Too Far Gone (Urban)

48| Take Care

"Chaos. It's the only word fitting to describe the results of the conflagration that's consuming Shivington,” Jane Valderamma spoke as she stood stiff a few meters away from a burning building. “Earlier tonight a series of meth labs exploded creating a chain of events that is nothing short of catastrophic.”

Gat took a sip of his beer, blinded to the cheap fermented flavor it withheld. He had his remote loosely clenched in his hand as she spoke, ready to change the channel as soon as this was over. “As the neighborhood burns, emergency teams are desperately trying to treat any one they can find. As burn wards throughout the city get filled to capacity, one has to wonder. What sort of sociopath could be responsible for causing this. I'm Jane Valderamma, channel 6 news."

Gat smirked. He knew exactly who that sociopath was. As the channel’s logo flashed on the screen, he changed it back to BET. They were doing a rerun of some memorable songs, and Eesh found a spot at number one. He was slightly disappointed that they waited until she was dead to give her the the attention she always deserved, but folks from a small town never got noticed until it was too late. His thumb had found the volume key when he heard a soft knock on his door.

He hadn't expected anyone to come by, and if it was the boss, he had his own key. Pierce, Raul and Shaundi didn't know where he lived, so it could only be one other person. But at the same time, it was impossible. No way could she be that bold and naive to disobey direct orders. Didn't she value her life? Wouldn't she take this break as an opportunity to aim for higher grounds? What life could she possibly make from small gang such as the Saints?

Ignore it, he thought. She'll go away on her own.

Another tap sounded, a few octaves louder. He couldn't pretend he wasn't home since his TV was up loud and his car was parked outside, but he couldn't get up and answer if it happened to be her. What if it's a surprise package? A new gun? Free samples? A bomb even? No, that's ridiculous. The mailman delivered his mail hours ago. It was dark now, there was no way the mailman would be coming by this late.

Now, a banging came from the door. This situation was unnerving. Answer or ignore? Obey or disobey?

Gat opened the door and there she was looking disgustingly innocent as always. Her hair was in its iconic curly high puff, and her eyes gave off a stressed and disheveled look. Her stature was weak and fragile, and he didn't know if it was because she was cold or if she was just scared. “Princess,” he said somewhat surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk, I want to know what's really going on,” she replied, hugging herself. She wasn't wearing a coat. Perhaps she didn't have one or she just forgot about it in a rush to get here. Regardless of the story behind that, he motioned for her to come inside, closing out the brisk wintry air. She instinctively made her way to the living room, sitting herself in the middle of the couch. Gat grabbed the blanket resting on the backseat and draped it over her shoulders. She flashed him a brief smile. “Why am I kicked out of the gang, Gat? I know you know why.”

“I do, but not the whole reason,” Gat shrugged. He picked up the remote from the couch and lowered the volume.

“Well, what do you know then?”

“All I know is the day we planned on coming to visit you, some man came in and took the boss away. I don't know who he was.”

“My father. Pierce said he came across him too.”

Gat nodded and continued. “When the boss came back, he just seemed out of it. He pulled all the lieutenants into his office just to tell us he's getting rid of you. He didn't give us a legitimate reason as to why, and even when I came in to ask him a few hours later, he didn't even answer me. He just stared at the wall like he he just lost his will to live or somethin’.”

Chenelle glimpsed at the carpet.

“It's not the first time I saw him like that, though, he was like this the first few weeks you joined up. I don't know what's going on between him and your dad, but you better find out.”

“It's not that easy, Johnny,” Chenelle sighed. “If I just come out the blue and ask my father, I don't know what he'll do, and I can't ask the boss because he said he'd kill me if he saw me. Shit, I'm taking chances with my life coming here knowing this is like his second home or some shit.”

“The boss is out with Pierce right now, judging by the burning buildings in Shivington, they're done with whatever they had to do. That's no guarantee he'll come here, though, I could ask if you want.”

“No, you don't have to. I don't want to make it suspicious.”

“Really Princess, it's no problem. I was about to order some Chinese anyway, might as well ask,” Gat insisted as he pulled his phone out his pocket. As he typed out his message, he said, “And I doubt he'd hurt you even if he did see you. He told me what he did to you at the hospital. He wasn't really going to do it, it's all a show. You mean a lot to him, that much I do know.”

“Well, if I mean that much to him, why did he let me go?”

“The same reason why I would’ve let Eesh go…”

“So he could protect me…” She inferred. Gat knew it was a little too late to change the past. He still believed it should've been him over her, but life isn't as interchangeable as he wished. Gat sent the message to the boss and tossed his phone onto the coffee table.

“The only advice I have for you is to play it out until the moment is right. Too much shit is going on, and I don't think the boss is in the right state of mind to handle this. Go back to school and just roll with the punches until we can sort this out. Here, give me your phone,” He held his hand out. Chenelle pulled her phone out from the pocket of her hoodie, unlocked it, and handed it to him. He navigated to the dial screen and began entering his number. “I want you to keep in touch. I'll let you know what's going on when it's going on, that way you'll know when to clock in.”

Chenelle gave him a wide goofy smile, glancing down at her phone with glee. “Thank you,” she whispered as she reached out for a hug. Gat hesitated at first, but allowed himself to embrace the gesture. It was an awkward hug for him, she could feel the tenseness he carried within him. “You don't know how much this means to me.”

“I'm pretty sure I do know, Princess,” he patted her back before pulling away. He glanced at his phone when it lit up and vibrated on the table. Scanning the message, he flashed her a tired grin. “Now get out of here, he'll be here any second. Go out the back and over the fence. I hope you didn't park in the front.”

She shook her head. “Raul dropped me off.” He was leaving, too, but maybe he didn't have to go. The thought of him having a reason to stay made her feel giddy inside, and she thanked Gat again before rushing out of the house.

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