Fight For You

Chapter 12

There's something about rain and funerals that go hand in hand, like they belong together. But Emilio's funeral was somewhere I definitely didn't belong. There was a line of cars parked at the cemetery, a lot of them with red flags hanging out the right side. His gang colors. I didn't know if they knew what I'd done or if they'd even know me, but I was on my guard. And my best behavior.

I pulled in and parked behind a sedan that didn't have a flag on it. Jackie didn't say a word the whole ride over and I didn't try to start a conversation. Once the car was turned off I finally turned toward her. "If you don't want to do this, we don't have to. I can leave now."

She shook her head, her black waves cascading down her shoulders. I knew we were going to a funeral but she looked amazing in her black corset dress. She had a flair for style that was different than any other girl I'd been with. I probably looked completely out of place next to her in my navy Armani suit, but I was trying to blend in. Not stand out.

It was bad enough to be going to the funeral of a guy I killed, but I was standing there with his former girlfriend, the girl he'd called his "sloppy seconds" before spitting in my face. Now I had to stand there, stone-faced, and pretend to feel sorry while his family all cried for the guy that I'd put a hit on. I'd kept my head down long enough over the years, hopefully I could do the same thing around a group of fucking thugs.

"We have to go. We've already been spotted." She looked in the rearview mirror I followed her gaze. A tall Hispanic girl walked toward the car. Before she could cross the gravel road, Jackie opened the door and leaped out.

"Carrie, I'm so sorry about Emilio." Jackie shut the door and closed the distance between herself and the other girl, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in for a hug.

Carrie hugged her back, but her dark eyes were on me as I got out of the car. "Who is this?"

Jackie let go of Carrie and stepped back as I approached. I kept one hand in my suit pocket and extended my other hand to Carrie. "My name's Nick. I'm a friend of Jackie's."

Carrie shook my hand tentatively, studying me like I was a piece of meat that was just thrown into the lion's den, which I probably was. "You look familiar, Nick. Have we met before?"

I shook my head as I let go of her hand and put it in my pocket since it probably wouldn't have been the best thing to hold Jackie's hand at her ex-boyfriend's funeral. "No, ma'am, I don't believe so. I think I would have remembered someone as pretty as you."

She smiled and ran her hand through her short brown hair. "Flattery at my brother's funeral isn't going to get you very far, Nick."

I shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

"Are you ready for this mi nena?" Jackie asked Carrie.

Carrie shook her head. "Is anyone ever ready to bury their brother?"

I swallowed hard. I knew it was a rhetorical question, but the answer hit harder than I cared to admit to her. I'd buried more members of my family than I ever wanted to. Watching a loved one get put six feet under was always like taking a part of you with them. If something happened to Dominic or any one of my cousins I didn't know what I'd do.

Carrie turned toward the awaiting tent where a crowd of people gathered. The last funeral I went to was my Nonna's. It was inside of St. Anthony's church and I was told it was a half an hour wait just to get inside to see her. Everyone who knew her loved her. My Nanu used to say that she didn't know a stranger.

Emilio's funeral was a lot smaller. There were about thirty chairs lined up in front of a casket with a picture of him set in an easel to the side of it. It had to have been a picture from a few years back, maybe even a senior picture. He was in a suit with his head shaved, looking off in the distance. I didn't see any neck tattoos or other markings of the thug that I met in the back alley.