Guns and Mirrors

FORTY-THREE

♕Harley Anderson♕

By the time I wake up the next day, Danté has already left for work. It's not often that I sleep through him climbing out of bed but I suppose the exhaustion from stress has outweighed my usual behavior. Pulling the sheets off from around me, I hop out of bed. It's quiet in the house and I can hear the sound of the birds chirping outside which is interrupted whenever the odd car drives by.

If there's one thing I like about the house so far it's how light it is. It makes it feel more welcoming. Rubbing my eyes as I leave the bedroom, I walk to the kitchen to see Ray switching the kettle on. It seems as if he's just woken up too if his bed head is anything to by along with his slightly swollen eyes.

"Oh, hey." He greets and I smile, taking a seat at the counter.

"Morning. Whatcha making?" I ask and he holds up an expresso.

"Do you want tea?" He offers and I shake my head, covering a yawn behind my hand.

"Do you have any OJ?" Ray nods, walking over to the fridge and pulling a carton of orange juice out. He hands it to me along with a glass and I pour myself some before taking a long gulp.
"So what are you doing today?"

Ray leans his weight in the kitchen island, hands wrapped around his mug. "I'll be trying to hack into Jack's files for most of the day because I'm really close to finally figuring it out. But other than that, I'll be driving around and making sure no Slithers are in our territory. We need to be more vigilant now."

"Oh. Are you the only hacker?"

Ray shakes his head, taking a small sip of his coffee. "Nah. But I'm the one that Enrique goes to when it comes to the really hectic things since we're closer and our relationship is... different."

I nod in understanding, playing with the condensation around my glass. "Have you actually heard whether or not Jack is doing alright after Enrique bought the Port and started finding ways to sabotage deals?"

Ray nods, running a hand through his hair. "From what I've heard and seen, Jack isn't holding up too good. He lost a deal of weaponry worth about four million-"

"Four million dollars?" I exclaim in disbelief and Ray nods.

"Yeah, and it's taking a toll on the gang. He's struggling to keep his paychecks up and he's losing respect amongst his clients."

"But that's good, right?" I ask, chewing on my lip. "That's what we need to happen?"

"Yes. But we need to make sure it keeps happening. Jack's a strategic man... he'll find a way out of it if we don't keep the blows coming."

I look down at my juice, trying to keep my thoughts from running wild and frantic.

"You know, even if you hate someone, it's okay to still worry about them." I hear Ray say gently and when I look up, he's got a soft smile on his face. I purse my lips, shaking my head as I look away.

"Whether he is okay or not is no longer my business. I shouldn't care. I don't want to."

"He's your brother Harley. A part of you will always feel like that."

I shake my head again. "He broke me Ray." I admit. "I can't... I can't.... I can't forgive him."

Ray watches me silently, the question hanging in the air without him having to say anything.

So I answer anyway.

"My mother had an affair when I was about seven. My father wasn't ever really a nice man before that but it seems like what she did really tipped him off the edge. He had this idea that I wasn't his and my mother lied so he started beating me. And I mean, using me as a punching bag. My mother said nothing because if it wasn't me, it was her so Cyrus took the hits as much as he could but even then, he could only do so much. When I was thirteen, my mom left for work and never came back. After a week, Cyrus told me he needed to go searching for her and would only be gone three days." I look down at the shiny marble countertop. "He never came back and he left me with my father who used me as a punching bag. And you know why he didn't come back?" I look up to see Ramiro watching me with an emotionless stare. "Because he joined the gang. He chose his freedom over his sister."