When We're Alone

Chapter 10

*Hayden*

"Can't be." Mario says shaking his head. "Not this little," He stops and shakes his fingers towards me, trying to figure out the best word to call me. "Specter was strong, not like Barbie here." Mario frowned.

"Barbie? Excuse me. I am nothing like Barbie, look at me." I say motioning my hand up and down to my body. "I'm am far from a Barbie, I'm intelligent, real, and nothing like Barbie." I raise my eyes at him, feeling offended as hell. Barbie was the girls Leroy hanged around with, Hanna and Tiffany them lot.

Mario doesn't say anything, but just looks at me. Leroy has a smug smile on his face, oh sure Leroy go ahead and laugh right now why don't you.

"She's definitely Specter's daughter." He says rising his eye brows, and taking a few steps back as though he needed a glass of water from the overwhelming news. "They both talk too much."

This is crazy, my dad in a gang? I knew he was half Mexican and had a past with gangs, but I didn't realise he was in one. How could we have not noticed? He hated speaking Spanish in the house, he said it's best if we don't learn it. He said it reminded him of my mom, but it must be because they speak Spanish in the gang, and he didn't ever want us to be talking to them.

"Definitely. She's such a smart ass, but she's losing her touch a little bit." Leroy says, looking down at me with a half-smile, tugging on my cheeks with his fingers.

I pull away from him, "I don't talk too much." I roll my eyes barging Leroy. Thinking about how my dad could be involved in a gang, but I didn't want to ask to much questions, I was afraid he may say something I didn't want to hear.

Leroy chuckles placing an arm over my shoulder, I ignore the feeling that was making me want to crumble down and me;t. "Do you know why my dad went to prison?" I ask him, in a weary tone. He wasn't as scary now that he seemed to have loosen up a little.

"You need to ask him that. But now that I know who his children are, we can finally give you guys the protection you're owed." Mario says, whilst opening his bag to look for something.

"What does that mean?" I raise my eye brow in confusion.

"He always hid who his children were, just to keep them safe. I respected his wishes, but you guys are owed a lot more than protection." He says, grabbing a massive stack of money from his bag and placing it on my had. "Your dad was supposed to give it you, but he's not here. It's only five thousand, each for you and your brother. The rest will be given soon." He says in a casual voice; despite the fact he just gave me ten thousand dollars in cash.

I start to become really nervous and uneasy from looking at the notes of a hundred and fifty. This is drug money? I couldn't take it. "I don't want it; I don't want drug money. Keep it." I say with a hitch in my throat, handing the money back.

He doesn't take it, "It's not drug money. It's his payment for being loyal to the gang, there's thirty thousand for each of you, the money will be given soon." Mario says with a little smile, before turning away from me.

What was going on?

"Leroy come here." Mario says. Leroy moves away from him and walks to him. "la fecha ha cambiado al domingo. Tell your dad." Mario says to Leroy. Leroy nods, before Mario leaves the house. What was that about?

*Leroy*

"What you thinkin' about?" I ask Hayden, who seemed to have not been taking notice of anything for the past hour. I told the guys to go home, give us some space.

She doesn't reply, but continues to chew on her thumbnail, which she has now dug so deep, it had turned light pink.

"Hayden." I call again louder. Her head pops up.