Too Close

Chapter 30

Tyler's P.O.V

"My man," Curtis Santiago walked into the small living room of his trailer.

"What's going on Curtis?" I was over his place to talk to him about the deal Jason had assigned me to do.

"Beer?" He pulled out a mini can from the mini fridge near the TV.

"You shouldn't be drinking that. You shouldn't be drinking at all, actually," I shook my head, no. "It's illegal."

"And you can? We're both under twenty one, if you wanted to go down that route." He ran a hand through his gray dyed hair.

Santiago was less than a year younger than me and I still thought of him as a little kid. But he had been through the worst childhood I'd ever heard of and I couldn't even begin to tell the tale.

Ever since we met when he joined Ciro, I felt the need to look after him in the beginning. He was just a little kid wrapped up in all this mess for no reason other than the money. He had too much weight on his shoulders, taking care of his mom and little brother and sisters. I haven't reached out to him since I'd been in Charlotte because I knew if my dad found out I came to see him, he would have found me a lot sooner.

"I'm not here to argue with you over drinking, today."

"Aw you came to check up on me like you used to?"

"That and I came to ask you if there was any way you think I could get out of that last deal on the assignments list..." Curtis bellowed a laugh and pulled up a chair on the other side of the dining table.

"Why can't you just do the deal, are you crazy, trying to make Jason even more mad at you or something?"

"No, it's not like that."

"You've done this before, you're a Pro. Nothing's changed." He keeps smiling at me like I'm some funny joke. "Tyler, relax."

"Everything has changed, I can't even be doing this shit right now, man." I balled up my fist and pulled it back to slam it into the wall next to me but I stopped myself.

"Whoa, whoa, what's up?"

"I could get arrested, we all could get arrested anywhere at any time if we're ever caught."

"Yeah, I know that. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I found someone, kid." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. It was suddenly very hot in here.

"You found someone?" His expression looked puzzled.

"Yes, I found someone. This girl, well she was—is my foster sister. I've risked everything by getting involved with her in the first place."

"You fell for your foster sister?! Dude that's so hot! Wait, when did you get a foster sister?"

"Not the point, focus. Is there any way that I can get out of that deal?" He shook his head no.

"I don't think so... Walker said something about it being a big deal for Jason and the crew. I don't know, I think they found a new drug worth more than everything I'd ever heard of." He took a swig from his beer. I walked over to him, grabbed the can from his hand and poured it down the drain. I couldn't watch the kid drink.

"Will I get to meet this love of your life?" He grinned following me, not even putting up a fight.

"I'm leaving Ciro, Curtis."

"What? How—are you moving or?"

"I don't know. I could probably just piss off Jason enough to make him want to kick me out, make him think he doesn't need me."