Summer Of Mayhem (Westside's Saga #1) ✔

Sixteen: Mayor Claud

There's this one thing called the "Serial Killer Genes", MAOA and CHD1 to be precise. In some cases, convicts during trials of offenses reported with the gene are led to reduced punishments.

The "Warrior Gene", as some people call it, links to aggression in survey-based studies.

Well, the Dark Goon is another thing. His dark side is driven by revenge, jealousy, envy, bitterness - name all the synonyms - not by his "Warrior Gene" whether he has it or not. He is a complete sociopath, and I cannot express it even more. 

That killed his two friends. And now... he's out for the third one. Problem is, we have literally no idea who the heck that is. 

"Gotchu!" I yelled, leaping out of the bush I was hiding in.

The old man dropped his cup of coffee. "What the...?"

"Don't lie to me," I said, heaving.

Sabrina jumped out of the bush. "He's right."

Sabrina's grandpa gasped, but quickly recovered. He grinned uneasily, waiving ten hundred-dollar bills. "Went to the casino. Won-"

"Tell the truth," I demanded. "You turned right. The casino is on the other side."

He grumbled, walking over to his chair. "Right," he said softly, taking a seat on his rocking chair. "So I went to the grocery-"

"Seriously, or we'll turn you into the police, I swear," I said. "Explain this." I took out my phone from my pocket and showed it to the old man. 

He frowned.

I crossed my arms. "C'mon."

"I work for Mr. Hutchins," he sighed.

Sabrina gasped. "What?! Why?!"

"Just go on," I told Sabrina's grandpa.

"What are you kids even up to?" he said, trying to stall.

I punched my fist on the table. "I said go on."

Sabrina's grandpa looked away, humphing. "He forced me to, in my defense. He said he'd kill me if I wouldn't work for him and go to his lodge every single night."

I looked at the bag he was trying to hide behind his back. "Give me that," I ordered.

He looked around, acting dumb. "What? Where? Which one?"

I pounded my fist on the table again. "Don't make me call the cops. Hand. Over. The. Bag."

Sabrina's grandpa lowered his head, handing the bag to me without a word.

I snatched it from him, zipping it open.

I took out a few things, holding up a mask and a gun. I laid it on the table, fixing my eyes on the old man. "Explain this."

He frowned, taking the mask and fidgeting it back and forth. "I'm Mayor Claud."

Sabrina and I stopped dead, and I fell a few steps backward. "No way!! What is wrong with you?!"

He nodded. "The Goon forced me to. He threatened my life. So I had no choice, but to take that mask... and play mayor."

I exchanged glances with Sabrina, then I reached in my breast pocket and pulled out a photograph.

I swiped it across the table to the old man. "So... are you the third kid?" I asked, pointing at the kid on the right corner of the picture.

His eyes widened. "Where'd you get this?"

"I'm the one asking questions here," I snapped, and Sabrina shot me a look. "From the granddaughter of a friend of yours."

Sabrina spoke up, putting her hand on her grandpa's shoulder, shooting me another glare. "Gramps! Are you okay? What did the Goon do to you?"