For nearly a minute Rey hasn’t said a thing. In fact, neither has anyone of us. But Rex is paralysed in some kind of panicked state, whereas I’m simply waiting to hear what Rey thinks about this offer of mine.

The smug, interested look on his face may seem like a good sign but I’ve seen that look on Steve and T.V, hell even Neil several times before.

That look doesn’t mean they’re interested, it means they’re thinking about a way to kill you at the moment for stepping into their time and spouting out absolute nonsense.

I hope it’s a lot different here at Invincibill’s gang.

Suddenly he claps, as though hearing my thoughts he nods and says, “Well, things must be different where you’re coming from.”

“Where I’m comin-” he raises a finger and I shut up.

“It’s alright, I know you’re from another crew, I’m just not sure which and quite frankly, I can’t tell if this is a trap or not. But I’m inspired by,” he slaps a hand on Rex’s shoulder, “How well you’ve managed to bring out the man in my cousin, he walked in here with you, a kid and asked to see Invincibill. Ha!”

He laughs, shaking his head. I wonder whether I should laugh along with him, I’m not sure so I just put on a shaky smile.

“Honestly, my immediate thought was that he’d found Invincibill’s lost child or something. But the man is far too young to have a kid your age.”

He is?

“So, what did you tell my cousin to inspire him so much?”

In this moment I look up to Rex and find he’s staring back down at me. His eyes moving from side to side.

Trying to get me to lie huh.

Well, I can’t say I blame him. Rey is quite intimidating and right now, he looks so proud of Rex finally having some balls.

“That’s…a secret.” I mumble, throwing my sweaty fidgeting hands at my back. There are many situations I can’t simply solve with violence, even if I can pause time right now and kill everyone – or try to anyway – it would serve me far better to follow the chain of command.

“A secret huh.” Rey repeats, staring a hole into the side of his cousin’s head. There’s no trace of that mirth from earlier in his voice, he bits his lower lip and looks like he’s about to explode.

“Y-yeah, I’ll tell you if you let us see Invincibill.”

His head whips to me and for a moment I feel an outburst coming, but he holds back.

“Invincibill isn’t an easy man to meet. You’ve got to go through a process, but you’re on the right track, you came to me.”

I sense a ‘but’ coming on.

“But I can only get you as far as his right hand.”

Ha! His right hand.

My amusement at the word seems to show on my face because Rey nods slowly, “Yeah, laugh it up if you want, but know that his right hand, is far scarier than I am, you don’t want to mess with him.”

Biting my cheek, I try best to remove all unseriousness from my face.

“Heh, you’re still a fucking kid. You think this is funny, don’t you?” He hisses. Looking at Rex he angrily grabs his cheeks, squeezing them, “You brought a kid who thinks right hand is funny to meet Invincibill? What the fuck are you thinking!”

Shoot, he’s spiralling, he’s beginning to see how much of a joke this is

Who would have thought looking amused would ruin the entire fucking plan.

“Hey, I know when to get serious, just get us to hi-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Rey doesn’t even shout. For a man that’s merely a captain of his own team in a gang, he’s got the oppressive presence of a boss.

Still squeezing at Rex’s jaw – now open from the pressure – he yells, “Answer me bitch, what you think? What you trying to pull?”

Is…is Rex crying?

He is, but he’s speaking once more, albeit less audibly given the hand squeezing his mouth, “I have a plan.” He gabbles.

Rey, hearing this much lets his grip go, “A plan? The same plan this damn kid is telling me about?”

Rex sniffles and wipes his face, nodding as he does, “Yes, but different okay, more for you, more for him and more for me.”

“More for you?” Rex shakes his head, pacing about his office, “I don’t even understand what the kid wants, why the heck would you want to get close to a Boss? And you? What the hell are you in this for?”

Inhaling deeply Rex says, “You get good with the Lieutenant, you get more jobs, more territory, more money.”

Rey still doesn’t believe a word he’s saying, “Do you know how many other crews have come up to me with that same offer? Besides, you’re saying this like you’re the one giving out the shit. We’re scrambling for the little we have already, my boys are on the streets every day, looking out, getting jumped all to protect the much we have now and you say I’m gonna get more? From where!”

“We’re going to take it,” Rex says, “We’re gonna take it and a whole lot more until we have the entire city and keep expanding from there. And he’s going to make that happen.”

They both have their eyes on me and like always I feel a cold wave of nerves at the sudden attention.

“What the kid?”

Rex nods, “He says he can do it; he guarantees.”

“You fool! What the hell does a kid know about a expanding a crew!”

“He knows enough to tell I want out of the damned crew at a single damned glance!”

Rex outburst shocks me to the core. Not only has he retorted to his terrifying cousin, but he’s exposed his reason for being here.

I look to Rey and he’s just as shocked, perhaps even more.

“So, you…you trying to use this and clear up your debt…” he nods, as though piecing every dirty secret Rex has behind his closet. “That’s why you you’re so…inspired, ha.”

Rex tamed down immediately, and from the looks of it is trying to explain how that is not the case, but the words just won’t leave his mouth.

He doesn’t have to. “Fine then. It’s your funeral.”