CHAPTER 41 - PAST THE POINT MARVIN +25 BONUS The cold hit me like a slap the second I stepped outside . Did it really bother me ? No , it didn't . My head wasn't on the damn weather . It was on Larry ... on Victor . On the kind of mess the two of them could stir up if left unchecked . I lit a cigarette without thinking twice . Months of trying to quit , and it took one bad night to throw that promise into the gutter . The first drag settled my nerves barely . All the more , it was enough for me to start think straight . I couldn't just storm in blind . If Victor was involved , it meant trouble . And I sure wasn't about to walk into a trap . I dialed Rico back . It rang once ... twice ... then his voice came on low . " Yeah , boss ? " he answered . " Where are they now ? " I asked , flicking ash to the side . " Victor's still at the bar . Larry left about fifteen minutes ago . Headed west . I got one of the boys tailing him . " " Good . Don't let him out of your sight . And Rico .... " I paused , clenching my fist . " ... don't engage unless I say so . If they know we're watching , this gets ugly fast . " " Understood . " I ended the call and slid into the driver's seat of the black sedan parked at the garage . I gripped the wheel so hard it felt like I could wrench it straight out . Maya didn't deserve this . Not one damn bit . She'd shown up for me more times than I could count , even when it cost her more than she'd ever admit . And I knew now was the time to return the favors . Three years sure feels like a lifetime . Back then , she wasn't in deep ... I mean ... not like now . She was desperate , yeah , but it wasn't for cash or kicks . It was because of that fucking transplant bullshit ... all that . That's why she's split in half now . She swore it was just a contract . Just a few signatures , a couple of late nights , and boom , the lung transplant was covered . She even laughed when she told me , like it was the smartest hustle she'd ever pulled . I didn't buy it , but I let her run with it . And then ... Larry . Larry fucking Jonathan . I don't know how the hell he got in . One second she's holding paperwork , the next she's holding his hand , looking at him like he hung the damn moon . The same man everybody else called trouble walked right into her life , and she let him set up camp . She said she could handle him . Yeah . Well , so was the scar he left on her life . She said he was different . She lied . Yeah . We And now sitting here , with everything closing in ... she's the one in the damn crosshairs . And the worst part ? I wasn't some damn kid anymore . I had no excuse for standing back this time . And trust me , I sure won't . If it means putting that scum out of his misery , hell yeah I would ... Without any hesitation . But now Victor was involved , caution wasn't just wise ... it was survival . Larry and Victor doesn't really go well in the same rhyme , unless the title read ' Bloodbath on 5th Avenue . ' My gut was already telling me I was already a step behind , and in this world , being a step behind could get you buried . 1/3 PAST THE POINT +25 BONUS I started the engine at one , and at two ... I was off into the dark . Halfway down the block , my phone buzzed again . This time it wasn't it was Maya . I let it ring . I already knew what she wanted to say , and I wasn't in the mood to hear it . " But she called again . And again . And again . It kinda got a nerve and by the fifth time , I gave in and thumbed the screen . Only ... it wasn't Maya's voice that came through . It was someone else . Someone I hadn't heard in a long time , someone I never wanted to hear again . I checked the caller ID , it was an unknown.number . And to some reasons I didn't know why , I just felt a small wave of relief . " Yeah ? " A voice I hadn't heard in years came gthrough the line - low , slow , and tainted with a kind of smugness I could recognize anywhere . " Marvin . It's been a long time . " I froze for half a second before answering . " ... Victor . " He chuckled . " I see you still know my voice . Good . Saves us the small talk . " My grip on the steering wheel tightened . " What do you want ? " " Nothing yet . I just thought you should know your friend Larry speaks highly of you . Says you're a man who never knows when to back down . I admire that ... to a point . " I stayed silent , letting him talk . He wanted a reaction . But I was smarter than not giving him any . " But here's the thing , " he went on , " loyalty's a double - edged sword . Protecting the wrong people gets you cut deeper than you expect . And Marvin ... you're protecting the wrong one . " I knew exactly who he meant . " You stay away from her . " " That depends , " Victor said lightly , " on whether you stay out of my way . Larry and I have business , and you ? You're the complication we don't need . " I chuckled " You know me , Victor . I've never been good at staying out of things . " He laughed , short and sharp , then the line went dead . I sat there for a moment , phone still in my hand , my pulse ticking faster than I wanted it to . If Victor was calling me directly , it wasn't a warning ... it was a declaration . He wanted me to know he was in the game , he wanted me restless . Too bad for him , I worked best with my back against the wall . I pulled into a street , heading toward the east side . If I was going to get ahead of this , I needed to know exactly what Larry and Victor were planning . And I knew just the person who could find out . But as I turned onto the main road , my phone lit up with a text from Rico . < Boss . We've got a problem . Larry's not heading home . He's heading toward ... >> I caught the message on my notification bar but couldn't make out the full thing , so I tapped into his DM ... one hand on my phone , as my eyes still laid on the road . But just as my fingers was about tapping the unread message , something froze me ... a sudden , blinding light . It was coming straight at me . Too fast . Too close . 2/3 PAST THE POINT +25 BONUS At first , it didn't feel real ... like a trick of the mind . I hesitated ... I stalled ... panicked ... spiralled , or whatever's worse than these . If there's a word for it , I'm too busy losing my mind to G **** e it . My heart knew before my mouth could speak . " Fuck ... " BIG SALE : 3500 BONUS FREE FOR YOU ! X Click to get it 3/3 CRASH INTO CHAOS