few blades of grass across the earth.
Then without warning, a baseball bat, swinging straight for my face.
"NO!" I bolted upright and screamed groggily, wincing at the thrashing movement. My heart was racing and sweat beaded on my forehead. Yet there wasn't a baseball bat, there wasn't any threat.
There was only a startled boy, staring at me with wide eyes. I blinked, my good hand slowly moving to tuck the blanket back around my body. He wasn't really a boy. The longer my eyes adjusted to the dark, the more I realized I'd mistaken him for someone much younger. He was short, but he was about Billy's age. On one side of his face, a black tattoo curled around his eye. Sitting in my recliner, he studied me the same way I stared at him.
"What's wrong?" Joey's voice broke out from down the hall, footsteps thumping along the carpet until he appeared. Dripping from a shower, he'd thrown on a shirt and boxers in a rush, the moisture darkening the fabric in patches.
"Just a dream." I murmured, trying to calm him with a smile. But my face panged from where Tix had hit me and I winced, gingerly touching my cheek. "Sorry." Joey ran a hand through his wet hair.
"Don't apologize to me." He murmured, dropping his hand with a sigh. "You've got nothin' to be sorry for." We exchanged a small smile before he nodded to the man in the recliner.
"Ya met Tommy?" I shook my head slowly and Joey made a lazy gesture between us. "Tommy, Todd. Todd, Tommy." I smiled shyly at Tommy and he responded with a nod.
"Sup." Looking back to my brother, I sat up on the arm of the couch, careful to keep my hand still on my lap.
"Where did everyone go?" I asked, glancing towards the kitchen. Billy was nowhere in sight, along with Baggy and Bodie. Joey vanished for a moment, rustling around in the bathroom. Tommy stared at me, awkwardly silent before he murmured a response.
"They're gonna grab—"
"Don't worry about it." Joey returned in a flash, cutting Tommy off with a pointed stare. Holding out a fist, he opened his palm, revealing two white pills. "Take this." I took the glass of water from his other hand, but hesitated to take the pills. When I didn't reach for them, he gave me a crooked grin and wrinkled his nose. "It's just Tylenol."
"Thanks." I took and swallowed them with a small smile, drinking heartily from the glass. It felt like heaven: cold, clean, and crisp. I practically inhaled the entire glass, panting lightly when the water was gone. Joey raised an eyebrow.
"Want some more?" I nodded and he retreated to the kitchen, filling the glass from the sink. As he left, I noticed sunlight peaking through the blinds. Frowning, I hesitantly turned on the couch. My body ached, but it wasn't unbearable. In fact, I was surprised by the lack of pain. So I pushed myself. Placing my feet on the floor, I stood and moved to the window.
Spreading the blinds, I blinked back the bright sun. I must have slept through the morning, because it was well past noon. A few people wandered up and down the sidewalks, enjoying the gorgeous day. I wanted to sit in the sun. Finding the little wand, I opened the blinds and let the warm light stream across my face.
"Ya hungry?" Joey asked, coming up behind me with the full water glass. I thought for a moment, concentrating on how I felt. It was odd that I had to think about it. But as I tuned into my body, I felt as though I was waking up.
My cheek was sore, my back hurt each time I took a breath, my hand itched and throbbed beneath the dressing, and my shoulder was still very sore. With a small shake of my head, I answered his question. My stomach didn't hurt. And food didn't sound appetizing. Moving away from the window, I took the glass and sipped. There was a taste in my mouth. Something I couldn't quite place.
"Ya slept for a long time." Joey murmured, crossing his arms as he leant against the couch. "I wanted ta move ya, but…" His gaze fell on my hand and I nodded in understanding. He was afraid of hurting me. No doubt my body was littered in sore spots; and his hands, no matter how gentle, wouldn't be able to avoid them.
"It's ok." I whispered. "I just want a shower." Despite the obvious scratches on my body, hot water sounded like it would feel amazing.
Joey had to un-tape my fingers. It hurt a ridiculous amount, but under that water, I wasn't thinking about how it felt. I was thinking about how it looked. I cradled my broken hand in the palm of the good one. My fingers were shaking even when I held them still. The dried blood was brown on my skin and the long digits weren't straight lines any longer. They were bent and crooked. It was hard to even look at them; my broken fingers brought tears to my eyes. In the hot water, I let them ran down my face.
I was toweling off in the bathroom when I heard the front door open. Standing in nothing but my skin, I listened as voices clamored into the living room.
"You gonna tell me what this is?" A woman's voice came first, angrily stomping into the apartment. My brother's voice was next, his thundering bass putting him out from anyone I knew.
"Ya owe me, Jack." He grumbled, his heavy footsteps followed by others. Billy wasn't alone.
"Which is why I let ya drag me across the goddamn city." I recognized Jackie quickly, moving closer to the door to hear the conversation. "But I'm done playin' nice. What is this about?" She muttered.
"Ya know a dealer named Tix?" Billy grunted, hissing the name out with a malicious snarl.
"I know lots of people from the east side." She said eventually. I frowned in confusion from the other side of the door. Jackie worked for Bones yet she knew people from the east side?
"Not what I asked ya." My brother wasn't amused, judging by his tone of voice. I pulled on a t-shirt, tugging it over my wet hair.
"Ah screw you, Billy. Ya know I can't tell ya that shit." I continued dressing, surprised by her fierce reaction. She wasn't afraid of my father or my brother. And that was impressive.
"No, screw you!" He barked back, his voice finally revealing his anger. "Ya cross a Darley, ya die. End of story." Jackie didn't respond, but I could hear Joey agreeing with curses of his own. My face flushed and new tears filled my eyes. But they weren't sad tears, they were something between happy and proud. His words made me a part of the group. He'd called me a Darley. And that was worth a few tears. "This motherfucker is gonna die for what he did."
"The fuck did he do to ya, huh? Call ya names?" Jackie spat back. "Tix is mob, Bill. He's got old man Charlie takin' a cut and that means ya can't touch 'im! Not if ya wanna keep your balls." I was tired of listening through a door. Turning the knob, I stepped quietly out into the hall.
From the reaction, you would have thought I'd set off a car alarm. Everyone turned to look at me and Jackie followed suit, glaring over Billy's shoulder. But her expression softened in an instant.
"Sorry." I murmured, cradling my bad hand to my stomach. Glancing away to Joey, I avoided Jackie's gaze, but I felt it regardless. She made a sound and Billy turned his body, half facing me. Raising an arm, he gestured from my head to my feet as he snarled at Jackie.
"No one gets away with that." The growl permeated the room and left me speechless. Jackie glanced at Billy and rubbed her jaw, sighing as she shook her head.
"Thought those were just rumors…'bout there bein' a sister…" She murmured, looking at me with disbelief in her eyes. "The fuck was he thinkin'?" It was a rhetorical question, and no one attempted to answer it as Jackie absorbed my injuries. They looked worse than they felt, and they felt pretty nasty. The bruise on my face had gotten larger since the night before, yellow and green seeping across my cheeks up into my eye and down to my jaw. My hand was cleaner now, but remained a pummeled mess.
"Tell me how to get 'im." Billy broke Jackie's study with an even voice, playing off the pity strewn across her face. But she shook her head.
"Ya kill him, you'll have a war. Plain and simple." Then she looked into Billy's eyes. "And I'm not about to watch my family destroy my friends." I swallowed from the impact of her words. She knew about the east side because she was the east side.
Unhappy with her answer, Billy hissed a breath through his nose, running a palm over his scalp in a rough swipe as he worked up a yell. We were all bracing for it, knowing his temper. But Jackie suddenly stepped forward, standing chest to chest with him. With a hand held out towards me, she spoke quickly.
"Take her to Charlie." My heart fell into my stomach and my mouth fell open. She wanted Billy to take me where? Joey must have felt similarly, because he charged forward, speaking up after a quite a bit of listening.
"Are you fuckin' INSANE?" He bellowed, jutting a hand in her direction. But Billy threw out a hand, bracing it against his brother's chest. Jackie continued like Joey hadn't said a word.
"Take her to Charlie, tell him what happened." Then she looked at me, lifting her eyebrows in a gentle expression. "Better yet, you tell him." Looking back at Billy, she searched his face. "He's an old man, Bill. He's lived through this shit. He's got children. Grandchildren, even." With a shake of her head, she gestured to me again. "He had nothing ta do with this, I know it. This was all Tix. Him and his coked out skull."
There was a long pause as Billy clenched his jaw in deliberation, staring down at Jackie's piercing eyes. It was interesting to see how much she truly cared. The way she had described Charlie made him sound like family; while at the same time, she was pleading with Billy to see reason and avoid foolishly dying. I remembered her teasing tone with Bones, how comfortable she'd been. This girl was the social butterfly of crime: friends with both sides of the board.
"Sit down with Charlie." She coaxed quietly, dropping her arm to her side with a light thump and moving to the front door. "Trust me." Sniffing for a moment, Billy rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand.
"Bones doesn't know about this." Jackie froze by the door, her eyes widening once again. Then her forehead bunched into a frown.
"Are you fuckin' serious?" When Billy didn't respond, she buried her fingers in her hair, raking them through the blond strands. She seemed to internalize any furious outbursts she could have made and settled for an angry sigh. Grabbing the handle, her hand strangled the doorknob. "Ya can't see Charlie without Bones findin' out. So don't try." Then, pointing a finger at Billy, she lifted her lip in a snarl. "And don't ya fuckin' dare drag me into this shit. If I'd known ya were duckin' your old man, I woulda told ya ta fuck off from go."
"Shut it, Jack. Bones can't afford ta replace ya." She lowered her hand, glaring as Billy brushed off her angry warning.
"Doesn't mean he won't change his mind." Then she threw open the door and slammed it behind her, leaving the echo of her parting words.
"Who's Charlie?" A few hours later, when the sun was starting to set, Joey sat beside me as I stretched out on my bed. My hand was wrapped tight, lying immobile at my side. It felt good to just lay there, eyes closed in the dimming light. My brother sighed a little, leaning back onto the palms of his hands.
"Charlie St. Claire. Been runnin' since Bones was a kid." I blinked in surprise, glancing over at him.
"Wow. She wasn't kidding, he is old." Joey snorted softly and shrugged.
"If ya have the money, ya have the numbers. Ya have the numbers, no one'll touch you for a long time." I thought about that statement over and closed my eyes again. I didn't know much about the underbelly of Boston, but I knew the stories of the Irish Mob. They'd had their hands in everything back in the day. Was it possible they still did?
"So he's a bigger than Bones?" Joey shook his head.
"In numbers, but not in balls. That's why they do business. Better ta make a little money than die." I mulled that over for a moment before I thought about Jackie.
"So who does Jackie work for?" I asked.
"Nobody. She's a free agent." Joey murmured. Opening one eye, I glanced at him as he stared down the hall into the living room.
"Doing what?" He was in a trance, looking into the distance. And it occurred to me he hadn't slept in a long time. Probably since he'd found me. Suddenly I felt guilty for being so curious. What Joey needed was rest, not twenty questions. "Nevermind." I murmured, touching his arm softly. "You need to sleep." He blinked and looked at me, as if realizing where he was for the first time.
"Yeah. You're probably right." Standing he slowly walked down the hall, dreaming of my couch, no doubt. "Cars." He murmured groggily halfway down the hall. Looking back at me over his shoulder, he yawned before he clarified. "Jackie steals cars." I couldn't help but grin at him as he stumbled out of sight into the living room. Curling up on my side, I burrowed into the comforter as the room was cast in shadow.
"Jackie jacks cars." I whispered to myself, snorting a small laugh. "That's funny."
It could have been hours later, or maybe minutes, but I was deep asleep when I felt something brush against my cheek. At first, I thought I was dreaming again, feeling the grass on my face. But the feeling broke through an invisible barrier in my brain, dragging me out of the comfort of sleep. Stirring, it took me a minute to hear him.
"Harley." I could barely see in the dark, but his voice was enough. Reaching up for his face, I heard a small cry whine from my lips. His mouth was on mine in a flash, caressing and soft with a hint of desperation. When he pulled away, Steven stroked his thumb over my sore cheek.
"Are you okay?" I nodded gently, reaching to pull him back. I'd been without him for too long; I craved his kiss, his scent. "Who did this?" He hissed softly, the anger in his eyes shining through in the darkness. It was hard to look at his face, see that protective emotion.
Because I couldn't tell him the truth.
"I…" I whispered, stroking a hand over his stubbly cheek. But there wasn't a lie for me to use. My voice died in my throat. Steven inhaled angrily and I sat up, using my good hand to push me upright.
When his eyes found my bandaged hand, the situation changed. One second he wasn't breathing, wasn't moving, staring at the white medical tape. The next, he was charging down the hallway, his broad shoulders swinging back and forth with each stride. I tried to hurry after him, but I was still very sore and in need of more Tylenol.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Steven's bellow shook the walls, making me jump slightly as I finally made my way out of bed. Moving faster, I trotted into the living room.
Joey was wide-eyed and squirming against a wall, Steven pinning him there with a grip on his shirt.
"Get the fuck offa me!" My brother muttered, sleep holding back any real ferocity he could have had. He must have been fast asleep for Steven to just walk inside the apartment in the first place. This was a rude awaking for my exhausted bodyguard.
"Steven!" I yelled, rushing to Joey's aid. Putting my hand on Steven's shoulder, I spoke gently to them both. "Joey didn't hurt me. He's here to protect me." After the two men glared at each other for a few moments, Joey was slowly released.
"Protect you from who?" Steven growled, turning his blazing eyes on me. I glanced at Joey and he frowned, telling me with a solid stare to keep my mouth closed. Steven caught the look and shoved Joey back against the wall.
"The fuck's your problem?" My brother snapped. "She told ya, I'm helpin'." Steven pushed him away and turned to me, leaning down to look me in the eye.
"Tell me who did this." I blinked.
"I can't—"
"Harley." He was stern, like a father scolding his daughter. "Tell me." I bit down on my jaw and gave a small shake of my head.
"I can't."
"Why?" His eyes were a mixture of sad and angry, imploring me with a softer voice. For a moment, I couldn't form a good response. If there were anyone I'd want looking for Tix, it'd be Steven. I knew what he would do for me. I knew how he felt about me. But I also knew where his ultimate loyalty would fall. If I told Steven about Tix beating me, it wouldn't be long before my father would know. And Billy didn't want that.
"Because you belong to Bones." I whispered, touching his jaw lightly with the tips of my fingers. "Not to me." Joey smirked, crossing his arms. Steven lashed out with a hand and grabbed his collar, throwing him up against the wall again.
"YA THINK SOMETHING'S FUNNY?" He roared.
"I think ya need ta get the fuck outta here." All three of us whipped our heads around. Standing in the front door, silent as a ghost until he'd spoken, was Billy. Gun hanging at his side, he blinked calmly at us. "This is somethin' between me, my brother…" He took a breath and his eyes met mine. "…and our sister."
Goodness, it only took…24 chapters. Heh. Thoughts?
LOVE TO MY REVIEWERS! Thank you for being patient with me.
gitarr, Sparkly Blue Eyes, xoShortee93, Dancing-Pinky-Flower