That night, the three of them huddled in their tiny, pitch-black room—just a cramped 200 square feet with a big mattress they all shared. During the day, the place felt like a claustrophobic cave, but in the slums, it was as good as it got.
They flicked on a hanging bulb, casting a dim light as they gathered around.
“Tomorrow, Mr. Elwood’s coming to hire some bodyguards. What do you think?” Odie asked, having snagged this juicy tidbit from a rich woman at the nightclub. No way was the info off.
“What’s there to think about? Mr. Elwood’s a big deal overseas, going head-to-head with the Pollard family. If we get into the White family, we won’t just be illegal immigrants anymore. Our lives will be way better,” Griffin said, already picturing his big break with the White family. They had some savings and weren’t starving, but living like this forever wasn’t an option. Without legal papers, their future looked bleak.
To live openly and with dignity, they needed a way out.
“Colby, what’s your take?” Griffin turned to Colby, as he always did when seeking direction.
Colby’s eyes darkened a bit. “I’m in.”
With Colby’s nod, Griffin declared, “Alright, Colby and I are going for the White family.”
“Hold up, why you two? I could get picked too!” Odie protested.
“No chance,” Griffin replied with a frown. “Do you even know what it takes to get into the White family? If you don’t make it, you’re done for.”
Griffin had a bit of a reputation in the slums. A few small-time bosses had hired him for jobs, so he knew a thing or two about the White family’s ruthless selection process for bodyguards. Odie might scrape through the first round, but that’d be it.
“Colby, say something! We’ve never split up before,” Odie pleaded, his expression dark.
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The readers' comments on the novel: Revenge is best served cold