I let his hand go and he pointed out the other chair in his messy room and I took a seat. I don't understand why he's so messed up but I fold up my knife and wait for him to talk.
"I turned down Taylor and he called me back after a couple days to see if I'd change my mind and I said no. That's when he told me he knew where I was and he'd make sure Guy would find out that I got off light with the legal system and that Guy would make sure everything balanced out. I was scared, someone had cut my hand off and now he was going to send Guy after me to finish the job," Romeo says shaking.
"So you help him anyway," I am confused.
"Who did I have to turn to? I burned every friend I had after it came out that I stabbed you. I just wanted to be part of the group and all you or Carlos ever saw me as is the safe boyfriend for Marta. Even Marta wondered sometimes what it'd be like to have a tough guy for a boyfriend. I wanted in and I did plenty of stupid shit. Now here I am with no friends being blackmailed by a bad ex cop and a psycho from Washington neither of which I met and for what? So the scariest fucker I've ever met can finish the job if I don't," Romeo says and starts crying.
"We need to see Carlos; he'll know what to do with you. I'm going to take you to him and this is getting settled," I tell Romeo standing him up.
Getting out of his house is just as easy as getting in, his Mom is happy to see him get out with a friend for a change and that is almost funny to me. We walk out of the neighborhood gate and I get him in my car so we can head over to Carlos's house. Not a lot of people from the gang are here but Carlos is with his rich girlfriend, she's nice though which is why nobody fucks with her, that and her brothers. Carlos comes out to say wassup but as soon as he sees Romeo in my car his face goes from happy to gang business.
"What the fuck you doing bringing this piece of shit to my home," my boy for over ten years asks me pissed off.
"You said we gotta get him, I got him but shit's fucked up man. I wanted to do it myself but I listened to him and I don't know anymore man. Guy settled shit and I can leave it settled but Romeo's shit weird for me so I need someone else to listen," I tell Carlos trying to explain when someone else decides to interrupt.
"I'll listen to him," Marta says with Abigail, Carlos's girl in tow.
"Sis, go back in the house," Carlos tells them but his woman has other ideas.
"No, we'll handle him for my brother but if Hector is thinking and not fighting I'd say it's worth a little time and patience to listen, right honey," I watch as his girl breaks down his drive to fuck shit up.
It takes a bit of calming but we get Carlos to let him out of the car and into the house, Romeo is scared like a white kid in the ghetto as he sits down. I walked him through his explanation of why he helped the other two pendejos with their plans. The whole time he's all emotional and really needs to calm the fuck down but at one point where he talks about how he had to hire someone to break into a girl's place and fuck some shit up he starts crying hard. Marta is a softy like that and she hugs his blindsiding ass to help him calm down but now Carlos is as confused as I am when we both hear Abigail talking on her phone.
"Yeah I just heard everything…. It's not bullshit, he looks like shit…. Well he'd never believe that and he's got nothing now…. Okay nothing but family money…. No I believe him….," She says before hanging up the phone," We let him go and we keep an eye on him, for his sake."
"You might want to explain that one to me because I know Guy and he's all about balancing this shit out," Carlos tells her and I agree with him a little.
"Look at him, he's so fucked up he can't even go out he's scared. I love you but what can you do to him that would hurt him, kill him? No they say he suffered enough and he's a bit of a victim so watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid and if he crosses Guy again you have free reign," Abigail tells us so we know his instructions.
We all agree and decide to try to settle in; a lot of talking is involved especially between Marta, Carlos and Romeo. I step outside to breathe a bit and Abigail follows me.
"Hey you did the right thing," she says quietly, touching my shoulder.
"Yeah well one less thing for confession. Guy really said to let him be," I ask and watch as her face goes a little soft.
"Not Guy, he's still recovering. Someone with more history around here than Guy said to spare Romeo," She tells me and I'm really confused now when she finishes," Imelda said to spare him and that's what we do, for her and him."
Well fuck me, the baddest bitch, one I'd love to have fucked the shit out of or died trying, said to let Romeo go. Now Guy is messed up and his women are calling the shots, good luck whoever this Taylor kid is, they'll skin him alive and make him eat the scraps.
Guy: One week after being grabbed
I feel a lot better, especially since I spent a week feeling like shit. Everyone says Dad brought me home but nobody knows how or from what and when I ask him about it he just tells me 'we're alright now son' and goes back to whatever he was doing before. My girls however are walking on eggshells and it's time I found out why. School was fine with me taking a week off and it's Saturday after my ill fated abduction with all my fiancés when I figure it's a good time to ask what's going on.
"So I'm feeling good enough to take the hit, why is everyone so nervous," I ask and Kori is the first to chime in.
"Oh nothing baby, we're just glad you're feeling better," She's good but not that good.
"I believe that but there's more. What happened that you don't want to tell me about," I ask and now the poker face slips.
"We had Romeo but I let him go, he's suffered a lot and he's scared shitless of you," Imelda tells me and I can feel my old burning rage start up.
"And why did we let one of the three people who decided my life was their fucking plaything get a pass," I ask and Imelda does something I've not yet seen her do.
"Because he is scared shitless of you, Taylor asked him for help when he was first hiding out from you and he said no because he's scared. When Taylor threatened him, guess what he threatened him with… you," Imelda tells me in a soft and pleading tone, again not something she's done before.
"Guy, we've all spoken with Hector and Carlos and they will keep him on a short leash but he's not coming after you. He is scared of the next time you come down because he's afraid that you're going to finish the job," Rachael says, bringing me into a calmer state.
"So the five of you decided that since someone was fucking with my life but it was blackmail they get a bye," I ask still a bit upset but much calmer.
"OUR lives, it's all of us Guy not just you and yes we took all the information and made the right choice," Kori informs me and all of them nod in agreement.
"Fine, well that settles that, you say he walks he walks," I tell them and my lack of argument surprises all my girls," What? I was out, you took control and if you say he's not responsible like I would have thought then I have to trust you and back you just like you back me, right?"