Page 12 of Stag

A big guy slipped soundlessly down the alley, and something about that had me on edge. Was there something familiar about his build? Was I just imagining it?

I followed slowly, stopping at the end of the alley as I spotted another familiar fucker. Jesus. It was those fucking Bennett assholes, and they were overseeing some other poor bastard getting his lights put out.

“Fuck me. I’m not getting caught spying on those cunts,” I whispered to myself, just as something sharp pressed against the back of my neck, and I froze. A knife? Fuck!

“Interesting choice of words there, man. I thought you guys liked the bosses.” A knife was scary enough, but now I knew I’d just been caught watching those fuckers commit a crime. By one of their own.

He walked me out of the alley, with that blade at my throat, and a firm hand on my shoulder. I could have tried to fight him off, but I really wanted to keep all the blood in my veins, and I knew one wrong move could have me painting the old brick walls instead.

“Check it out, boss… a little friend stopped by to say hello.”

Those two bearded fuckers smirked when they recognised me, and that’s when I realised I could have slammed my fucking helmet into this bastard’s face and legged it. Probably still would have been cut, but I’d have survived.

“Bring him closer, bruv. He clearly wants to witness what we’re up to, innit.”

I shook my head as the guy walked me forward again, putting me way too close to the bloody mess on the ground, and the big fucker grinning at me. Oh. The one who dates that scary blonde woman. Scary hot, I mean, but yeah, it’s not her behind me, so where the fuck is she? That thought was unnerving enough, without what I could actually see right now.

“Marco, let that prick take a breather while we speak to our new friend here.”

The guy with the knife nudged me and I cursed as the knife caught my skin.

“The fuck? You trying to give me a shave or something?”

Their chuckles really didn’t help the situation. I was in the shit here, and all I was doing was trying to keep my woman safe. I knew I might risk my safety for her, because I’d put myself in the way of bad guys, but not like this. Anything could happen to her while I was caught up with this crap.

“I was just out walking.”

One of the Bennetts made a show of checking a watch he wasn’t even wearing, that smirk never disappearing.

“At like four in the morning, bruv? Weird time to take a walk.”

“Yeah, I’m normally balls deep in Cass if I’m awake at this time, bruv.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The fuck? Did they have any boundaries at all? I shook my head again, which was risky with the knife there, but that wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“I just got off community service, alright? Doing the fucking night shift on the motorway. It’s shit.”

They exchanged smug grins and folded their arms, almost in sync, and it was then that I realised there were way too many fucking twins in my life right now.

“And you just happened to see us, bruv? I think someone’s got a crush.”

Jesus. “I have, okay, but not on you pricks. There’s… there’s a woman.”

“Ooooh someone losing his v-card at last?”

I tried to lunge at him, and the knife caught my skin again as they all laughed. Who the fuck did they think they were with this bullshit?!

“Alright, bruv. Give me one good reason why we don’t bleed you out right here, so you can’t snitch on us.”

I lifted my hands in front of me, but that was useless as far as attempts to ward off danger went, because the knife guy was behind me. Think of something fast!

“Jeez. You guys are edgy! I… uh… I was looking for uh… like, do you need more guys to do this shit?” I pointed at the bleeding guy, who’d moved to sit up, using his formerly white shirt to mop blood from his face.

“Ohhhh you think this is a job interview, bruv. You’re looking to be an enforcer, are you?”

They both eyed me now in a way that was just as much predator versus prey, but now they were sizing me up. It wasn’t a bad idea, to be honest. My hours had been cut, and I could always use extra money, because I could buy that pretty lady some gifts and leave them outside her door. Plus it’d be less boring than my day job. I loved numbers, but I hated working for ‘the man’. Still, would it be any better working for these men?