Page 14

14

TABITHA

“ A ll right, it’s set. We’re going to get everything we want tonight, baby,” Rico says.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Dawson replies.

“Don’t be a pussy. It’s going to be fine.”

“Dude, Tyson doesn’t forget. You know that.”

“Tyson’s going to be dead after he gives us all his shit. I’ll make sure of it,” Rico snaps. “You afraid his ghost is going to come back and haunt you or something?”

Rico laughs and slaps the other man on the shoulder. Dawson nods and then laughs along with him, but he still doesn’t look entirely convinced this plan is going to work. I don’t blame him. He’s wise to be afraid of Tyson.

“All right, I need to go get some shit to get ready for tonight,” Rico says. “You keep an eye on her, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“It’s going to be fine, D. Trust me. We’re about to get everything we want.”

Rico grabs his keys and heads out of the small apartment, leaving me alone with Dawson. Rico is obviously the brains of their little operation, and Dawson, the dimmer of the two, is the follower. He’s the weak link. If I’m going to get out of this before their exchange, when they plan to kill Tyson, I need to go to work on him. I need to crack him.

“You know this isn’t going to work, right?” I ask.

“Shut up.”

Dawson sits down on the sofa and starts playing a video game, making a point of not looking at me. He’s trying to ignore me, but I know he’s listening.

“If Rico screws up and doesn’t kill Tyson, you’re both going to die,” I say. “I mean, you do know that, right?”

“I said shut up.”

“Why are you doing this? Is it because Tyson roughed you up that night?”

He finally turns to me. “You can either shut up, or I’ll shut you up.”

I glare at him. “I know you can’t hurt me. If you hurt me and Tyson sees it, he’s going to tear you both apart with his bare hands.”

Throwing his controller down, Dawson shoots to his feet and cocks his hand back like he’s going to smack me. His face is red, and he’s huffing, but he doesn’t deliver the blow, and I see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” I say.

“Shut the fuck up, or I’m going to gag you.”

He sits back down, picks his controller up again, and starts playing a first-person shooter war game. I watch him for a little while. All the while, my mind is spinning, trying to figure out how I’m going to get through to him and get out of this. If Tyson shows up to that meeting, they’re going to kill him. The mere thought of it sends a sharp lance of pain straight through my heart. I need to warn him.

“I need to use the restroom,” I say.

“Shut up.”

“Please,” I respond. “I don’t want to pee my pants.”

“Not my problem.”

“Dawson, please. Be a human being, and just let me use the restroom. You can stand right outside the door.”

He frowns, doing his best to ignore me. Dawson plays tough, but I can tell that he’s not. He’s not as hard as Rico. I’ve got a feeling he’s only in this life because he followed Rico into it. It’s not hard to see the hero worship on his face when he looks at him. It’s kind of sad.

“Please, Dawson,” I plead, my voice soft. “Just let me use the restroom.”

He sighs heavily, then pauses his game and turns to me. “No funny shit, all right?”

“No funny shit. I promise.”

He sets the controller down, stands up, and walks over to me. Dawson pulls a pair of snips from his back pocket and looks down at me for a minute, his eyes filled with uncertainty. I do my best to look innocent and harmless.

“I’m going to be right outside that door,” he says.

“That’s fine.”

He nods and bends down, snipping the plastic cuffs. The moment the cuffs slip off my wrists and fall to the floor, I throw the hardest punch I can, connecting squarely with his balls. He lets out a grunt of pain, his breath bursting from his mouth with a loud “oomph.” Dawson doubles over, his hands on his groin. Jumping to my feet, I bolt for the door. He grabs at my ankle, so I spin around and kick him in the face, sending him topping over backward.

“Bitch,” he croaks. “Fucking bitch.”

I sprint across the room, my hands trembling so hard, I fumble with the locks. Behind me, I hear Dawson getting to his feet, and I let out a sharp squeak. He’s shambling slowly toward me, one hand on his injured balls, the other reaching toward me. My heart is pounding in my ears, and my face is so hot it feels like it’s on fire as I keep fumbling with the locks.

“Come on, come on,” I cry.

I finally manage to unlock the door and throw it open. When I do, my eyes widen, and my heart sinks into my belly.

“What the fuck?” Rico growls.

Before I can utter a reply, Rico grabs me by the hair and yanks my head up roughly, forcing me to look him in the eye.

“Nice try, bitch,” he growls.