17 Responsibility

The cops asked me for my account over and over again. Each time I recited the story Adal fed me. Nate and I both where taken down for questioning, but neither of us were ever under suspicion.

My parents came to meet me at the station. I had my dad bring the fox body from the shop for me. Both worried over me the whole time ignoring my protests saying I was fine.

Of course, it was a lie. I was not fine. Fine wasn't even in the fucking room. I tried my hardest to stay aloof and shut out the emotions but the shock was wearing out. Floods of different feelings came over me in waves.

Through it all Nate was always near. Carrying out Adal's orders perfectly. Even after the police were done with him he managed to find a reason to hang around. Just when I thought he was gone Id turn a corner and he would be somewhere in the back watching me.

He had dark eyes and jet-black hair. Even if he didn't mean to his gaze always felt a little menacing. The way I couldn't seem to shake him didn't make that feeling any better.

After a drawn-out process I was finally let go. My parents offered to drive me home, but the three of us knew that if anything would clear my head it would be being behind the wheel. They went off leaving me to take myself.

Nearly immediately once I had closed my door I heard someone climbing into my car. I jumped when I saw Nate slip in and close the door.

"No need to panic. I'm on your side Jack"

"I figured as much. What do you want?"

I didn't try to mask my standoffish attitude. I just wanted to drive and forget my life for a minute, but my new tail was getting in the way of that now.

"Follow up. You kept to the story, right?"

"Of course, I did. My ass is on the line too"

He nodded and checked his phone. He sent a quick text before slipping it away.

"Alright, Adal wants to see you when you're ready. He still has your bag and your gun. I've got one of Adal's men on the force handling the case. You should be free and clear"

"Adal has people on the force?"

"That's a surprise?"

I sighed and sank low in my seat. I rubbed my sore wrist absentmindedly as my eyes found a nice empty piece of the sky to stare at.

"I guess it doesn't... Back at the garage. Why did he shoot that guy?"

"Because we needed a fail guy. You and Tony killed Ricky's men with a 12 gage and a .45. Tony had the shot gun so someone needed to be holding the .45. Plus, he was supposed to be watching you. He got distracted and left you open. Distracted by a call from someone back at home base according to the other two."

"... Why the case of cocaine?"

"We needed a reason for the guys to show up there. The way the cops see it Tony was moving product and got into it with another gang. This way you have absolutely no connection to what went down. Keeps you clean"

"So, in the public's eye Tony died a drug dealer"

Nate stopped for a moment before pulling his phone. He checked another text and slipped it away.

"I suppose that's a way of looking at it. Why?"

"Tony was one of the best men I ever knew. Him and my grandfather. He died putting up a fight for me. Now all they will see is a drug dealer"

"Acceptable casualty. Unless you want to be the one going down as a drug dealer."

I let out a trembling sigh.

"Whatever... Can I go now?"

"Sure, Adal called Johnny and got him up to speed. The two of them are at his house"

I sure as hell didn't want to face my parents yet. I knew they would be all over me with worry and I couldn't take that attention right now. I wanted above all to be alone, but being alone now was a scary thought.

Ricky's gang went after me right in front of Tony. They obviously were not above killing bystanders. That meant being around people wasn't safe either, and after seeing Adal cap one of his men he scared me more than ever.

Adal clearly had a thing for me. I wasn't really sure what that thing was. He seemed to care about Johnny and me past your typical drug lord/drug runner relationship. Then again, I wasn't an expert in what that relationship should look like.

On top of all the uncertainty I found a new reason to hate myself. That list just kept getting longer. Just like the list of reasons to hate Ricky. I wasn't sure which one was getting longer faster.

I started up my car and drove like a good upstanding citizen until I was out of sight from the police station. After that I dropped a gear and drove like a man possessed. The snowy muck was far too familiar to me now after years of driving it in the Fox Body. The tires slipped and squealed at the effort as I found my old groove.

Driving always did good to clear my head. The process of driving dangerously required a lot of brain power. My thoughts could be absorbed by the actions. Clutch in, shift to neutral, clutch out, gas, clutch in, down shift. The simple action of a well-executed rev match kept my mind firing on all cylinders.

I drove hard all the way to Adal's house and slid to a stop on the slick drive way. Johnny came running out to my car. He slipped a little trying to stop and ran into the passenger door. I exited the car with my jacket over my arm.

"Jack dude I've been worried sick! You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Sadly, I'm still alive. At least on the outside"

Johnny rested his head on the Fox Body's roof sighing deeply.

"This shit is crazy. We are so fucked right now"

"Now let's not be dramatic Hound. We still have a handle on things right now"

Adal walked up beside Johnny leaning against my car. His blonde slicked back style was fix now. Styled by skilled hands. Probably his own.

"We have a handle?"

I scoffed and tossed my jacket over the roof of my car. It splayed out revealing the massive splotch of blood across the inside.

"That's Tony's blood. He and I fought off four trained killers in his garage. It was a fucking nightmare Adal. Nether you, nor Johnny and I have a handle on a damn thing"

"Like I said we had a lapse in security. That was dealt with accordingly"

I let out a sarcastic dry laugh to the sky. Adal was really starting to pull a trigger on my anger.

"Your lapse in security almost killed me and killed one of my best friends! Your answer to that was to kill one of your own men, and then frame my best friend for drug trafficking! That's how you fix problems around here?!"

Johnny looked scared now. I don't know if it was because I was now yelling at and openly calling out a drug lord, or if he was scared of my intensity. Either way I wasn't in the mood for anymore of Adal's fixes.

"Fox, you are emotional right now and that's understandable..."

I cut him off slamming my fist down on my car's roof. I pointed an accusing finger at him trembling with rage.

"Tony had a kid that died in Afghanistan, his wife fought cancer for years and died holding his hand, and he was there when my grandfather died. His best friend died right there in front of him. After all that all he wanted to do was work on cars. He never did anything but help people his whole life."

My voice broke and a sob leaked through. I choked it back and drew in a shaky breath.

"All the way up to when my mistakes brought armed men into his shop where he died defending me. Now because of you this town will only see him as a drug dealer and a killer. Do you understand how fucked that is?"

Adal's sympathetic gaze dropped to something harder. Something dark behind those scary green eyes. He leaned over the car and dropped his voice low only for Johnny and me to hear.

"You said it best Fox. Your mistakes. Not mine. He died because you wanted to run. You either take responsibility for that and make it right, or you keep blaming others. You pick"

Johnny tried to play mediator while I reeled from Adal's reply. Mostly because I knew he was right. I couldn't in anyway blame him for what happened.

"Listen we need to all just take a step back. Take a breath or something"

Adal nodded and stepped back. He took in a deep breath and crossed his arms. I wasn't done throwing my temper tantrum however.

"What the fuck do you mean by make this right?"

"It's simple Fox. If you and Hound keep working for me I can give you a shot at revenge. Ricky is far too dangerous now to let go. I'm going to kill him either way. You can decide if it's one of you who pulls the trigger or not"

Johnny looked between the two of us in disbelief. He stuttered a few times before throwing his hands up with an exasperated groan.

"Are you kidding me Adal? You want us to keep running for a chance to kill Ricky? We aren't fucking killers Adal! We aren't even twenty yet.The two of us are still kids!"

Adal raised an eyebrow with a matter-of-fact look on his face.

"You aren't killers? My mistake I thought killing people makes you a killer. My reports say that your kill count is at one after Chicago. After today Jack's is at three."

"That's not fucking fair and you know it! You fucked up in Chicago not us!"

"Jack, you signed up to run drugs. You carry weapons on you daily. What, did you think you would never have to use them? Did you really sign up for the drug trade thinking you would never have to pull a trigger on someone?"

I felt rage bubble up in my chest heating my whole body. I grit my teeth and let out a frustrated growl.

"Your hands aren't clean either Adal!"

"My hands haven't been clean since I was fifteen Fox! This isn't a game and I never said it was going to be all sunshine and rainbows! You haven't been innocent from the moment you came back after your first run for me!"

Johnny put a hand on Adal's shoulder still trying to defuse the two of us.

"Adal please. Screaming at each other isn't going to fix anything. For Jack and I to be out of danger what would we have to do?"

Adal crossed his arms thinking for a moment. I tried my best to keep myself in check. The yelling wasn't helping, but I was still fuming at Adal. At this point I couldn't tell if I was yelling at him to convince him or myself.

"Short of killing Ricky you'll have to leave. Leave and don't tell a soul where you're going. If you two leave town and keep a way for me to contact you I can tell you when Ricky is dealt with and then you can come back."

"Really? That easy?"

I asked a little bit more than skeptical.

"It's not easy. You'll drop off the radar for your friends and family. For how long I can't say. Ricky is slippery. I can tell you he will be killed, but it'll take time. Until then you couldn't call, text, or speak to your loved ones at all"

I looked down at my feet. My left foot bounced nervously as I considered the option.

"Johnny"

I called to him. He turned to me clearly unsure as well.

"I have a place we can go if you want to do that.'

"You do?"

I nodded and pulled my jacket off the car. I slipped it on ignoring the blood splotch on the inside. It was dried up now so it didn't matter much.

"What about our families?"

Johnny asked Adal. Adal shrugged and put his hands away in his pockets.

"For what it's worth they are under my care. That being said it doesn't matter if you stay or go because they are in the same danger either way. It doesn't seem like Ricky really wants them. He wants you two. Even he knows going on a killing spree across town like that is way too high risk."

I swore to myself and kicked my car's tire.

"He isn't wrong Johnny. We stay or go they are in danger either way. If we leave however that might pull heat off them while he looks for us. That's the only chance we have here"

Johnny sighed and pulled open the passenger door on the Fox Body.

"Fuck it. Guess this is happening. Can we pack?"

"Well I'm not leaving until Tony's funeral. That will give me time to store the three-oh-two and get my money together. You've got some saved right Johnny?"

"Plenty. We make so much damn money I don't know what to do with it half the time"

Adal nodded to the both of us and turned walking towards his house.

"I'll get your bag back to you soon with a few extras for the road. Stay alive long enough to get out of town and you just might make it out of this"

"Adal wait!"

I called after him. He paused mid stride waiting for me to speak.

"I'm sorry. Honestly. I shouldn't have taken that out on you"

He waved me off as he continued walking.

"Don't worry too much about it Fox. Just stay alive for me"