Tell Them This When I Die

Lithios

He's passed out on the couch when Eris walks by in the morning. The bottle of gin is sideways on the coffee table, dripping out the last little bit onto her expensive wood. He has no blanket, no comfortable clothes. It's just him, strewn out.

Eris makes herself breakfast, cleans up her plates. Wipes the counter. Doesn't touch that bottle of gin. She goes downstairs, where the restaurant is setting up breakfast. Peter is lounging in the staff room, watching her as she organizes things for the day. She'll glance at him occasionally, tell him to do something. They're still Peter and Eris, but not quite the same anymore. The other employees move, bustle, don't notice anything different. At noon, when Adam rolls over on the couch to stop the sun from waking him up, Eris snaps at Peter. Tells him to get in the Maserati. He does.

They drive to the south end liquor store. Peter kicks at the door until it opens.

"Look at that," Leonardo says, lounging in a chair behind the till. "My favourite lawyer and her favourite fuckboy."

Eris steps past Peter, into the store. "Nikolas," she says.

"Dropped him back off at his apartment yesterday," Leo says. "I think he's got a concussion, but that's nothing compared to what he did to you."

Eris takes a step, over to the gin rack. She takes the most expensive one and puts it on the counter. She leans over it.

"Don't think I liked your little trick," she says.

Leonardo leans forward and scans the bottle. "I think I liked yours. Who knew how much dirt you had on that damn cop, for real. Laid him out to dry like a sheet."

Peter stands at the door, ready.

Eris watches Leo. She taps the counter. "We're done," she says. Without her as a dealer, Leonardo will have to massively cut down on his sales. Eris is the only bulk fentanyl dealer in the city, and that's where the money is. And because Eris took control of his buyers, he has no connections.

"Not quite," Leonardo says.

Peter takes a step forward.

Leonardo stands, facing Eris. "Cops are fining me the maximum for possession. Fifty thousand. You're going to pay it."

"Am I?" Eris asks, leaning closer.

"That's right. Fifty thousand." He nods to the bottle. "And sixty-two for the gin."

Eris takes the bottle off the counter. "Like hell," she says, and turns away. She walks out the door, and Peter closes it behind her.

Eris tosses the gin in the back and gets into the driver's seat. Peter closes his door.

"He'll go for Hughes," Peter says, putting on his seatbelt.

Eris puts the car in reverse. Gets on the freeway. She doesn't answer Peter, even as she pulls into Nikolas' apartment complex. She takes an envelope from the console and tells Peter to stay in the car.

"Boss," Peter warns, reaching for the handle. "You're not going in there alone."

"I said stay in the car."

"I'm not staying in the damn car. You want to end up in the hospital again?"

Eris shuts her door and leans through the window. "Stay in the car." She tosses him the keys and walks away.

"Bullshit," Peter says, but he stays.

Eris takes the steps up to his floor. She has the key to his apartment still. She pays for it, after all.

When she opens the door, the apartment is dark. All the blinds are drawn, all the lights are off. He's on the couch, just like Adam. The counter is full of empty packages, dusted with cocaine. There's liquor, too, but that doesn't do much for Nikolas anymore.