Chapter 6 Shady Theo

EMERALD

What about my brother?

My head can't wrap around anything at the moment. I scrutinize the men briefly. Nothing about them gives me a comfortable feeling, starting from their dress code. Both dressed in all black, with classy shoes which they probably afford from whatever shady business they must be into.

I hate their laughs. It's like they wreak havoc whenever they open their mouths. The haired one takes out a cigar from his pocket, which is immediately snatched from him by the bald one, who shoots him a glare and then returns his attention to me almost immediately.

"Theo was a good boy. I liked him." He smirks and continues. "I thought he would get to a higher rank in the coming years, but he chose greed. Look where that got him."

I blink in confusion. What are they talking about? A certain possibility conjures in my brain, but I shove it off just as quickly. I don't want to believe that there's even a possibility, Theo got into something shady.

Seeing the questions in my face, at least they have the dignity to explain.

"Oh, pardon our manners," the bald one continues. "We forgot to introduce ourselves. This is Spencer, and I'm Jake. Theo was one of our delivery boys."

Forget their names.

"Deliveries for what, exactly?" I pry.

"So curious. You won't let me finish." They burst out laughing, leaving me in a state of wonder. Have they been smoking...of course, they have. I have no time to laugh at myself.

"Allow us to introduce you to some dirty stuff, little angel." Jake does the talking.

By all means, yeah.

"We deal with very interesting products that make you feel so good-you might confuse earth for heaven."

"Have you ever been to heaven?" Spencer interrupts, narrowing his eyes at Jake, who shoots him a glare, goes ahead to ignore the question, and resumes his explanation to me.

At the end of it all, only one conclusion sticks with me.

Damn right, I know exactly what they are talking about, but they don't mention the specific drug. Or drugs. I had it at the back of my mind as soon as they started explaining. Or maybe as soon as they approached me. I must have been in the denial phase.

"Theo was aiding in drug delivery?" I hold back a gasp. So this was what he was into.

"You catch up so quickly," says the one with a pony, who I now know to be Spencer. "I hope you catch the next part quickly," he supplies.

I knew there was worse to come. Of course, they didn't just approach me for a mere introduction or to report to me about Theo's secret deeds. Yup, they smelled like trouble.

Spencer goes on with the explanation.

"Like we said, Theo was a good boy, until he saw it fit to steal from us. A very significant amount. That wasn't smart of him." He shakes his head vehemently.

My heart shifts from my chest.

"Wait, is that why ...did you..." I stutter as another possibility kicks in.

Spencer turns to Jake. "See, I told you, she's brilliant. She's joining dots in that beautiful head."

Jake explains further after letting out a devilish laugh.

"Look, we just wanted to punish and scare him a little."

Yet he ended up in a hospital bed fighting for his life. I think.

He must have read my thoughts because then, he clarifies.

"Things got out of control, hence... You know," he motions with his head, referring to the hospital.

"So, what do you want?" I probe, waiting for the other shoe to drop. This can't end well.

"Theo has left a significant dent, and he has to pay." Jake declares, massaging his chin.

"He's in a coma, fighting for his life. How do you expect him-"

I stop when I notice how nonchalant they are. That's when it gnaws at me; They don't care.

"Think deeper, Emerald. You've proven to be smart, despite dropping out of college."

I gasp in shock. They know that too? What kind of people did Theo get involved with?

That aside, it takes a while for my mind to register the actual reason they approached me regarding Theo's debt.

Since Theo has been unconscious for a while. "You want me to pay Theo's debt," I conclude.

"Bingo!"

"You're the best successor. We don't know when Theo will wake up. We have to keep the business going." Jake moves closer and holds my shoulder, his eyes boring into mine. I move a step back, but it doesn't make any difference. "You don't want to upset the big boss. Because..." He grins. "He is not sweet like us."

"The big boss?"

"Yeah." He finally lets me go, and inlet out a long breath I didn't know I was holding. "You'll get to know him if you fail to adhere to the rules."

They pass the warning so clearly.

___________________

The night is insanely long, mostly because I'm restless. My mind is full of thoughts about Jake and Spencer. And, of course, The Big Boss. They painted him as a soulless, ruthless human. If Jake and Spencer were that intimidating and scary, what would their boss look like?

I remember their warning about involving the authorities.

"That's the worst mistake you can ever think of. In case you haven't noticed, we have your brother's location. We can finish what we started. That has never been anything difficult for us. Or do you prefer we take it up with your parents?" Jake had said.

If my parents found out about this, they would be broken, devastated, and so many other things.

The last thing I want is to stress them more. They already have Theo's condition to worry about. I should think of ways to handle the situation. Weighing the option of involving the authorities doesn't look good. I could lose my family. They probably have said authorities on their payrolls.

They said Theo stole their drugs. What the hell did he do with them? Did he hide them? If he did, then where? I can't think of any place. Or did he sell them? If so, what did he do with the money?

I only remember him getting mother a fancy necklace for her birthday three weeks ago, which he claimed to have been saving for. I could scold him for this, but that wouldn't help lighten the situation. Besides, he can barely open his eyes. Let alone speak or listen.