Page 142

Story: Sinful Ruin

Noodles nods, and Damien goes to the mini fridge next, pulling out a bottle of water. He uncaps it and hands it to Noodles.

He loudly gulps it down.

I kneel to Noodles’s eye level. “Now, tell us Dima’s plan.”

He squints at Antonio. “You promise to have my back?”

Antonio nods. “Scout’s fucking honor.”

“Dima … he didn’t tell me much,” Noodles starts. “He doesn’t really share much with me. Says I’m dumb, but, uh, I know Yaroslav is dead and Dima is coming for the girl.”

“What do you mean,coming for the girl?” I grit out, spit flying with each word. My heart hammers in my chest, and I want to dig my fist into this fucker’s brain to know all the details.

“I don’t know,” he rambles. “All he said was to come here, get your money, kill you, and then he was going to get the girl.” He raises his voice, and it sounds more pleading. “That’s all I know, man!”

I shoot him in the head, annoyed and frustrated.

Damien shoots him next, as if he needed to get his anger out as well.

Antonio stalks toward him to slit his throat. “If you want to be a made man, know your fucking history, you fucking idiot. We don’t allow random motherfuckers to join our family.”

I hurriedly grab my phone from my pocket and call Genesis’s phone.

No answer.

I call it again.

No answer.

My next call is to Emilio.

“What’s up?” he answers.

“Where’s Genesis?”

“We’re at the shelter.”

“Do you have eyes on her at the shelter?”

“She left her classroom and went to the restroom.”

“Go into the restroom and get her.”

“You want me to go into the women’s restroom?” He lowers his voice. “In a place like this, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’m not about to fucking scare these women.”

“Ask another woman or Lora to go in there.”

“One sec.”

I hear conversation in the background, making out Emilio asking someone to check on Genesis.

I grab Noodles’s phone from his pocket and follow Antonio and Damien out of the warehouse.

“She’s not in the restroom,” Emilio says, now panicked. “The woman said she walked out back with another girl.”

“Go find her!” I scream into the phone.

“Already on my way!” Emilio says, and I can tell he’s running.