The Cupid Touch

The Cupid Touch Chapter 18 - A History of Dependence

"How could you be so stupid?" 

"It wasn't - you don't understand the kind of pressure there was when I was with those guys."

"Which is why I told you to ditch them all!"

Joe-Moe looked as if he wanted to put a fist through the wall. I could see him holding the anger in, controlling it. Axel still looked a little afraid, but I realised it wasn't because he thought Joe-Moe was going to punch him: he flinched every time his older brother spoke, hurt by the words and (I thought) by Joe-Moe's poor opinion.

Lucas had gone, to my great relief. There was something lizard-like about him, and within a few moments of meeting him I'd come to understand the intensity of Joe-Moe's dislike for his brother's short, well-dressed ex. 

But he hadn't departed without leaving a little poison behind him. He'd answered Joe-Moe's question, but with a self-satisfied smile. 

"It's a business visit, Joseph. I'm here to make some arrangements with your brother following a slightly disappointing earlier transaction."

Joe-Moe's sharp glance at Axel, who looked totally wretched, was enough to tell me that this was really not good news. 

"What transaction?" he asked his brother, but Lucas interrupted.

"Why don't we all have a seat and discuss it? I'd value your input, Joseph."

Joe-Moe turned back to him, and for a fraction of a second, the smile on Lucas's face faltered.

"You don't invite me to sit in my own kitchen, Lucas. We'll discuss it here."

Lucas held up his hands, placating him.

"No disrespect intended."

"Tell me," Joe-Moe said, looking at Lucas this time. 

"This dates back a while," Lizard Lucas said. "When we were... when the two of us were seeing each other, Axel was enthusiastic about becoming involved in business with me."

Axel's mouth went slack for a second, and I was pretty sure from his shock that there hadn't been a lot of enthusiasm. 

"I gave him an opportunity," Lucas went on, leaning back against the doorframe and looking way too comfortable. "I needed someone to carry a package for me, and Axel seemed the right choice. But unfortunately, he let me down, which landed me in a rather difficult position with my employer."

Joe-Moe had gone very still, but I could feel tension running through him. I wanted to reassure him, but it wasn't the time. Not while Lucas was standing there, relaxed and smiling.

"So what did you do about it?"

"There wasn't a lot I could do," Lucas said, with a shrug. "It was awkward. It was a very valuable shipment that he lost."

"I didn't lose it," Axel interrupted, with surprising sharpness. "It was stolen from me."

"I'm not blaming you," Lucas said, with absolutely the fakest kindness. "But unfortunately it means that you owe a large sum of money to Mr. Jeroniri, and you've failed to come up with it for some time now."

"How much?" Joe-Moe asked, quietly. 

"Eleven thousand," Lucas said, solemn for a moment. But I could see his mouth twitching with trying not to smile.

"Eleven thousand?" he asked, incredulous. "You gave a seventeen-year-old kid eleven grand of drugs and you think this is his fault?" 

"It's not about fault," Lucas said, shifting a little uncomfortably. "It's about what he owes."