Invincible(16)

Then again, looking around the dark office, this truly represented my normal. Darkness.





8.


(Wes)



I wore my leather jacket over my wounded shoulder and arm. I drove like fire to get to somewhere, anywhere. The only place I could think of going was the main office. An abandoned office building that Aton used to count money and train fighters. Sometimes he liked to have his own private fights, to see how the guys were doing. He’d let us fight until blood and then break it off before anyone was hurt or killed.

Sometimes it was done for training. Sometimes for punishment. Or sometimes just for fun if Aton had a few women he wanted to impress by showing us off.

As I turned into the parking lot I knew that if Aton was here, my life was going to be over. But if I could get ten words in with Aton. Explain that I went to look for Rose. That I got her to safety because someone else was trying to kill her. If she was wanted dead so badly that meant she had to be worth something alive.

I threw open the car door and hurried toward the building. I opened the side door and ran to the middle of the floor. The door shut with an echo and I yelled for Aton.

“Where are you?” I yelled. “It’s Wes! I’m here. I need to talk to you.”

I walked to the middle of the room and stood there.

I saw Shane on the floor, getting his brains smashed out of his head. That guy in the black mask. The assassin. There was a time when I heard Aton was making serious offers to bring the assassin on his crew but it never worked out. That made Shane the number one guy for Aton. Once Shane died, I then became the number one guy.

And I still was. I was a guarantee.

A door opened with a squeak and Aton appeared at one of the railings. He took an unlit cigar from his mouth.

“You smell something, Wes?” he called down to me.

“No.”

“I think I smell a rat.”

“Aton, it’s not what you think. You know me. Let me explain something.”

“I’m sorry, Wes,” Aton said. “It’s too late. She’s gone. You’re next.”

I jumped forward, not sure what I was going to do because of my distance from Aton. I didn’t even have the chance to scream before something knocked me in the back of the head. Then something was put over my face.

Hey, it wasn’t the worst way to go out…



~



I felt someone tear the cloth off my head. There were two men in suits, wearing rubber exam gloves. Aton was next to them. He held a wad of cash in his hand. He looked pissed. Rightfully so, I guess. Everything I’d dealt with lately involving him had gone really f*cking wrong.

“Aton,” I said.

“Shut him up,” Aton said.

One of the guys stuffed some cloth into my mouth. I was tied to a chair and gagged. Like some kind of kidnapped criminal or bad guy.

All I could think about was Rose.

Beautiful Rose.

What the hell had I gotten myself into with this shit?

“I want you to meet my cousin, Little Petey.”

In walked a man four times the size of Aton but not much taller. He was a wide and round man. They had the same eyes and eyebrows, thick and furry. Little Petey had greasy, thinning hair.

“This is your guy?” he asked, his Italian accent showing through.

“He’s my best. I’m willing to put him up.”

“Damn,” Little Petey said. He looked at me. “You must’a really f*cked up good.”

I shook my head.

“Little dispute on things,” Aton said. “I’m putting five down on it. You matching?”

“Of course, cuz,” Little Petey said. “I’ll get the gorilla ready.”

The gorilla?

Little Petey left the room.

“Give me a minute here,” Aton said. The two men in gloves left the room. Aton stepped to me and touched my chin. “I don’t know what the f*ck you’re doing, Wes. I got Tommy telling me you’re a f*cking rat. Why would I believe that? Well, the woman that was supposed to be taken care of is in your apartment. With a f*cking bag.” He took the cloth from my mouth. “So now I need you to do something else for me. And I really hope you don’t f*ck this up.”

“Aton, let me talk,” I said. “There’s something about Rose.”

“What’s wrong with your jacket?” Aton asked.

“I was shot.”

“What?”

Aton slid my jacket down and peeled up my sleeve. His eyes went wide. “I got five thousand on you to win a fight and you have a bullet hole in your arm?”

“Fight? I’m fighting right now?”

“Goddamn straight,” Aton said. “Little Petey has been breaking my balls about his guy. He calls him the gorilla. I was thinking of tossing Tommy out there for fun. Then I thought about Ax. Maybe Henry. But then this fell right into my lap. Because if I lose you in this fight, what do I care? I’m going to have to kill you anyway.”

“I was shot saving Rose,” I said. “Someone was after her. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

Aton stuffed the cloth back into my mouth. “Tell you what, Wes. You knock the gorilla down and keep him down long enough that I make an easy five off my fat f*ck of a cousin, I’ll let you say anything you want. But you get a minute. Because then, Tommy is putting a bullet in the back of your head.”