Monkey Wrench

Chapter 19

I follow Sky's direction and head out to the cabin. When I arrive, there's someone outside working in the garden. It's a nice little cottage in the countryside. I step out of the car and slowly breathe in the air. This is pure nature. I soak in the smells of the farms nearby and the fresh scents. It brings me back to my childhood when things were simpler.

I walk up to the cabin and ask for Blair. The person informs me that no one by that name lives there. I walk away back to the car. I chill in the car for a minute because even though I don't know what Blair looks like, that was a message being sent.

As I run over things in my head, another car shows up and pulls right in. Sky gets out first and walks right up. The person from the garden moved inside once I sent the message. They open the door cautiously before saying, "Uncle Sky. It's been a long time. What are you doing here?"

Sky mouths trust me as planned when Miller comes around the corner saying, "Did you miss me, sweetheart?" She instantly looks horrified. Miller begins, "I thought about you every day-"

She interjects, "I doubt that or you were plotting to kill us."

"See? You were definitely smarter than your brother."

"He was a kid! You had no right to treat him or any of us like that."

Miller grabs her by the hand and drags her away from the door. That's my cue to get out of the car. "Miller, what are you gonna do? You can't go anywhere."

"Oh shit. It's the little queer from the hospital. How are you gonna stop me?"

"Sky who's at the hospital? Who's hurt this time?" she says surprisingly calm given the situation.

Miller answers instead, "I have my ways. Our dear Oliver is suffering for his life again, but this time it's worse. Isn't that great? Then you can be next."

I intervene, "Do you honestly fucking think shit's working out for you right now? This is gonna go one of two ways: you let Blair go or you die."

"How's a fag like you gonna stop me?"

"I'm the fag with the connections. I own the city. How else do you think I got Sky working for us?"

"You little bitch!" he screams as he reactively lets go of Blair to punch Sky. Blair scrambles away, and I push her out of the way as I make impact with another one of Miller's punches. This time, I fight him back. Somehow in the midst of fighting, Miller gets a tough hold on Blair.

Miller says with his arm wrapped around Blair so she's a hostage, "So, the little homo knows how to fight."

Sky jumps in at that point to defend me, "You don't want to piss Dakota off. They have more control than I do in this region."

"Thanks for that, Sky," I say before straightening my suit. "Now back to my earlier statement: let her go or die."

Miller goes into his back pocket to grab something. As soon as I see it, I press send on my phone. I already typed a message to the sniper that just needed to get delivered at the right time. Seconds after I sent it, a bullet comes flying through the air and hitting Miller square between the eyes.

Blair stares down Sky asking, "What the fuck just happened?!"

"That is what we call clearing the Earth of scum."

"I get that, but where the hell is Oliver? Who the fuck are you?"

I explain, "Oliver's in the hospital, and I'm his partner."

Blair doesn't change demeanors at all. She looks rather uneasy. She pins us, "Why is my brother in the hospital?"

All Sky says is, "Miller."

"Take me to him now."

We drive back to the hospital. When we get there, there's no one in sight. I walk straight over to Oliver's room and he's surprisingly awake. I walk right up to him and plant a kiss on his lips. As we separate, he spies Blair.

Engulfing him in a massive hug, "It's been too long, stranger."