SO BAD [MXM] [MAFIA] ✓

13: CAREFUL

Skylar is exiting the car immediately. He throws open his driver's side door and is about to make a break for it, but unfortunately, there's someone out there waiting for him. One of Crimson's henchmen or whatever grabs his arm and throws him to the ground, and Skylar starts to wonder if he's ever going to get a break.

To be fair, he does this to himself. However, at the same time, he does want to improve. It's not like he wants to be an addict, or a thief. Not like he wants to stress out his family and make everyone lose faith in him constantly. However, his bad decisions throughout the years have set him up for failure.

There's not an easy way out of the hole he's dug himself throughout the years, there really isn't.

"You better have my money, or I'm taking it." Crimson says after exiting the vehicle as well. Skylar can't help the fear he's feeling, because he does not have any fucking money. He's hardly worked in forever, and he spent the last of it on a lava lamp two weeks ago while on cyto. To be fair, it was worth it, since that thing entertained him for about four hours straight.

Even then, though, he would not have anywhere near enough to pay back Crimson for all the shit he stole. He's basically as good as dead.

"I don't," Skylar admits, and someone kicks him in his side. He rolls over with a groan, the injuries he sustained last night not helping at all.

"You owe me a grand." Crimson tells him, footsteps stopping right beside Skylar. Skylar winces at that, because he did not realize his addiction was getting that bad. Well, he knew it was worse, but not to the point where he was stealing that much. It makes sense, though, since he's actually lost track of the visits he's paid Crimson throughout the past few weeks. He even got to the point where he was thinking ahead! Skylar never thinks ahead, he isn't even out of cyto right now. He just wanted some more since he's close to running out.

"Um," Skylar says, risking a glance up at him. He wonders how exactly he's going to get out of this. A grand. One thousand dollars. Skylar is pretty sure he barely has ten dollars to his name right now. "Don't you have enough money, though?"

Another kick, this one from Crimson himself. It's harder, and right to Skylar's abdomen. He winces, coughing a little bit. They surprisingly aren't going as hard on him as he expected. He wonders if there's a catch, and if so, what it could possibly be.

"I don't," Crimson says, and Skylar feels his arms being grabbed. His knees are still on the ground as he's lifted up, and Crimson grabs him by the chin. The guy leans down so Skylar is forced to make eye contact, and Skylar just has a sour look on his face. If they're gonna kill him, why are they dragging it out like this? Just get it over with. "Not when I'm still owed."

"Well I'm broke," Skylar tells him, and Crimson lets go of his chin. Skylar's head drops, and he's stuck just staring at the guy's shoes. After a while he looks up and finds Crimson just staring down at him. Skylar hears a car pull into the lot, and he glances over to see if there's anyone that might help him. Unfortunately, he was mistaken. It was a car leaving.

When he looks up, though, he catches sight of the complex. The Hillside Suites, which are mostly condos or something. Hang on a minute. Does Crimson know that Ashton lives here? Skylar doesn't think he does, because he remembers the guy's demeanor was completely different when he was going to meet up with Ashton that one time.

"Are you seriously doing this in broad daylight? What if someone intervenes?"

"Rich people don't get their hands dirty," one of the guys holding Skylar up says. Okay, yeah, they probably don't know Ashton lives here. Skylar gets the sense that would be bad, anyway, if the guy truly is leading some sort of double life.