As always: Unedited!

***

"Oh, there ain't no rest for the wicked
Money don't grow on trees
I got bills to pay
I got mouths to feed
And ain't nothing in this world for free
No I can't slow down
I can't hold back
Though you know I wish I could
No there ain't no rest for the wicked
Until we close our eyes for good..."

- Cage The Elephant "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"

***

“I should have guessed you lived in a mansion,” I stated as I entered the living room to find Garrett sitting on his brown leather couch and sipping an amber liquid out of an Old Fashion Tumbler glass.

He looked away from the blazing fireplace and over at me. A small smile broke out on his face, so casing his pearly whites, “Welcome home, Allison ... that is if you chose this to be your home."

I took a few more steps into the living room but decided to go no further seeing as did want to over step any boundaries. Furrowing my eyebrows, I spoke, “What do you me ‘if you chose’?"

Garrett placed his glass on an end table by his left side. “I am not going to force you to live here. However, if you do stay here you will be treated as a guest: free food, room, and of course housecleaning services. But, you are free to leave and live where you please under some conditions.

“What are the conditions?”

“You have to stay within thirty miles of the city. You will be responsible for all your bills and Mr. Sharp wants you to still work for him, which means that you can’t go back home. But, I fought for you to have a weeks paid vacation. Figured you could go home and visit your family if you please.

I couldn’t help but feel thankful for how considerate Garrett was. “Thank you.”

He shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal. “There is no reason for me to punish you, like Mr. Sharp has been. You didn’t steal from me. In my eyes you deserve all your rights - including the right to leave, see your family and do whatever the hell you want."

“Are there any more conditions if I decide to move out?”

“Yes, because as far as the contract goes, that Mr. Sharp and I have between each other, you are my full responsibility. So, you will have daily phone call check-ins, and weekly visits to wherever I am.” Garrett picked back up his glass and took another drink before placing it back. Glancing at me, he spoke once more, “Reasonable?”

I blinked a few times, not believing what he was proposing. “That is it?” 

Garrett nodded, “Yes, those are the conditions, if you chose to leave.”

“And if I stay: free room, food, and cleaning?” 

He bobbed his head up and down a couple times, “Yes.”

I shifted my weight from my right to left foot. “Well, I don’t have any money to get a place right now ... So, if you don’t mind ... can I stay here until I save up some money?”

“Of course, but I can always give you a loan,” Garrett exclaimed with a smirk. 

I laughed, “You funny. I know people that have borrowed from gangs and I’ve seen what happens when you don’t pay up.”

Chuckling, Garrett stood up from the couch, “I was joking - any money or items I ever give you are not loans or something you have to pay me back for. Now, speaking about giving you items, there is something that I want to give you. Follow me,” He stated as he walked past me. 

Following him out of the living room and down a hall, I began to wonder what he had from me. “What is it?” I asked. 

He looked over his shoulder, “Patience.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“It’s not a surprise.”

“I consider you giving me something and not telling me what it is, a surprise.”

“Here we are,” Garrett said once we got to the end of the hall. He opened the door and walked into the fluorescent lit room. 

Once I stepped in I saw that we were in a garage. 

“I wasn’t sure what kind of car you wanted,” Garrett said as he pointed to the black 2014 Honda Accord right in front of us. “So, I picked something at random. It’s a good car though, will last you many years.”

I was lost for words, that was until a scream bubbled up and escaped. “You - You got me a car!” I started to do a happy dance. “I got a car! WHOOT! WHOOT!”

“Chill, all I had to do was kill the owner. Not a big deal.”

I stopped my ridiculous actions as what he said hit me. “You ... you did what?!”

“Don’t worry, he wasn’t killed while driving.”

“You - you killed ... killed the owner?”

Suddenly the serious expression on Garrett’s face was wiped and replaced with a humored look. “I was kidding!”

I gave a frown, “That wasn’t funny. I’ve seen one of your gang members kill someone for much less.”

Garrett went emotionless, “Who and why did they kill?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Some of your members killed a kid from my school. He was walking out of a convenience store and three men approached him. They told him to take off his shirt, that the color green because it was a rival color. He refused and they shot him.”

“How do you know it was my gang?” 

“Well, for one they were wearing red and yellow, which is y’alls colors. And it was in your territory.”

“We don’t kill over stupid stuff like that. He was probably involved in something...”

“The kid that was shot was an honors student, plans to go to an Ivy League school, captain of the chess team and was number one in the class. He was not in a gang or involved in that life. Trust me, the only reason he was shot was because he was wearing a green shirt.”

“How do you know that is how it went down?”

“I told you ‘I’ve seen one of your gang members kill someone for much less’. The kid died in my arms. I witnessed it. Have to say your members were sloppy, didn’t bother looking around to see if someone was watching."

Garrett studied me intently.

“I’m not lying,” I told him truthfully.

“I know you are not.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that.”

“I was thinking.”

“About?”

“Well, for one you act so unfazed. I mean, you know what one of my members did, yet you stand in my house without a fear in the world. Then, I wondered why someone like you knows so much about gangs...”

“I do know a lot about gangs,” I vaguely replied.

“Why?” 

“Long story short: someone hurt me-”

“Ex-boyfriend?” 

I shook my head, “No, old friend ... anyway, he hurt me and I started to dabble in the party / drug life. I made friends with people in gangs and they taught me a few things. It wasn’t really until I started to date a guy in a high position that I really learned a lot about gangs.”

“Mr. Sharp?”

“What about him?”

“Was he the one you dated?”

I shook my head before giving a chuckle, "No - he has no part in my story,” I lied.

“How did you come to be his prisoner?”

Tilting my head, I looked at Garrett, “why do you want to know so much about my life?” 

He shrugged his shoulders, “you’re an interesting character.”

“I stole from Mr. Sharp.”

“Why would you do something as stupid as that?” 

I didn’t want to tell him. Tell him that while Garrett saved me from being beaten to death that night at Fragrant Peaches - he didn’t save me from getting pregnant. I didn’t want to tell another soul about the pain I felt everyday knowing that I lost my child and relapsed hard core, causing Duke to get mad at me and me to steal.

“I’m tired ... where am I staying?” I asked, hoping to change the subject and hibernate to a room before I broke down crying right in front of Garrett. 

He didn’t say anything at first, but soon to my relief he sighed and told me he’d show me to my room. “The keys to the car are on the hook by the garage door. You can leave whenever you feel like it. It’s got a full tank and on the side of my house I have a pump, fill up when you need to. Also, I got MaryAnn, the head housemaid, to set your alarm for 4:45am. I figured that was a good time for you to get up, get showered, dressed and fed before heading to work, if you want to get there on time. However, you are free to change it, if desired.”

“No, that will work.”

“Here we are,” Garrett said as we stopped outside of a door. “You have your own bathroom and inside there should be some fresh linens, toothbrush and hairbrush. Mr. Sharp said tomorrow he will bring a case of your clothes.”

I wondered what Mr. Sharp was going to bring me because he didn’t have any my clothes. I hope he doesn’t buy me a whole bunch of nun suits, like he made me wear on the first day of work. 

“Thank you." 

Garrett nodded. “No problem ... hey ... I hope what happened with the kid doesn’t ruin your view of me. Some of the thing my members do aren’t to my approval. I try to straighten them up but when you have so many members, territories, and are working to expand even more ... it’s hard...”

“I didn’t think you were behind what happened. The people that did it were young and I know older members know better ... it part of the business, I guess.” I paused for second before locking eyes with Garrett, “Do you ever consider getting out?” 

Garrett looked away from me and sighed, “Every minute of the day ... I’ve had people close to get hurt because of my line of work. This life has forced me to live a very secretive life and look over my back with every step I take. Someone in my position that doesn’t consider leaving as a troubled mind and doesn’t have anything to lose."

“And you do — have things to lose?” 

Garrett smiled, “Surprisingly, yes ... I still do. No matter what, everyone has something to lose ... This topic does remind me that you have a contract to sign. I presumed Mr. Sharp went over it?”

“About the one where I can’t tell you or him what is going on with the other whether it is gang or personal wise?”

“Great, he summarized it. I hope you know this is a very serious thing.”

“I know.”

“Good, I’ll have it ready for you to sign tomorrow morning. For now, sleep tight and if you need anything, my room is down the hall to the right. The kitchen is down stairs, at the end of the hall to the left.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem, just do me a favor though.”

“What?”

Garrett didn’t answer right off the bat, instead he looked deep in thought as if he was considering his words and what to say next. “Don’t go on the third level of the house and don’t go down to the basement.”

“Okay...” I replied, unsure why he restricted me. But then again I figured the basement was where he kept his ‘prisoners’ like Mr. Sharp does. Yet, the third floor was something else entirely. 

“I mean it,” he stated in a stern voice.

I gave him a small smile, “I heard you and I know better to stick my nose in places it shouldn’t be. Don’t worry. I’ll stay clear of the basement and third floor.”

“Well, goodnight then,” he said, dropping the topic at hand. 

"Goodnight," with that said I walked into my room.

<><><><>

A/N:

Two updates in a week?! What? Unheard of, right? Lol. 

Hope you guys liked it, sorry if you thought it was too much dialogue but it is what it is. 

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