Under these Stars

Chapter 38

Mason's POV

"Aaaghhh!" I let out an angry cry of frustration. My fist connects with the side of the trash can and my boiling blood distracts me from the pain. I kick a pile of trash and then lean against the brick wall. Except for my sudden burst of anger, the dark alleyway is silent. 

Sighing deeply, I look up at the building above. I know that my boss and private investigator is probably sleeping at his office desk from a long night of work. Ever since his last case, his reputation grew and more cases followed. I worked for him at his busiest season. We would spend long nights drinking and working in his office. Then, there were nights where we scouted outside for information. 

The guy was good. That's why I pushed so hard to work with him. He saw potential in me when most turned me away. He and I busted our asses off trying to untangle the web of lies my father created. It was a never-ending chain of dead ends, but we found a small sliver of hope. 

That is, until my deadbeat and failed excuse of a father caught wind of us. 

We were so close to taking them all down. 

And now he brought Delany into the situation. 

I look up into the dark night and wonder why the fuck God played such a cruel trick on me. Who knows what could be happening at this minute to her? She has no role into this.

I was so careful. I made sure to appear nonchalant and indifferent towards her whenever my father or his men were around. I knew of the risk of him finding out but my damn feelings thought I could overcome anything. There were times where I had to lie and bend the truth just so she wouldn't have to worry about me. However, there was only so much I could hide from him. He was a control freak. He had to have everything wrapped around his finger to feel powerful. The guy was not going to be humiliated by his own son. Everything about him was appearance. 

Thus, I was not surprised when our family broke apart. He beat all of us and treated us all like shit. My mother didn't want anything to do with him. She ran at the first chance she got. She didn't even look back at my sister and I. Then, my sister ran away with her then-boyfriend shortly after. When they both left, things only got worse. It was daily beatings. I couldn't take it anymore so I left to find my sister. I only managed to track her down because of my boss. 

I grit my teeth angrily at my current situation. How the hell was I supposed to take down my father and his employer? He was as dirty as all the other criminals. He gambled, embezzled, and bought politicians. 

I light my cigarette and take a long inhale. The familiar smell soothed me. Though I told Delany I would cut back and eventually quit, my fingers itched for them. 

"How long are you going to stand there in self pity?" I position myself In defense when I hear the voice in the alleyway. A figure approaches me and I relax when I realize it's only my boss. 

"Don't look so surprised. The ruckus you made was enough to wake up the entire neighborhood." He looks amused as he lights his own cigarette. Then, he leans against the wall with me. 

Taking a good look at me, he whistles lowly, "Damn, you look like hell." 

"Been through it multiple times." I shrug. The adrenaline and anger has drained away and left  only the pain in my body. I can feel the throbbing pain in my wrists and ankles from when they restrained me. My entire body aches from the beatings my father and his men did when they were bored.

"He got you, huh." He nods slowly with a casual manner. The guy got balls of steel. I have not seen him spooked.

"What are you going to do?" His grey eyes bore into mine seriously as if debating whether to kill me or not. I tense up as he watches me slowly.

"He has my girl. I'm going to save her." It's cheesy as fuck, but she has a long and bright future ahead of her. At this point, she would be better without me. I can't keep putting her into danger. 

"Young love. So precious. So reckless." He takes a long inhale of smoke and remains quiet. "We are pretty close to getting your father, and eventually he'll lead us to the top dogs. The FBI are in contact and keeping a close eye." 

"She's in danger every second she's there. You expect me to wait?" I almost want to punch the man in the face. However, I restrain myself. Taking a deep breath to collect myself, I respond, "You got the FBI to help out? I'm impressed."

"An old friend of mine owed me a favor." He says vaguely.

"Well, if you don't back down, then he's going to kill you and all the people you love. I don't think the FBI will be able to get there in time." The words sound cliche but it's true. Well, I doubt my father will do the killing since he doesn't like getting his hands bloodied. However, based off the information we have gathered on his employer, his employer hasn't seem like the type to hesitate.

"There's nobody left to kill." His hollow laughter echos softly in the alleyway. "When you climb up to the position that I'm at, you will realize that your friends and family shrink significantly. They either stab you in the back, or they are stabbed in the backs."

"You didn't have to take this case, you know?" 

"I live for this shit," he laughs. The guy is crazy, but that's one of the reasons why I liked working for him. 

"Anyways," he drops his cigarette and extinguishes the light with his foot, "Take me to him."

"What?" I don't quite comprehend his insanity. 

"You heard me. I'm going to be killed regardless if I stop investigating. I'm a thorn to their side. I'm a dead man walking." He waves it off as if his death is of little importance. I sure hope he has a plan on his mind. He looks confidence and I have no idea what is going on in his mind.

"Let's go save the damsel in distress." He chuckles maniacally.

I doubt him for a second. Everything relies on this crazy motherfucker.

"Did they hit you a little bit too hard in the head?" He pauses to look at me strangely. "Let's go!" 

I realize he actually wants to head over at this second. Giving him a hard look, I realize he's serious. 

Sighing, I lead him to his executioner. 

I really hope he has a plan because I'm all out of them.

___

A/N A short one.