The days had gone by in a blink of an eye. Each moment went by so slowly and so quickly at the same time. After what happened that night in Mel's home, he had explained to us that his family would often be the target of Tyron's rage, more especially so if he was under the influence of liquor. The head of the local gangsters had known of this behavior but he didn't care. What was most important to him was that Mel's family would pay their debt.
We'd eaten dinner within the lovely company of their household, talked of stories of Mel's childhood—to his embarrassment and shame. Once we had taken our fill, Niko had been the one who told Mel's family that I had to go first. It had been well past midnight, and I was already in bad terms with my own parents. Ivan had stayed longer, and Niko and I went ahead.
