Page 15 of Genesis
He lifted his brow. “Moonshine?”
“Yes, sir,” Johnny said.
“Where the hell did you get moonshine?”
“My old man only drank homemade moonshine. He meets a man near Scotts Mountain to supply up. Well, he did,” he said. “He’s got a shitload of it out in the shed. I figured since he loved it so much, he could burn up in it.”
The three men looked at each other, and the silver haired one lifted his brow. Johnny sounded like a psychopath, but he wasn’t. He was just a boy who’d had enough of his father beating him every day.
They say it’s the quiet ones you have to worry about, and Johnny was always quiet. They also say there’s only so much a person can take before they fucking explode.
Well, Johnny exploded and I helped light the fuse—happily, I might add.
“So, what are you here for?” Moretti asked, looking back at us as he linked his digits.
“Johnny no longer has a parent. Social services are coming to get him.”
“And you don’t want that?” he asked, looking at Johnny.
“No. I want to stay with Danny.”
Nugget spoke up. “What are you two? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Look at these little fuckers, Mickey.” He laughed.
Mickey was the one with the silver hair. I wanted to knock Nugget’s shiny tooth out and shove it down his throat, but I was smaller than him, and I knew if I stuck around, there would come a time for that. I don’t usually forget little things like his smart-ass remark.
And believe me when I say, I can hold a fucking grudge better than anyone. You cross me or my boy Johnny, you’ll pay for it.
It may not be right then, but trust me, I’ll come for you.
Mickey didn’t return Nugget’s laugh, and that made me have some respect for him. But Nugget lost my respect at that very moment.
I think I’m a pretty fair guy. I don’t look at people like they’re shit before I get to know them. You have to show me you’re shit, and then I don’t forget it.
It’s simple, really. Show me who you are, and I’ll believe you.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do about that.” Moretti leaned back. “But I need you to do something for me,” he said.
“Anything,” I replied.
I felt Johnny look at me like I just signed my soul over to the fallen angel himself, but what Johnny failed to realize wasIwas the devil. Moretti was just helping me become who I was meant to be.
“Get me in contact with the man who makes that moonshine. You boys are going to start selling it to these alcoholics that run the streets. I’ll under sale the liquor stores, and eventually they’ll want to come to me for business.”
I looked at Johnny, asking without asking if that was an issue.
He nodded slightly.
“Yes, sir,” I said to Moretti.
“Good. Come back when you have the connection. I’ll work on this little social services issue.”
“Thank you,” I said, and we headed to the door.
“By the way,” he said as we walked out. “I’m proud of you. You took control of a shitty situation. You changed your own outcome. There’s something to be said about that.”
I nodded, and before I stepped through the door, I looked at Nugget. “Nice tooth,” I told him.
“Thanks, Sundance Kid.” He winked at me, and I smiled, and not because I was happy, but because I knew, one day, he’d no longer have that fucking tooth or a beating heart.
