“Seriously. I mean, I know I’ve said this before, but that guy is a piece of shit. No one cares about him. You need to get rid of the dead weight in your life.” Julian lit up a hand rolled cigarette.

“When you write that self-help book, I’m going to need a copy.” Austin tried pulling on Endgame to get him to sit up.

I didn’t bother warning him that Endgame could have a head or neck injury. It seemed like we were in suspended animation where normal concerns were tossed aside.

Another man appeared in the door with a wheelchair. Julian exhaled and pointed to the place right at Endgame’s feet. “You knew he’d come and save this fuck-up, huh?”

The man nodded once as he positioned the chair. He set the lock on the wheels. Austin and the wheelchair pusher went to either side of Endgame. I moved backward so they could maneuver him.

Julian stepped close to me and blew his smoke over my shoulder and toward my cleavage. “Is your money situation good? Because I have jobs for you, pretty one.”

After Endgame was positioned slumped in the chair, I noticed that it had handcuffs on each of the four points where limbs would touch. This chair wasn’t just used for moving people that needed assistance. They had done weird crap with the chair.

Austin lifted the lock on the chair’s wheels and waited as I took my place next to him.

“Okay, baby. Let’s see if you really mean it this time. Great doing business with you. Tell that asshole he doesn’t work for me anymore.” Julian pursed his lips toward me and made a kissing noise. I swallowed my revulsion and stayed close to Austin.

We wheeled Endgame out the way we had come in. When we got outside, the same Uber driver was waiting for us. He didn’t look too surprised at our new unconscious guest.

He even hopped out to help Austin transfer Endgame. I sat up front while Austin sat in the back with Endgame. I peeked over my shoulder a few times, and in the light that illuminated Austin’s face when we passed under street lights I saw his pain.

This was a low point. Another boundary that Austin was crossing for Endgame, and had crossed before. It wasn’t a sign of strength at all.

On the way home, I got chills twice more. I had the feeling that there were a few outcomes for this evening that we somehow avoided. Like we were meant to run into far more trouble than we did. I also got the sense that the trouble was just waiting for another opportunity to pounce.

15

AUSTIN