His hand with the gun started to shake even harder after I said that. I saw tears well up in his eyes that started to slip down his face. I knew something terrible must have happened. “Are you kidding me?” he asked as the tears continued to spill out. “Why the hell do you care? He’s gone! He’s gone because I couldn’t take you out sooner. I can’t make that mistake again.” My heart broke when I heard this. So, Maggie and Carlos were right that these guys were trying to kill me, but that didn’t make them bad people. That didn’t mean they deserved to die because of me. Having family taken away from you was a pain I could understand. I felt the pain from the accident that took my parents every day. It’s what inspired me to try to make other people happy, so they wouldn’t feel that pain like I did. “I am truly and deeply sorry about your brother,” I said with tears coming to my own eyes as well, “Is there anything I could do to help you?” “Help me? I just told you that I was going to kill you and you want to help me? Fine. Help me by staying still so I can shoot you.” “Why do you want to kill me?” I asked the kid. I know he said he needed to kill me, but I didn’t want to die that day. I needed to talk him down before he did something that could scar him forever. “I don’t want to. I have to! You wouldn’t understand. My uncle killed my brother, and he’s going to kill me too if I don’t finish this!” “You don’t have to do anything,” I told him. “Yes, I do! He’s my uncle! He’s the only family I have left now! He wants me to do this! It’s my first job before I can officially become a member,” he yelled back at me. I wasn’t sure what he meant by member. I was guessing Carlos’s theory about a gang was probably right, but I didn’t care at the moment. His voice was becoming hysterical and I desperately wanted to calm him down. “What’s your name?” I asked, trying to get him to trust me. He seemed a little taken aback by my response, but he reluctantly answered. “Grayson.” “Hi Grayson, I’m Brutus. I know you think you need to do what your uncle says, but you really don’t. From what little you’ve said about him I can tell he’s not your family.” “AND WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT FAMILY, HUH? Especially mine!” he yelled back at me with a snarl. “I know family isn’t set in stone. It’s a privilege to be a part of someone’s family, not a right. It doesn’t start with who you’re related to, and it doesn’t end with those who aren’t a part of your ancestry. Your family Page 91
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