Downfall(67)

“The kid doesn’t want you dead, and I don’t you want you bothering him and his girls ever again. So, these are your options, Vincent. You agree to turn yourself in for the murder of your wife and serve your sentence quietly, or you come with me and the guy who threatened to hit my wife, and you can find out exactly how I tie up loose ends.”

The man on the ground sputtered as his eyes rolled back in his head. “There is no evidence I killed my wife. Even if I confessed, no one would convict me.” Wasn’t that exactly how all privileged, powerful men felt these days? Like they could do no wrong, even if they came out and admitted it. It was annoying, and I was going to enjoy Vincent getting every bit of what he deserved.

The dark-haired man chuckled and inclined his chin slightly. “I have a Boy Genius, remember? If I need evidence, he’ll get me evidence in spades. Either way, you have nothing. Exactly what you left your daughter with when you decided to fuck up her life. I’m being generous, Vincent. It won’t last long, so make up your mind.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the man while the Boss clicked his tongue next to me.

“Always so dramatic.” He couldn’t hide the dry humor in his tone.

The other man quirked a black eyebrow and scoffed, “You’re the one who blew his leg in half. Touchy today, aren’t you?” They were poking each other like kids on a playground, but both talked about killing the man on the ground as easily as others chatted about the weather. I was endlessly glad they were on my side. “Call your brother. Get the detective down here and have him take Mr. Vincent away. Make sure he knows he was behind the attempted kidnapping of a minor while you’re at it.” Those gold eyes shifted back to me and I had to suppress a shiver. “You really are a good kid, Solomon. For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice by not taking him out. You may live in a dark place, but there is no reason for your soul to end up tainted, or for it to go missing all together. Go get your girls and tell them it’s safe to come home. I’ll finish cleaning up this mess.”

The Boss practically dragged me away as the Devil once again put his foot on the open wound on Vincent’s leg and pressed down. The other man’s screams of pain echoed loudly down the empty road.

“Do you think it makes me weak? The fact that I couldn’t kill him.” I was almost scared to hear his answer.

The hand clamped on my shoulder squeezed again and I was given a rough little shake. “No. I think you’re stronger than anyone else on the roadside. It takes real strength to be the good guy in a bad place and still be respected and feared. When you’re the only hero in a story full of villains, it takes so much more to come out on top. You were brave to ask for help not knowing what the outcome would be, and you were brave deciding to let him live. Who knows what will happen ten, fifteen years from now? Your choice might come back to haunt you, but you made the right one, which is usually the hardest. I’m always proud of you, kid. Today only made me prouder.”

I didn’t have a dad or an older brother. He was always the man I looked up to the most, so hearing those words made my hands shake a little. There were days, sometimes even months when I questioned what I was doing and if I would ever be able to reach my goals. Hearing him tell me he was proud of me was right there at the top of the list of things I’d always longed to accomplish.

Heaving a relieved, thankful sigh, I followed him toward the car. “Now all I have to do is convince Orley to stay in the city with me.” Her options were wide open now that her biggest threat was gone giving her access to every cent of Channing’s money for her daughter’s future.

The Boss shook his head. “Oh, you know the Devil don’t come to play. The money really is in a trust for the little girl, and if anything happens to her, it gets allocated to various different outreach programs that help children in need. Her mom can access small amounts as needed, but she’ll have to go through him to get at it. It’s his way of making sure the little girl is always safe and never used as a pawn. Your lady is going to have to figure out how to make it on her own, just like the rest of us. Luckily, she’s got you to show her the way.”

And that was exactly what I was going to do.

I could teach her how to live hard, and I would gladly learn all Orley and Noble had to teach me about loving hard.

Life was never easy in my city… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.





Orley



The massive deck off the back of the house hidden away in the woods was beautiful and frightening. It literally hung out over open space, leaving the person standing on it feeling like they were floating in mid-air amongst the clouds and trees. I’d never seen anything like it. Noble was fascinated by it and by the densely wooded area where the house was tucked away. She spent over an hour pointing out every bird and squirrel while begging to get closer to the railing so she could look at the impressive drop. There was no way I was letting her anywhere near the edge, even if the slats in the railing were too narrow for her to fit her head through. I forced her to enjoy the view from the comfort of the patio furniture until she got bored.

The odd mansion came equipped with a playroom no child could resist, so when the outside lost its appeal, the playroom was where we ended up. This massive, palatial home was obviously worth several million dollars, but it was so very different from the cold, impersonal estate where I had grown up. Every room in this home felt like it was lived in and used by a family. Even though there was expensive artwork on the walls and what looked like priceless antiques scattered about amongst the toys and other typical messiness left behind by a child, there was nothing overly pretentious or showy about the house. It felt warm and comfortable. Even the silent, discreet staff greeted both me and Noble with warm smiles and friendly waves. They asked if we needed anything, making me feel like we were at a five-star resort, not a criminal mastermind’s secret hideaway.