"Wait," Lorna said. "So you ate this girl's pussy, made her cum, and then she broke up with you? That is so fucked up!" She was practically shouting over the booming music of the club they were in.
"She didn't break up with me, Lorna, we were never a thing!" Alex shouted back.
"Look, all I know is, we're gonna get you laid and get you over it!" Nicky grabbed three shots from the bartender before distributing them to the two girls at her side.
"I'm not-" Alex threw the shot back, wincing at the burn in her throat. "I'm not sad about it."
"Yeah, then why'd I have to practically drag your ass out here tonight?" Nicky asked, throwing back her own shot. She reached in her jacket pocket, retrieving a small baggie.
"Here, girls." She set a small white pill in each of their hands. They each toasted each other, tapping their own pill against each other's before swallowing them down. Nicky clapped her hands.
"Let's get out there and find you another skinny blonde girl to fawn over for the next few hours."
The three women headed to the dance floor. Naturally, Lorna stuck to Nicky's side. In truth, Alex didn't feel like being here tonight. She already felt like shit because she and Nicky had had another one of their benders the night before. Although she was not a fan of Poussey, firing her wasn't something she'd enjoyed doing. Piper pulling the stunt she had was only the cherry on top of the shit flavored cake that was her day. Nicky practically did drag her out, begging her not to lie in bed and drink wine while she scrolled through TikTok all night.
Being out on the dance floor of a sleazy club, waiting on the high of the ecstasy she'd just taken was probably going to be more fun, sure. But she was going to complain about it the entire way there.
"Nicky, none of these girls are even remotely cute." She said, looking over the dancefloor, writhing with sweaty, glittering bodies.
"Look harder, Vause." Nicky advised. Lorna was already in her own world, dancing with herself. Alex scanned the crowd. There were women who were attractive, just none she felt interest in. She locked eyes with a slender red-headed woman. She was dancing with her friends, grinding against one of them slowly. Alex watched her closely. The woman smiled at her, lowering herself to the floor and then back up again, running her hands through her hair.
"I'd say she's pretty cute." Nicky commented, nudging Alex forward. Alex shoved Nicky playfully before approaching the woman.
"You're quite the dancer." Alex said, giving a smile.
"Do you dance?" She asked. Alex could smell the liquor on her breath. The woman was noticeably drunk.
"Wanna find out?"
The two began to dance, Alex wrapping her in her arms as the girl whined her hips. She was noticeably much shorter than her but that didn't seem to matter. Alex could feel the pill she'd taken beginning to kick in, making the movements the woman was making against her body feel even better.
"What's your name?" The woman asked, setting her hands on Alex's hips.
"Does it matter?" She asked.
"I'm Venice."
"Cool." Alex kissed her. Suddenly the booming of the speakers felt fantastic. The vibrations of the room were surging through Alex's entire body. She began to sweat. The woman was grabbing at Alex's shirt, pulling her into her messily. She was aggressively pulling at Alex's hair in an attempt to be playfully rough. Alex jerked her head away, breaking their kiss.
"Stop." Alex shook her head.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, I just, I gotta go." Alex was feeling sick. She found the dirty club bathroom. There were women lined against the wall, waiting to use the stalls. She could feel the heat in her body dropping from her head to her feet. Her body began to shake.
Alex headed back to the dance floor, searching desperately for her friends. She looked for Nicky's wild hair or Lorna's bright lipstick. Neither were to be found. Alex exited the club, walking out onto the streets. Her teeth were chattering. She was debating between taking a cab back to her apartment or to a hospital.
Alex leaned against the cold brick of the building, struggling to take in deep breaths.
"You alright?" A man's voice asked. She looked over, meeting eyes with a tall, brown eyed individual.
"Yeah." She sighed. She patted at her pockets. "Fuck." She whined.
"Lost your smokes?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"Here, bum one off me." He offered her one from his pocket. Alex took it, accepting his lighter as well.
"You here by yourself?" He asked.
"Look man, if you're trying to get in my pants, it's not gonna happen." She said.
"Not at all." He laughed. "Name's Kubra." He introduced himself.
"Alex." She replied. Her anxiety was beginning to settle as she inhaled off her cigarette.
"What do you do, Alex?" He asked.
"I uh...I own a funeral home." She looked at him. His floral print shirt was blowing in the breeze. She noticed the street felt somewhat quieter than usual.
"Vause Funeral Home?" He asked, a sinister smirk spreading across his face. Alex straightened up, taking a step back from him.
"No. Not that one." She began to back away.
"Really? Because if I remember correctly, a funeral home owner named Alex Vause is the one in charge of handling my product." Kubra began to step towards her.
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Alex flicked her cigarette at him, hitting him in the face with it. He growled and flinched as the cherry caught him near the eye. Alex ran back inside the club, her heart beating hard in her chest. She ran into Nicky on the staircase down to the dance floor.
"I was just looking for you, where the fuck did you go?" Nicky asked, smiling.
"Nicky we have to go." Alex said urgently, looking behind her towards the entrance.
"What? Why?" Nicky asked.
"Nicky." Alex looked into her eyes. Nicky didn't ask anymore questions.
"We gotta grab Lorn."
The two women found Lorna near the bar, downing another shot. They took off across the dance floor, Lorna protesting the entire way. They exited through the emergency door where they rushed onto a side street before hailing a cab. Lorna blabbered away as she sat in between the two women in the backseat. They arrived at Nicky's apartment where they tucked Lorna into bed, once again ignoring her protests.
Alex and Nicky went to the living room, talking in hushed voices.
"What the fuck happened?" Nicky asked, looking back towards her bedroom to make sure Lorna was where they'd left her.
"I went outside to smoke a cigarette and some fucking guy-" Alex was pacing the floor. "This guy said his name was Kubra and he knew my name. He knew the funeral home."
"Okay?" Nicky shrugged.
"He was scary, Nicky. He said something about-" She lowered her voice. "Something about his product."
Nicky's face fell.
"What?"
"Yes. He fucking came at me and I ran off."
"Oh no." Nicky put her hands in her hair. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" She began to pace as well. Her teeth were grinding.
"Who did the last delivery? Who ran the last body Nicky?" Alex asked.
"Luschek!"
"Would he have taken it?" Alex asked.
"I don't...I don't think so." She shook her head.
"Did something go wrong? What the fuck does this guy want?" Alex asked, panic in her voice.
"Let me call Luschek." Nicky said calmly. She scrolled through her phone, tapping the screen a few times before throwing it to the ground.
"Fuck!" She yelled. "He's blocked me on everything."
"So he fucking took it?!" Alex shouted back.
"I don't know! I don't know Alex!" Nicky threw herself down on the couch.
"What do we do?" Alex sat next to her, tapping her foot wildly. She could feel her teeth beginning to grind in her mouth as well. A knock on the door caused them both to flinch.
"Nicky." Alex said.
"Relax. It's alright." Nicky rose from the couch, creeping towards the door. The knock came again, louder this time.
"Who is it?" Nicky called.
"Open this fucking door." A man's voice commanded. Alex recognized it as the man from the club. Nicky had barely gotten the deadbolt undone when the door came flying in. The man stepped inside, two men following behind him.
"Sit your ass down." He demanded, pulling a gun from his belt.
"Fuck!" Nicky yelped, joining Alex on the couch. One of the men behind Kubra shut and locked the door.
"You bitches owe me an explanation, right fucking now." Kubra cocked his gun, pointing it at Alex's forehead.
"Listen man, we know what you're here about-" Nicky started.
"Shut up!" He yelled. "You." He said to Alex. "Tell me where the fuck it is."
"It's supposed to be on it's way to California but the driver we sent it with took it and ran." Alex said, on the verge of tears.
"Who's the driver?" He asked. Alex looked to Nicky. Nicky had her head down, looking at the floor. "Who. Is. The. Fucking. Driver?" He said, the anger in his voice rising.
"Look, Kubra, please-" He hit Nicky over the back of the head with the butt of his gun, sending her to the floor. Nicky cried out, holding her hands to her head. He pounced on Alex, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt.
Lorna emerged from the bedroom, stumbling around.
"Nicky?" She asked. One of the two men grabbed her, placing his own gun to the side of her head.
"Don't! Please fucking don't." Alex cried, closing her eyes.
"You tell me who this driver is or I'm killing you and both your friends right now, do you hear me?" He hissed. His breath smelled of cigars and he was close enough that Alex could feel his stubble on his chin brushing against her cheek.
"Alex what the fuck is going on?" Lorna asked, fear in her voice.
"Joel Luschek. It's Joel Luschek." Alex admitted.
"Where does he stay?"
"Near Flatbush, in a trailer. He drives a blue pick-up truck."
Kubra looked her in the eyes. He let go of her collar, throwing her back against the couch.
"You better fucking hope he's got my shit." He growled. "Take care of them." He said to the man holding Lorna. Before Alex knew it the man was hitting Lorna with the butt of his gun while the other began to approach Nicky, who still lay on the floor.
"You're gonna sit here and watch." Kubra said to Alex. "You're gonna see what the fuck happens when people are careless with my shit." He exited the apartment, closing the door behind him.
"You feel like a real man huh?" Nicky struggled to climb to her feet. "Beatin' up a woman!" She shouted, stumbling. Her blonde curls were running red with blood. The man landed a punch against her face.
"Stop! Please!" Alex shouted with tears streaming down her face. Lorna was still being beaten, crying out in pain and begging for them to stop. Nicky was on the ground again, being kicked in the stomach. The beating continued for what felt like an eternity. It only stopped once the men grew tired, both of them panting and looking down at the mess of blood they'd caused on Nicky's carpet. One of the men gave the other a nod before the two neared the front door. The taller of the two opened the door before giving another glance to Alex, curled up on the couch, holding her hands over her face.
"We'll be in touch." He smiled, before finally leaving. As soon as the door clicked shut, Alex dove to the floor, reaching for Nicky.
"Nicky? Please…" She looked at her friend, bleeding from her nose and lips.
"I'm fine," Nicky coughed, splattering blood on the side of Alex's face. "Where's Lorna? Lorna!" She shouted through labored breathing. She began to crawl on her stomach towards the other woman, who was no longer moving. "Lorna…" She reached her, setting her hand on the woman's already bruising face. Blood was spilling out of the corner of her mouth. "Hey! Hey!" She yelled, slapping her hand against her cheek.
"Lorna?" Alex crouched over her.
"Call 911!" Nicky shouted. "Right fucking now!" She scooped Lorna into her arms, shaking her. "Lorn, please, don't do this...Please don't fucking do this."
Alex scrambled to find her cellphone.
"Nicky, if I call 911, the cops are gonna wanna know how the fuck this happened." Alex said.
"I don't fucking care! Call them!" Nicky screamed. Alex didn't move, looking down at her two friends.
"Alex!" Nicky shouted. "Give me the fucking phone!" She let go of Lorna to tear the phone away from Alex's grasp. She dialed 911 herself.
In the fluorescent lights of the hospital waiting room, Alex sat next to Nicky. She'd been seen by a nurse but the worst of her injuries were a broken nose and a slight concussion from Kubra hitting her with the butt of his gun. Lorna, however, her brain was swelling. Nicky had to be the one to call Lorna's sister and inform her.
"So you walked into the robbery?" The police officer standing in front of them asked, his hands on his belt.
"Yeah." Alex nodded. It was four in the morning yet, she was wide awake. "I walked in the door and saw two guys going out the fire escape."
"And what did they steal?" The officer asked.
"I had a safe in my room that they took." Nicky answered, her voice raspy. Her eyes and nose were bruised horribly. Her bottom lip was swollen to the point it hindered her speech.
"A safe? Is that it?" The officer asked in a slightly condescending way.
"Yeah." Nicky scoffed. "That's it."
"What were your names again, girls?"
"Nicky Nichols."
"Alex Vause."
"Alex Vause?" The officer smiled. "You buried my brother."
"Sorry for your loss." Alex remarked. It was almost like muscle memory to spit out those words.
"Can you give me a description of these guys? You said there were two of them?" He asked, his tone of voice was a bit kinder now.
"Look, honestly," Nicky stood, steadying herself on the chair. "I just want this to be over, alright?"
"Ma'am, we still have to take a report." The officer said.
"Two assholes dressed in black broke into my apartment, stole my shit, wrecked my place, and beat my friend half to death. They're gone. You're not gonna fuckin' find 'em. There's your report." Nicky said aggressively, making a few people in the waiting room turn their heads in curiosity.
"Nick, sit down." Alex set her hand on Nicky's. Nicky lowered herself back into the chair, wincing in pain.
"And you walked in and found them?" The officer looked to Alex.
"Yes, officer." She nodded.
"Well, we'll do the best we can with the info you've given us but, there's not much to go off of. Are you sure you didn't hear any names? Did they have any tattoos?" He pushed.
"No." Nicky answered simply.
" ?"
"No." She sighed. "Not that I remember."
"Okay." He shrugged. "Well, here's my card, if you decide you remember anything."
He handed her a card that read Matthew Bennett NYPD with his phone number written below it. He gave them a nod before leaving.
"Nicky…" Alex said, tightening her hold on her friend's hand. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't do anything." Nicky said. Her hair was matted to one side of her head with dried blood.
"Exactly. I didn't do anything. I just sat there." Alex began to cry.
"What the fuck were you supposed to do? They had guns." Nicky shrugged her shoulders.
"This isn't fun anymore." Alex said in a shaky voice.
"It was never fun, Vause." She scoffed. "We didn't start doin' this because we were lookin' for a fuckin' party. This was to keep from going under."
"I know." The taller woman lay her head on her friend's shoulder. "I never meant for anybody to get hurt."
"She wasn't even a part of this. She was never a fuckin' part of this." Nicky began to cry too. "I never told her a damn thing about it because I thought it'd keep her from getting hurt."
"It's not…" Alex sighed. "It's not our fault. We held up our end of the deal, every time."
"Lorna was never a part of the deal, Vause." Nicky said angrily. "Now look. She might not make it. That wasn't her fault."
"Nicky…"
"You better get goin'. We've got services in a couple hours."
Alex rose from her chair, looking at her friend. She looked like a fourth of the person she used to be. Her hair flattened on one side. Dried blood speckled across her cheeks like freckles. Her eyes were hardly open through the swelling and her pupils were unseeable through the tears. One of her thick eyebrows were split in half by a gash that none of the nurses cared to tend to.
"Go." Nicky said. "I'll leave when her sister gets here."
Alex nodded. She didn't believe Nicky would be leaving when Lorna's sister arrived. She knew she wouldn't be leaving until Lorna was leaving with her.
Piper arrived at the office, finding it eerily quiet. She walked through the back hallway, finding that none of the lights were on.
"Nicky? Lorna?" She called. Her voice echoed through the halls. She'd never been inside the funeral home by herself. She crept through the lobby, flipping on the lights. No Red either. She checked her watch. She wasn't early or late. She opened the chapel door, finding Alex sitting in the front row, looking up at a crucifix on the wall.
"Alex?" She asked quietly. The woman didn't respond. Piper couldn't see her face, only her hair and her glasses sitting atop her head. She approached the other woman, her heels clicking loudly in the silent chapel. She took the seat next to her.
Alex smelled of cigarettes and Chanel perfume. Her eyes were red and the dark circles were prominent. The woman sniffled, not looking away from the crucifix.
"Do you believe in all that stuff?" Alex asked.
"What stuff?" Piper asked, looking at the crucifix. "God?"
Alex nodded.
"Well...no." She shrugged. "My mom and dad always did. They always made us go to church and everything but, none of it ever made any sense to me."
"Diane believed so hard." Alex sniffled again. "She'd always get so angry with me and tell me I needed to ask for his forgiveness, the way she had. Me and Nicky both."
"Why? Because you're gay?" Piper scoffed.
"No. Not because of that." Alex chuckled. "We just...never had our heads on straight."
"Are you okay, Al?" Piper set her hand on Alex's. Alex didn't protest it.
"I'm okay. Just...thinking about some things." She nodded.
"Is it your mom?"
"My mom. My friends. My life." Alex shrugged. "What're you thinking about, Piper?"
"I'm wondering where everybody is and why my boss is acting kinda strange." She answered.
"No. What are you really thinking about?" Alex turned to face her. She looked into her blue eyes, seeing Piper's perfectly applied mascara. The blonde woman took a deep breath in, breaking their eye contact. She looked at the painting on the ceiling, admiring the tiny cherub wings. The way the artist had perfectly painted their chubby bellies and rosy cheeks. They sat in silence for a moment.
"I'm thinking...I made a mistake." Piper sighed. "I'm thinking that I wish I could wake up one morning and be twenty years old again. Or maybe not even go back. Just wake up and leave. I wish I could disappear into a place where I'm always happy."
"I wish I could disappear too." Alex said quietly.
"Where would you go?"
"Wherever my mom is." She answered.
"Alex." A voice came from the opening of the chapel. The two women turned to see Tasha standing in the doorway. "There's a removal and I can't find Lorna or Nicky."
"Lorna's out of town for a while, she went to visit her sister." Alex stood, straightening her suit jacket. Piper followed after her.
"I can go, Taystee." Piper said.
"It's Tasha." She snapped. Both Alex and Piper were taken aback by her.
"Piper and I got it. Nicky should be in later." Alex said flatly, looking down at Tasha. "Let's go, Pipes."
"The police are there so make it fast." Tasha said.
Piper collected the paperwork from the fax machine, filling it out as Alex drove the van.
"Where are we going?" Alex asked in a tired voice.
"Um, it looks like a trailer park in Flatbush." Piper answered. Alex's blood ran cold. "The name's Joel William Luschek."
The women arrived on the scene to find two police officers. The trailer had been taped off as a crowd began to gather.
"What uh...What happened?" Alex asked the officer, looking at the front door of the trailer swaying in the breeze.
"Suicide." The officer answered, leading them inside. The trailer was cluttered but otherwise clean. Drug paraphernalia littered the small dinner table. "Careful ladies, lotta needles in here."
The officer led them to the bedroom where they found the body on the bed. Joel Luschek was in nothing except his underwear and a pair of black socks. He lay flat on his back on the bed. His left arm was curled near his head with a nine millimeter pistol wrapped in his cold hand. Alex recognized it as the one that'd been used to hit Nicky the previous night. His blood was pooled underneath his head onto the sheetless mattress.
"Are we taking him to the forensic center?" Alex asked.
"No. The coroner signed off already. The guy left a note and everything. The guy's a junkie with a few drug dealing charges. He had a warrant and he'd be going away for quite a while so they think that's what caused it." The officer grabbed a bloody piece of paper off the nightstand and showed it to Alex. "Look, he even wrote that he wanted you guys to be the ones to do his funeral."
Alex read over the note. The handwriting was shaky. She imagined Kubra breaking into Luschek's home and holding a gun on him while he forced him to write his own suicide note. At the bottom, in capital letters, Luschek wrote: I REQUEST VAUSE FUNERAL HOME BE WHO MY FAMILY CHOOSES TO BURY MY BODY. I LOVE YOU MOM. GOODBYE.
Alex felt sick.
"Well, I guess it's nice that he chose us?" Piper said awkwardly, placing the toe tag around the big toe on his left foot. They did the rest of the removal in silence. Alex did as much as she could despite feeling as if she were about to either faint or burst into tears. She asked Piper to drive them back to the office.
When they returned, Alex didn't waste time putting the body into the cooler before going to her office. She picked up her office phone, dialing a few numbers.
"Hello?" A man's voice answered.
"Fahri." Alex said. "Can you meet with me today?"
"Honey, I really-"
"Please Fahri."
The line went quiet for a moment.
"Okay. I'll see you at noon."
Alex and Fahri met at the same bar that Alex had taken Piper to the night they'd danced. She'd left Piper alone with Tasha to take care of things at the funeral home. Fahri sat across from her in a booth tucked away in the corner of the pub. He ordered a whiskey, sipping it as he looked at the woman across from him. Alex was a nervous, shaking mess. She'd decided against a drink but was beginning to regret it. She felt like a stupid child, sitting here trembling in front of a man she was supposed to be doing business with.
"What's going on?" He asked. Alex took a deep breath in, rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She felt more comfortable with Fahri than she did most others she'd met while doing such business.
"Kubra. I met Kubra." She said shakily. Fahri glanced at the bartender, nodding his head. The waitress soon brought over a drink and set it in front of Alex. She downed her jack and coke in a matter of moments.
"He beat my friends half to death, Fahri." She coughed.
"Why? What happened?" Fahri asked, his voice unwavering.
"Our driver, the one Nicky knows...knew...he took the drugs and he ran."
"You didn't take any of his shit, did you?" Fahri asked, lowering his voice.
"No. I'm not a fucking idiot." Alex looked around the bar. She couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.
"If he found his shit and he took care of the problem, you're fine, Alex."
"He knows where Nicky lives. He probably knows where I live. He knows where we work!" She chewed on her fingernail.
"Alex, baby," Fahri reached across the table and took her hand in his. His skin was calloused but his hands were warm on Alex's cold flesh. His touch was a comfort. "Kubra is not an irrational man. As long as you do what he asks of you, you'll be fine. He took care of the rat and once you get back to business he'll leave you alone again. This is the first time you've met the man in the year and a half you've been working for him, no?"
Alex nodded.
"Then my best guess is he'll fade back into the shadows and business will go back to usual. Just, don't hire another driver like that one. Kubra doesn't allow second chances."
"Fahri, I don't want to do this anymore." Alex whispered. Fahri looked around the bar before leaning in towards Alex.
"That's not how this works, Alex." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I told you that when you came to me, wanting to be a part of this. I told your friend Nicky that too."
"Fahri, my friend is in the hospital because of him."
"No, she's in the hospital because of a mishap that happened on your end of the deal." Fahri's tone got serious. "As long as you do what you are supposed to do, Alex. You. Will. Be. Fine."
Alex pulled her hand away. She grabbed her jacket and purse out of the booth beside her and rose to her feet.
"If I go down, Fahri, I am fucking taking you with me." She hissed. Fahri rose out of his seat quickly, grabbing her wrist.
"Like fuck you will." He growled back. Alex broke his hold on her before leaving the pub, setting a $10 bill on the bar to cover her drink.
Alex returned to the funeral home, trudging up to her office. She had sat down in her office chair for a total of thirty seconds before a knock on the door interrupted her. Piper opened the door, looking at her boss.
"Alex, there's a man here to see you." Alex threw herself out of her chair, pulling Piper inside with her. She shut the door, looking at her.
"What does he look like? Did he say his name?"
"No-" Piper held her hands up in front of her, looking into Alex's eyes. "Are you on something? What the hell is going on with you right now?"
"I'm fine, Piper." Alex cracked the door, peering into the hall. She found Tasha speaking with a man in a suit. Alex ducked back into her office, breathing deeply. Piper stared at her.
"Alex, I'm seriously worried about you." She said, placing her hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex ran her hand through her hair and straightened her glasses. She stood up straight and took another deep breath in before nodding her head.
"Okay. It's fine." She exited her office, approaching the man in the hall.
"Alex!" He smiled, wrapping her in a hug.
"Doug, how are you?" She smiled.
"Oh I'm fine, how're you beautiful?"
"Stop." She laughed, nudging his shoulder. "What brings you out here today?"
"We had a meeting today." He said, looking a bit surprised. "Did you forget?"
"No," Alex lied, shaking her head. "Of course I remember." She looked to Tasha who had an annoyed look on her face. "Come on into my office, we'll discuss."
Tasha followed the two into Alex's office. The three took a seat, exchanging a few more jokes and fake laughter before diving into their conversation.
"Tasha was telling me that sales have been up lately, Alex. That's great to hear." Doug said, crossing his long legs as he spoke.
"Great for us, for everyone else, not so much." Alex chuckled.
"Right you are. This brings me to my proposition I have for you and Tasha here." He sighed, taking on a serious tone. "Sales are fantastic. The building still looks just as beautiful as it did ten years ago. But, you are no longer cremating people. Cremations are now 55% of the death services the funeral industry provides to families. I take it despite sales, you cannot afford to hire a crematory operator?" He asked.
"That's not the issue at hand sir," Tasha interjected. "We can absolutely afford a crematory operator as both Alex and I are certified in that position. It's the new machine we can't afford. The one we have in the old crematory is simply too old to use. We're working on saving to find a new machine that's within our budget. Isn't that right, Alex?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am it is." Alex answered. She was doing her best to keep her head in the conversation but she couldn't help but remember the image of Nicky's bruised face and the way Kubra's stubble had felt against her cheek.
"You and Alex can't do everything around here, Tasha." Doug said. "You're already the only two directors, two of the three embalmers, and two members of your now smaller removal team. The fact of the matter is, you cannot afford to hire more people as well as buy a new crematory machine. Alex, you're getting older. You've been with this place since you were fifteen for Christ's sakes."
"Doug." Alex sighed. "You do this to me every year. I am not selling out my share of the company to FCI."
"Funeral Corporation International is willing to pay you two hundred thousand for your share Alex. Tasha, we're willing to give you one hundred."
Tasha looked to Alex.
"If I were to sell my share-"
"Tasha!" Alex barked.
"If I were to sell my share," Tasha continued, ignoring Alex. "I would like the same amount you're willing to give Alex."
"You only own a fourth of the funeral home, Tasha. You're lucky we're offering you half."
"I'm not selling my share. That's the bottom line." Alex said.
"I won't be here again to ask you next year, Alex." Doug stood from his chair, buttoning his tan colored suit jacket. "With the way the industry is going, you won't last another five years."
"And those five years will be spent taking care of the place my mother built, Doug. You have a nice day."
He gave Alex another look before leaving his office. Tasha looked at Alex.
"Alex, we've talked about this-"
"No, Taystee, you've talked about this. I tell you every goddamn year for the past two years that I am not selling my share of this funeral home."
"Why, Alex? Why? We're goin' the fuck under! He's right! We won't last another five years the way we're goin' now. Do you know how much a hundred grand could do for me? My family?"
"Then you sell your fucking share Taystee. But don't you ever tell anyone you had anything to do with this place." Alex said quietly.
"As if this place means anything to anybody anymore. I stayed because I loved your mom like my own. I stuck around because I didn't wanna believe you were what everybody said you were. They were right, Alex. You're a fuckin' joke. You and your junkie friend." Tasha shook her head, leaving the office.
Alex sunk into her chair, defeated.
Nicky sat at Lorna's bedside, looking her over. She held her hand, looking at her perfectly manicured nails. The swelling on her brain had gone down on its own but the doctor still wanted Lorna to stay to continue being monitored. Lorna's sister had arrived and stayed for a little while. She left after she found out Lorna would most likely be fine.
A patch of Lorna's hair had been shaved so that the doctor's could stitch up a large laceration that was the result of being hit with one of the men's guns. It was beyond Nicky how she managed to make it out with such little injury while her perfectly innocent friend was lying here, struggling. Lorna, who always looked so beautiful, hardly resembled herself. Nicky combed a strand of stray tuft of hair off of Lorna's face as she slept. It was late into the night and the hospital was quiet. She let go of Lorna's hand as she snuck away into the hallway, looking for a vending machine. She hadn't eaten the entire time she'd been at the hospital since they arrived around two that morning. She hadn't slept either.
She inserted a dollar bill into the machine only for it to be spit back out. She tried two more times to no avail. Nicky kicked her foot against the machine in anger.
"Damn, what'd that thing do to you, Nicky?"
Nicky stiffened. She turned to meet eyes with Kubra.
"Told you we'd be in touch." He smiled. Nicky shook her head, backing away.
"Don't be scared. We're in a hospital. What could I do to you here, huh?" He asked quietly. Nicky looked around, hoping to find a nurse.
"What the hell do you want from me, huh? You've already beat the shit outta me, Alex gave you the guy's name."
"I took care of him. That's no longer an issue." Kubra nodded. "I've already taken care of everything I need to take care of with your friend Alex."
Nicky racked her brain, trying to remember when the last time she'd spoken to Alex was. They hadn't spoken since Alex had left that morning.
"What do you mean?" Nicky stood up straight. "Where's Alex?"
"She's fine. Probably." Kubra shrugged. He looked at his watch. "I wanted to talk to you about some things I found out from your friend Joel Luschek. Some things your friend Alex doesn't know about. Why don't you come outside with me, have a smoke?"
"If I go outside with you, will you leave Lorna alone?" Nicky asked.
"I have no interest in your little girlfriend, Nicky." Kubra tucked his hands into his pockets. "Now. Come. Outside. With me."
Nicky followed Kubra into the cold night air. She was shivering as he led her past the smoking areas to the parking garage.
"Okay, we've gone a little too far man, I really don't wanna-"
"Shut up." He said calmly. A black car drove up next to the two of them. Kubra opened the door and motioned for Nicky to get in. Nicky looked around, hoping someone- anyone, could see her right now. Nicky shuffled around for a moment, looking between Kubra and the darkness of the car's backseat. His hardened face was unmoving. She wouldn't be able to outrun him. Nicky took a deep breath and climbed inside.