Chapter 13

  It’s early midday. School already feels like a punishment, but more than usual. I guess I’m still worried about my dad, but at least I’ll see him tonight.

  It’s lunchtime, so me and my best friend Nathan are just sunbathing by the parking lot like we usually do. It’s nice to get away from the chaos of teenagers with free time.

  “Hey dude, do you see that car over there? Damn, is that a Lamborghini?”

  Nathan points south toward the gate entrance, but I’m blocked by his blonde hair that waves in my face.

  The car parks near the entrance like it’s ready to leave at any given moment. Who drives an all-black tinted sports car? Well, probably my dad. Too bad it’s too small to fit that hulk of a man, I think to myself with a small smirk.

  At this point, Nathan and I are just staring at this car, mainly because we’re bored, but hoping to see who drives such a car to a school.

  The car door opens, raising up instead of swinging to the side. A beautiful—no… drop-dead gorgeous—girl walks out, and you can clearly see she’s half Asian too.

  “Hey yo, boy, whose sister is that, and can I marry her?” Nathan says with the most hungry smile known to a teenage boy.

  I don’t blame him. How often do you see a girl that looks like she’s straight out of an algorithm page?

  Looking closer as she walks toward us, I notice she doesn’t look much older than us. The car is even more surprising—especially with the outfit: sweatpants and just a vest. Seems like my morning gym fit, not something I’d wear to school, but not out of character for such a body.

  She’s on the tall side for a woman, probably 5’8”, and muscular. Her arms and biceps are well-defined, and not even hindered by that dragon tattoo on her left arm, which is so sexy. She has full pink lips you only see in your dreams, a small face, and that jawline—that’s just crazy. I myself have a jawline, and I can tell that’s good genetics.

  Looking closer, it’s nice to see she also has that tricky type of hair—not really black, not really brown. In the light, it’s a splash of hazel, but in the shade, you could mistake it for ink.

  As I look at her, she seems oddly familiar. Her features are ones I see on the daily.

  Nathan, who is also observing her features, looks at me with an eyebrow raised and a smirking smile.

  “Elijah, didn’t you tell me you are an only child?”

  I respond, confused. “Yes.”

  “Why were you lying, bro? That girl looks like you, but hot.”

  “Why, you an idiot?” I ask Nathan, shoving him off.

  Moments like these really make me feel the weight of how unique last night was. It feels so foreign that I was just in a criminal situation last night, and now I’m back here with this idiot.

  Two minutes prior.

  As Selena parks the car near the gate entrance, not sure if visitors are allowed in the main parking lot and not really interested in staying too long. Even after the car is parked, she sits there deep in thought. Fuck, my head’s killing me. Why do I have to be the one to pick up this kid? I should be out there finding who killed Thomas, not fetching his kid.

  As she gets out, the doors swing up, light hits her eyes, which feel like a punishment for last night’s drinking session.

  This better not take too long. I don’t even know what class the kid’s in. As she moves toward the gate, she's surprised by her luck as Elijah is already outside, standing next to what seems to be a blonde kid, both staring toward her with light smiles. Annoyed, she rushes forward, eyes dead inside but face calm.

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  “Hey kid, come here,” she points to a confused Elijah, who flinches but walks closer regardless.

  “I’m sorry, do we know each other?” he asks.

  “Get in the car,” she growls, not helping her case.

  “I’m sorry, we just met,” Elijah says, justifiably cautious. Especially with last night’s events—girls and cars are not his lane.

  Selena, who looks visibly annoyed, glares at Elijah with hostility.

  “Shit, listen. Brook told me to get you. He said Thomas would want that, okay.”

  “Wait, what? What’s wrong? Why did Brook send you?” he asks, frantic and sweaty. The anxiety he had pushed away floods back. “Is there something wrong with my dad, or is it that Vivi girl?”

  Selena replies calmer than before, realizing the weight of the situation.

  “Elijah, listen. This is not a discussion for the streets. Get in the car. This is serious.”

  Elijah could tell from the change in atmosphere this was serious. Getting into the car then seemed like the right decision.

  “But first… what about school?” he asked.

  “Don’t even worry about that. We’ll take care of it later,” Selena responded.

  “Okay… fine. But who are you?”

  “I’m Selena, and right now that’s all you need to know. And kid… I’m sorry.”

  Elijah, confused, follows, and they enter the tinted Lamborghini.

  The two sit in silence without driving, which confuses Elijah. He thought this was a matter of time, but Selena doesn’t even acknowledge his gaze, let alone drive.

  “So… shouldn't we get going? I thought this was important,” he asks.

  Selena, still not meeting Elijah’s eyes, looks out the window toward the distance. Her body slightly shakes—not enough to point out, but not hard to miss.

  “Listen… kid, what I’m about to say is not easy, okay? But your dad is… dead.”

  Her voice shocks him, but nothing shocks more than Elijah’s head.

  A loud, hysterical voice echoes throughout the car as Elijah grabs Selena by both shoulders, looking her dead in the eyes.

  “Please don’t fucking joke! What the hell do you mean dead? Did you just come here to lie to my face?”

  Selena meets Elijah’s gaze for the first time. Her eyes are bold and unapologetic. As if they were saying to him no lie has been spoken.

  Elijah, seeing this, breaks. Strength is gone. His hands loosen their grip, and his mind races.

  “When… how… I just saw him last night, no…”

  Selena stays silent.

  “How did this happen? Why did this happen? Say something!”

  “Listen, I don’t know the specifics, kid. I wouldn’t be here if I did. I’d be on somebody’s door with a bullet, okay?”

  With that, Selena breaks her silence, starts the car, and immediately exits the school gate.

  Elijah is still in shock, sweating profusely, looking at Selena, who seems adamant about not knowing anything more.

  What the fuck is going on? Last night was one thing, but what the shit is going on now? Who is this girl?

  There’s no way my dad is just dead. He’s not the type to drop dead without a fight. What happened? Is it my fault? Is it about yesterday? I knew I shouldn't have let him leave. I need to call Brook. I don’t trust this girl.

  And just like that, Elijah comes to a realization: I just really got into a stranger’s car. She might be lying about this whole thing.

  Elijah glances at Selena, who does not seem concerned with his actions, so he quickly grabs his phone and goes straight to quick dial.

  Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Silence.

  Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. Silence.

  “If you’re trying to call Brook, just forget about it. He’s probably too busy figuring out what happened to your dad and making sure nobody’s trying to kill us too,” Selena answers.

  Elijah looks at her in disbelief. The more she speaks, the crazier the situation sounds.

  “What do you mean people are trying to kill us? Why would people try to kill us? Wait a minute, who even is us? Are you saying people killed my dad?”

  Selena glances, disgusted, but still more focused on the road.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you don’t know what your dad does for a living, do you?”

  Elijah, confused, answers, “My dad’s a manager at the bank.”

  Selena laughs frantically, loud but empty, a sad type of laugh.

  “A manager at the bank? Is that what you think?” She looks into Elijah’s eyes. “Okay, yes. Your dad owns a bank, but he’s no manager. The only thing he manages is this city’s organized crime.”

  Elijah’s thoughts spin.

  Damn. Is this woman crazy? Did I just put myself in danger again? Organized crime and my dad don’t mix well… He pauses. I mean, he looks like he’s in the mob… he’s not actually in the mob.

  “What do you mean by organized crime? Just because my dad looks like that doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. Strict, scary, and perverted, but not a bad guy.”

  Selena laughs again, but this time more natural.

  “Perverted is right, but your dad is a criminal. One of the scariest, in fact. But it has nothing to do with his looks, kid.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Elijah asks.

  Silence fills the car unexpectedly.

  “Listen, I don’t feel like explaining this to a rich, sheltered brat. So just stay quiet, and Brook will explain everything.”

  I glance at her, and she seems to keep her vow of silence. I look up, trying to distract myself, and see the bank building come into view. I hadn’t even noticed we’d been racing toward the center of the city.

  The building is visibly tense, with multiple guards standing by the front gates, and the bank seems closed. With how out of place the scene looks, I might need to start believing what she’s been saying is the truth. And that’s the scariest thought I’ve had all day.