Coming Up for Air

by Amanda Meuwissen

  The next generation was important for people like Sweeney, starting loyalty young, having a stock of dispensable grunts to choose from as others got caught or killed, but Leigh was the hero tonight—even if it was nothing but a lie—and everyone with him was included.

  “Pity,” Sweeney said, “but well earned. You need a favor any time, kiddo, you say the word!”

  Ralph barely mustered a shaky nod, not once having slipped from Tolly’s side.

  Then they were free, while feeling like the furthest thing from it.

  Walking back to the apartment, Ralph had never been so quiet in all the time Leigh had known him. It wasn’t all that late by the time they reached home, but his parents wouldn’t be in until closer to 3:00 a.m.

  “Can I stay with you tonight?” he asked numbly.

  “Leave a note so your folks don’t worry,” Leigh said. “I’ll get some extra bedding.”

  He was surprised by how quickly Ralph fell asleep on the sofa, though the amount of time he’d spent in the bathroom retching into the toilet might have helped. Leigh placed an extra blanket over him just in case before going to bed with Tolly.

  Half of him wanted to throw up too. All these years, he’d never seen someone die right in front of him, had always managed to avoid getting his hands that kind of dirty.

  Were they dirty now? Was he culpable? What else could he have done?

  “What are you going to tell the detectives?” Tolly asked as they lay in bed, side by side but staring at the ceiling.

  “I don’t know. It might have gotten so much bloodier if I’d called them. With Ralph there….”

  “You did the right thing.”

  “Did I?”

  Tolly’s hand moved beneath the covers to find his. “I am glad you were not the one to kill him. Tonight, instead, you did everything in your power to save someone.”

  Only Tolly would see it that way, but the sentiment made Leigh’s eyes feel hot. “You sure you made the right call saving me?”

  “Every moment I am with you,” Tolly said with an honest smile.

  Leigh let him snuggle close that night, though it took a long time before they fell asleep.

  IT WAS déjà vu the next morning when a knock at the door woke them.

  Instantly, Leigh was up and panicking, wondering if it was Moretti’s side or Sweeney having learned the truth and not being happy about it, but the real owner of that heavy knock was worse once Leigh looked through his peephole to see Perez banging on his door.

  They’d found Vincent’s body. That would have been on purpose, a message from Sweeney without any way to point fingers. They wouldn’t find Jake’s.

  “Where were you between the hours of ten and midnight last night?” Perez asked when Leigh let him inside. Tolly stood back in hurriedly donned sweats, while Ralph sat on the sofa, still bundled in blankets.

  “Here,” Leigh said. “They can both vouch for that. We were all here, right?”

  Tolly and Ralph both nodded.

  “The hell you pullin’, Hurley?” Perez snarled. “You said—”

  “You said you’d trust me,” Leigh hissed at him quietly. “Give me more time.”

  “Someone’s dead.”

  “You mourning Vinny Moretti? I’ll give you the killer, but I need time to make sure nothing else blows up in my face. Please.” He pulled Perez back closer to the door, speaking as quietly as possible. “They were gonna kill Ralph. I had to think fast. Give me a little more time to sort this out.”

  Perez was a good man. Rough and not easy to get to know, but he meant well, and he did care about the kids in this neighborhood getting caught up with warring mobsters. “You realize that was near enough to a confession?”

  “It wasn’t me who pulled the trigger.”

  Deep scrutiny stared back at Leigh, but in the end, Perez sighed. “I got nothing real to bring you in on, but it wouldn’t take much for that to change. Clock’s ticking, Hurley. Don’t let me down again.”

  It felt like a clock had been ticking since Leigh dropped into the river. He had no idea how to fix this, but at least he’d bought himself a little more time.

  “Take a sick day,” he said to Ralph. “Spend time with your folks. Veg on the couch.”

  “But I—”

  “I’ll keep you updated, but I don’t want you giving anyone any more excuses to pull you back in. Got it?”

  “Okay. It’s really not the worst thing, right?”

  “What?”

  “That he’s dead. He was a bad guy. And… he was gonna kill me, wasn’t he?”

  Leigh saw a lot of nightmares in Ralph’s future. He wished he knew how to soothe them. “Sick day. Netflix and comfort food, got it?”

  “I got it,” Ralph said quietly, then thanked Tolly with a swift hug before he slipped out the door to head home.

  TOLLY HAD held it together while subduing those men last night, barely a slip of his claws that no one had seen, but he would have killed them all if Leigh wished it. There was some of the monster in him all the time, but it was further proof of the good in Leigh that he would never ask for that.

  There was nothing to mourn over that Vincent Moretti was dead. Who Tolly mourned for was Ralph, one so young who, like him and Leigh, wanted something better for himself but found obstacles at every turn. If they could help him move past this, that would please Tolly almost as much as saving Leigh had.

  But first they had to see Sweeney.

  It was quieter when they entered the club than the first time Tolly had been there. No one was hanging in the corners, just dim lighting and stillness. The first sign of life was Alvin coming out of the back, looking frantic as he pulled out his phone, only to glance up with eyes springing wide to prove Leigh was the very person he’d meant to call.

  He nearly dropped his phone in his haste to tackle Leigh with a hug. “Deal with it,” he said when Leigh tensed at the contact. “Dad told me what happened. Why didn’t you call me?”

  “We just wanted to sleep when it was over.” Leigh sank slowly into the offered comfort. “And we had to take care of Ralph. He slept on the sofa last night.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Good as a kid can be after seeing his first murder.”

  They parted, and Tolly offered Alvin his best smile in time to be hugged just as fiercely in turn.

  “Rosa said you kicked some serious ass, Tol. Secret mermaid strength?” he whispered in Tolly’s ear.

  “Yes. That I am Leigh’s bodyguard was never a lie.”

  “What are we gonna do now?” Alvin asked once he pulled away.

  “Ah, William, there you are,” Sweeney called from the back. “Gang’s all here, I see. Why don’t you join us?”

  The gang really was all there from what Tolly saw. Rosa, Cary, as well as the ones he knew as Selene and Mark, were gathered in the back office. Tolly signed Cary a quick hello, then passed Rosa a cold stare. She was sharp, observant, and shifted under his gaze, since she had seen his strength last night.

  “Mimosas.” Sweeney snapped his fingers after sliding behind his desk. “That’s what we’re missing. It’s the a.m. and we’re celebrating.”

  “No thanks,” Leigh said.

  “Ah yes, you don’t drink. What about you? Tolly, was it?”

  “Tolly Allen,” Tolly said. “And I am fine, thank you.”

  “You did all the damage, huh?” Sweeney propped his feet on the desk. “Heard it’s nearly half a dozen Moretti men in need of a medic thanks to you by now. Just where are you hiding the claws and fangs, kid?”

  “What?” Tolly felt the blood drain from his face.

  “It’s a joke. Not too bright, is he?” Sweeney said. “Well, beauty and brawns is more than enough. If you had brains, too, it’d hardly be fair to the rest of us.” He dropped his feet and patted the desktop like playing out a drumbeat. “I liked the idea of someone keeping an eye on my little boy’s best buddy, so I let your appearance slide, but you’re officially part of the crew now. Guess t
hat means we got a new bruiser to replace Jake.”

  “I have a better idea,” Leigh spoke up before Tolly could.

  “Oh? I’m all a twitter.”

  “You get neither of us. You let Ralph walk away, and I appreciate that. Now it’s my turn. I want out.”

  Snickers passed between the others, save Cary, who remained stoic, and Alvin, who looked unsurprised but somber.

  Sweeney gave three single drumbeats on his desk in succession. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Leigh questioned. “Just like that?”

  “Well, no.” He rolled his eyes dramatically, lurching out of his chair and around the desk again, like he never sat still for long. “You can be out, William, but only after the dust settles. See, Vinny was the lead man, but his brother is still around, as you know. They’ll be weaker for sure, but there could still be a war brewing. And considering the way Rosalind talked up your boy, we could use the extra muscle, make sure Leo plays nice when he takes over. You help us usher in a peaceful transition, you can both go your merry ways.” He flourished his hand in the direction of elsewhere.

  Managing a peaceful transition with Leo Moretti would not be easy when everyone was saying Leigh killed his brother.

  “Take a day,” Sweeney said. “Think about it. It’s a nice offer for you both. You try running off too soon, things could get… sticky. I don’t like sticky. It’s like licking cotton candy off your fingers. You can’t go back to normal after that. You have to wash your hands or go crazy.” He laughed as if quite literally unhinged. “You understand.”

  “Dad, you will let Leigh out if he helps though, right?” Alvin spoke quietly. “And Tolly?”

  “You have my word,” Sweeney said with a hand held over his heart.

  THE WALK back to the apartment had never felt as stiff or cold to Tolly, maybe because of the weather, overcast and chilly, but also because there was a sense of two steps forward and three steps back.

  At least the look Alvin had given them before they left said he held no resentment for Leigh wanting out of that life. It did not mean they could no longer be friends, just that their circles would diverge.

  As they neared the empty shop on the corner, Leigh’s steps slowed. It looked dark and barren now, save the sign in the window that said FOR LEASE.

  “I do not understand enough about how money works here,” Tolly said, “but you do not have enough to buy the shop, is that it?”

  “I was hoping to get a loan,” Leigh said. “Have a bank give me what I need with the promise I’d pay them back once I made enough. But see, banks don’t trust criminals, even if they are trying to go straight.”

  “They will not give you a loan?”

  “No. They expect collateral, a positive rep, no B&Es on record, things like that. Honestly, if someone had good enough credit and no red flags, that’d be enough. I got a lot of red flags. Come on.” Leigh picked up his pace to pass the building quickly. “We didn’t get enough sleep last night, and I don’t feel like being out anymore.”

  “Sick day? Like Ralph?”

  “Yeah.” Leigh smiled, sad though it was. “Let’s take a sick day.”

  They did not make it all the way to Leigh’s door before being interrupted, though it was merely Miss Maggie.

  “Hey, Maggie,” Leigh said, taking the basket of laundry from her without being asked to finish carrying it to her door. “Feeling better?”

  “Look at you being a gentleman,” she said. “I am. Sounds like Ralph caught my bug, though. Poor thing’s stuck inside today. At least Gert managed to avoid it. She’s watching her cartoons while I finish some chores. What about you two? You look like hell, William. You didn’t catch my cold too?”

  “Might just have. Too much time around those kids.”

  “Pfft. As if you don’t love it. Best kind of kids to have are the ones you can give back come the end of the day.”

  Leigh snorted at that, and Tolly had to chuckle too. It could not dismiss the shadows from Leigh’s eyes, though, and Maggie noticed once they reached her door and she took the laundry back from him.

  “You’re in trouble again.”

  “Maggie….”

  “Why do you have to go and pull this boy into the muck with you?” She nodded at Tolly. “I thought he was pulling you out?”

  “It’s not like that,” Leigh said. “All I’ve been doing is trying to get out. It’s the ones doing the real damage who keep pulling me back in.”

  “So stop letting ’em. Stop compromising or soon you’re gonna run out of things to bargain with. You keep him honest, dear,” she said to Tolly. “Let the bad apples pay for being rotten. Don’t go getting rotten with ’em.”

  “Easy for her to say,” Leigh said once they slipped back into the apartment. He fell against the door, forehead pressed to the wood.

  Tolly took his arm and gently tugged him away, drawing him to the sofa. “Come,” he said, and sat, urging Leigh to lie down and rest his head in his lap. Soothingly, he stroked his fingernails over Leigh’s scalp until he relaxed and closed his eyes. “Rest. This could be good. A peaceful transition is a worthy cause to assist Sweeney with.”

  “If he means it. And if Leo Moretti allows it. I still don’t know what to do about Perez. I promised him someone to put away, and instead he got a body bag. He won’t let that slide forever. I need to figure out something that saves us, gives the detectives what they want, and keeps Sweeney from becoming an enemy. I don’t know if it’s possible to have all three.”

  Tolly, of course, had a fourth item he desired, but now was hardly the time to push for it.

  Leigh did sleep for a while, and Tolly might have dozed off as well. Maybe it was because of how tired Leigh was, how sorrowful, that he began digging through his cabinets in the afternoon and declared success only after he found everything he had been looking for.

  “What are you going to make?” Tolly asked.

  “Chocolate chip cookies. My mama’s recipe.”

  “Oh?” Tolly had always wanted to try those. It seemed they were magical confections with how they were spoken of in human customs.

  “Technically, it’s just the recipe off the back of butter-flavored Crisco, but they always turned out best when Mama made them.”

  “What was your mother like?” Tolly asked, since he had heard very little about Leigh’s family.

  “Sad,” Leigh said. “But kind. I don’t remember her much, to be honest. Just her smile, her voice, especially her voice singing, and warm cookies on a cold day. Don’t know how a sorry excuse like my father snagged her. She died when I was young. Chronic heart trouble. Genetic thing I don’t have, so don’t worry. Sometimes I thought she was lucky, though, getting out early, getting away from my old man. What about you? Good things, I mean, before your parents were gone?”

  Tolly watched Leigh with rapt attention as he made the cookie batter. “My parents were very much in love, and very dearly loved me. We lived the farthest from the colony. They preferred it that way, as did I. They were skilled hunters but never cruel with what they caught. They would help the injured, my father especially, which was against our ways. The injured are considered weak. They should be culled to thin the herd. But if my father found any of our kin or another creature not fit to be food, he would help them.”

  “Can’t you just heal yourselves the way you healed my hand that time?”

  “Most things, yes. But to heal ourselves, we need energy. Too deep a wound takes too much and can require another of our kind to take pity.”

  “And pity isn’t the merfolk way.”

  “It is not.”

  “Your father was like a doctor, then?”

  “I suppose he was,” Tolly said with a smile. “And my mother a teacher. She would show the children she found playing near us clever ways of catching food without causing suffering, or tricks to escape nets and other human trappings. She enjoyed human culture like I do and ventured close to shore often. She taught me the start of many languages, to underst
and when I hear them, and to read. I learned much on my own later, but the passion for it started with her.”

  “You can’t be the only good merfolk out there,” Leigh said. “There have to be others who think like your parents did.”

  “Perhaps. But to change a culture’s ways is not easy. Even the cruelest practices can be seen as natural and necessary when you know it all your life.”

  Leigh was quiet for a bit, but some of the shadows had fallen when he looked at Tolly again. “I bet your parents were as beautiful as you are.”

  That made Tolly blush and grin and feel very warm inside, though Leigh knew not what he spoke of.

  “I bet they’d be proud of you,” Leigh added, spooning drops of chocolate-speckled batter onto a pan.

  “Shall we see if your mother would be proud of these cookies?” Tolly teased, stealing a finger full of batter from the bowl. It was lovely and it had not even been baked yet.

  “Ten minutes in the oven,” Leigh said.

  Once they were ready, Tolly could not decide if he preferred brownies or Leigh’s cookies best, because both were ambrosia, so different from anything he had known in the water. Certainly Leigh’s mother would be proud, and he told him as much.

  “I hope I can make her proud of more than just my baking someday.”

  “You will.”

  They were halfway through a second cookie each when a loud voice reached them from down the hall. It took a moment of listening close to realize it was Ralph.

  Throwing down their cookies, they dashed for the door, rushing into the hall toward Ralph’s apartment, where they could see him leaning out his doorway yelling at Rosa.

  “Leave me alone!” he cried, then turned and saw them, with a surge of hope in his eyes to once again be rescued. His parents would be gone to work by now.

  “You heard the kid,” Leigh said. “He’s not gonna rat you out.”

  “Pretty sure he got into this mess because he ratted someone out,” she said.