Onika breathes his name just loudly enough that I know I’m not alone in recognizing his voice. But what about the woman?
“I don’t care if we shoot them. She fucked my husband, Scum.”
Okay. I’m not sure how lucky I am to have both my questions answered now.
“We’re not killing them unless I get something out of it.”
Her sidekick sounds stupid. But I have to be honest. Isaac’s wife scares me. It’s not her looks, which are more demure than you might expect, but the fact that she clearly does not give a shit if I live or die. As far as she’s concerned – I touched her man. The uncomfortable rattle of the storage unit metal sliding doors exposes us to the brilliant fluorescent lights from the hallway.
Scum blocks the light just enough for us to not go blind… Yet. Tylee flicks on our specific unit’s brilliant fluorescent light that brings water to my eyes as I struggle to adjust to the light from so many hours in the dark. Onika must be experiencing the same thing. The fuzzy appearance of the biker’s head gets clearer as tears stream down my face. The two of them are standing over us like two horrifying super villains.
Tylee puffs out a cloud of vape smoke and glares at me like she wants to rip me to shreds. I heard what she said outside, but I can’t bring myself to drop my gaze from intimidation. Even bound to a pole I refuse to back down with what little dignity I have left. Onika must be doing the same, because Scum is staring at her and has a nasty scowl plastered on his face too.
“Any woman who found out her husband was cheating on her would react like this,” Tylee says. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this Onika. I hope this doesn’t cause problems between our families.”
“My husband doesn’t care what his family says. He does whatever he wants.”
From what Onika has told me, I believe what she says about her husband’s unhinged ways. He reminds me of what Isaac might have been like if he didn’t have kids. I saw a hint of that dark side in the alley before he whisked me away on this… I guess this journey to my death. Tylee smirks at me, which tells me that my face has fallen just enough to give her pleasure.
“He can’t do much with a corpse,” Scum says quietly. He looks at Tylee, searching for either approval or instructions. Both, probably. I glance up at both of them, searching for anything that I might be able to reach for if by some miracle or mistake on their part, I got my hands free. They both have weapons on holsters, but Tylee’s boot looks a little… fat.
I wonder if there’s a gun in there. Still… Could I honestly shoot this woman? She’s the mother of Isaac’s children. I’m not a killer. Yet… if it came down to her or me, I would have to save my own life. Scum spits on the ground in front of me and Onika, and it takes everything in my power not to retch and throw up on the spot.
How nasty do you have to be to have spit that stinks?
“Babe,” Tylee says, drawing out the word. “It’s time to stop the bullshit. You promised me you would handle this for me.”
“I know. But what do you want me to do? I can’t think of all that shit on my own.”
“It’s fucking torture, Scum. Pull out one of her teeth. How fucking hard can it be?”
He glares at her but when Tylee glares back, he softens, like a neutered dog.
“Why are you always mad at me?” Scum whines. Jesus Christ. I want to get out of this nonconsensual Jerry Springer episode about to unfold. Especially if this episode ends with some psychopath plucking my teeth out.
“You promised you would help.”
“This would be much easier if you would tell me more about your brother’s supply lines.”
“You don’t work for the government anymore, Scum,” Tylee snaps. It’s implied that he works for her now, but Scum doesn’t seem like the type of man to understand things like implications.
“But I have my beliefs.”
“Right. Then pull out her fucking teeth.”
“Oh you’re fucked,” he grunts, reaching into his back pocket for a pair of pliers that looks like it was last used on his motorcycle. Scum flexes his hand and every detail I notice about this man sends chills down my spine.He’s a neo-nazi.I don’t have exact proof, nor am I really an expert in those types of tattoos, but there’s something off about them and some of the tattoos just look…evil.I scan his body for a swastika tattoo for proof – and I finally find one.
It’s small, on the corner of his neck, but it’s there.
There’s one with a man laughing holding a woman’s severed head. The flag of Mexico on fire. Strange swirls,lines and skulls unlike your run of the mill spooky goth tattoos. My stomach churns as he crouches down and gets close to me.
“HEY,” Onika screams. “If either of you touch her, the entire Murray family will destroy you. I don’t know what the fuck happens out in the Midwest, but Aiden Murray runs Boston with an iron fist and you have already gone way too–AHHHH!”
Tylee slams her foot into Onika’s face.
“DON’T HURT HER!” I call out. “You can do whatever you want to me, but don’t touch her…”
Tylee gets up and I get slightly calmer as she moves away from Onika. I’m glad that she moves away from Onika, but I don’t know what that means for me. Tylee seems satisfied for now.