"Barker, what are you doing here?" asked Smith, staring at Jason with a mix of surprise and anger.
"Hello, Officer Smith," began Jason as he approached the sister and the police officer. He put his hands in his pockets and explained, "I was sleeping..."
"You should be doing your community service, not sleeping," said Smith, even more angry with the boy's response. "Why didn't you answer the phone yesterday?"
"As I explained to you yesterday, Officer," interrupted Ellis, who was now standing next to her brother. She hugged him and said, "Yesterday was a very tiring day for us and I preferred to let my brother rest."
Smith opened his lips but then closed them, leaving the words that would be spoken stuck in his throat. He analyzed the faces of the Barker siblings, for some reason that narrative did not convince him at all and they knew it. Ellis was then certain that Smith knew the truth... all of it.
"Okay, Barker," Smith agreed finally, looking at Jason. He pointed to the boy and said, "I'll give you one more chance... Today I will contact you at the same agreed time and you have to answer. And tomorrow you will start your community service for your probation, without fail, understood?"
"Absolutely, Officer. I promise there will be no more absences or mishaps," Ellis assured in place of her brother.
"And Miss Barker..." Smith spoke before turning to Ellis. "I need you to go back to the station."
"Why?" asked Ellis, surprised.
"Because you left your car there," Smith replied. "In your haste for your 'lunch,' you forgot that you have a vehicle, didn't you?"
"Well, hunger does that to people," explained Ellis, releasing a forced smile accompanied by her brother. "Don't worry, I'll retrieve it later."
Smith remained serious, staring at the young woman. There was something in the air, he felt it. He took a deep breath and then stepped away as he said goodbye.
"See you later."
He got into his car and drove away slowly, but just in time to not see the weight of Jason's body falling onto his sister's arms.
"Jason!" yelled Ellis, holding her brother's limp body.
***
After much effort, Ellis finally managed to carry her brother's body into the house without the neighbors noticing. She carried him to the sofa, where she put him down. The young woman ran to the bathroom, where she grabbed a bottle of alcohol and then opened it next to her brother's nose. As he breathed in the liquid, he regained consciousness.
"What happened?" asked Jason, still lying on the sofa.
"You fainted," Ellis replied, touching her brother's face. "Are you okay? What are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, just tired. It was a really...difficult night," replied Jason, struggling to get up from the sofa. "I'm going to take a shower."
He walked towards the bathroom, accompanied by his sister, who continued to worry about his situation. Her concern grew even greater when Ellis saw her brother take off his shirt and reveal the bruises that were scattered all over his body, along with blood.
"But what is this?" asked Ellis, horrified by the scene. She approached her brother, touching his ribs, which made Jason groan in pain. "What did they do to you?"
"Nothing," Jason replied, stepping away from his sister. He grabbed the door handle and, before closing it, said, "Nothing I didn't deserve."
***
Ellis sat on the sofa, replaying the image of her badly injured brother in her mind. If she had been any later...
"Good as new!" joked Jason, appearing in the living room a little more cheerful. However, the only thing he received from his sister was a red face and tears. He sat down next to her and hugged her. "What's wrong, sis?"
"What's wrong?" Ellis asked, incredulous at the question he asked. "Jason, you could have died!"
"And I deserved it," Jason said, serious.
"Don't even joke about that," Ellis said, annoyed.
"I'm not joking, Ellis," Jason emphasized, distancing himself a little from his sister. He put his arms over his knees and clasped his hands together as he said, "Ellis, I got involved with some very dangerous people and knew the risks. I knew they would come back for me at some point. This is what happens when you get involved in this kind of shit. I've been preparing for this for two years..."
"Jason..."
"I owe Lucky three hundred thousand dollars...And there's even more dangerous guys than him...These guys would definitely come after me for the gambling money...they nearly half a million dollars...Ellis, I owe almost a million dollars on the street, do you really think they would let that go?" Jason asked, looking at his crying sister. He touched her shoulder and then said, "Ellis, it's okay. I owe them and I'll have to pay. At least they gave me a second chance, right?"
"I paid off your debt," Ellis revealed, seeing surprise on Jason's face at the revelation. "I paid Lucky for your debt."
"What did you do?" Jason asked, in disbelief. "Why did you do that?"
"And now I'm going to pay off your debt with...Vittorio Amorielle. I talked to him and we made a deal," Ellis replied. She held her brother's hand.
"You talked to Don Vittorio?" Jason asked, standing up as he ran his hand over his bald head, nervous. "Ellis, why did you do that?"
"Because you're my brother," Ellis replied, not understanding her brother's reaction. "What's wrong, Jason?"
"Undo it!" Jason ordered, pointing his finger at his sister. "Talk to him and tell him you're not getting involved in this shit, do you understand? Do it now!"
"What? Jason, it's not possible. It's already done. It's thanks to that that you're free!" explained Ellis as she stood up. She walked towards her brother, trying to force a smile to cheer him up. "He let you go because we made a deal! It was either that or you'd be dead. Your body would be scattered all over the neighborhood. I saved you, my brother, can't you see?"
"No, Ellis... You didn't save me," Jason replied, looking at his sister sadly. "You condemned us to death... Now both of us are in the hands of Don Vittorio Amorielle... and there's no salvation when it comes to that man."