The Heart System Chapter 765

I parked the car across the street and killed the engine. Neither of us spoke for a while. The neighborhood looked exactly the same as yesterday. A few people sat outside their homes with beers in hand while someone farther down the road had music blasting from an old speaker. Smoke from a barbecue drifted across the street, mixing with cigarette smoke until the whole place smelled like burnt charcoal.

I got out first and locked the car before looking over at Tuck.

"You remember what we’re doing here, right?"

He shut the driver’s door and nodded. "I’ll apologize."

"You actually mean that?"

"I said I’ll apologize."

I studied him for another second before turning toward the house. "Good. Let’s get Mel and go home."

We crossed the street together and walked toward the small fence surrounding the yard. The people sitting around the barbecue noticed us almost immediately. A few conversations died down, and several pairs of eyes settled on Tuck. Nobody looked surprised to see me anymore. Their attention was entirely on him.

King stood up from his chair and walked closer to the fence.

"So you actually came."

Tuck nodded.

"I did."

"You here to do the right thing?"

"I am."

King looked at him for a long moment before unlocking the small gate.

"Come inside."

The two of us stepped into the yard. The smell of grilled meat filled the air, and bottles covered most of the outdoor table. Nobody returned to their conversations. Every single person watched Tuck as if they expected him to run.

The front door opened a few seconds later.

Ruby stepped outside first, dressed exactly like yesterday, calm as ever. Sadie followed behind her with the same restless expression she always seemed to wear. The two sisters walked across the yard until they stopped a few feet away from us.

"So," Ruby said. "You came."

"I did."

"You came to apologize?"

"Yeah."

Ruby gave a small nod. "Then we’re listening."

Tuck lowered his head and took a slow breath. "I’ve had some time to think."

Nobody interrupted him.

"I handled things badly."

Ruby kept watching him quietly.

"I should’ve..."

Before he could finish the sentence, his entire posture changed.

His right hand disappeared inside his jacket, and before anyone could react, he pulled out a pistol and aimed it straight at Ruby.

"Nobody move."

Ah, fuck me sideways.

The entire yard froze.

Several men instinctively reached toward their waists, but Ruby raised one hand without taking her eyes off Tuck.

"Nobody."

Her people stopped immediately.

Sadie tilted her head slightly and smiled in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"So that’s why you came."

Tuck tightened his grip around the pistol.

"Bring Mel outside."

"You lied."

"I said bring her outside."

"You really think pointing a gun at me is going to solve this?"

"I don’t care what you think."

"You should."

I immediately stepped between them and raised both hands.

"Tuck. Lower the gun."

"I’m leaving with my sister."

"You’ll leave in a coffin if you keep waving that thing around."

"I’m serious."

"So are they."

I glanced around the yard and immediately noticed movement behind several windows. There were silhouettes inside the house, and I had no doubt more people were waiting for a reason to come outside.

"Tuck," I said, keeping my voice calm. "Look around."

"I don’t need to."

"You really do."

He still refused. Man, I’d even played this exact scenario in my mind just a couple of minutes ago. I knew tuck wouldn’t agree with this whole idea. It wasn’t like him, changing his mind like that. Just what kind of mess this was...

Ruby folded her arms. "I was actually willing to accept your apology."

"You were never going to let us leave."

"I was."

"No."

"You don’t have to believe me."

Sadie laughed softly. "I was looking forward to punching him, but Ruby actually wanted to end this."

I looked back at Tuck. "Do you hear that?"

"They’re lying."

"They’re not."

"They kidnapped Mel." He roared. "Bring my sister back!"

"The fuck, Tuck?" I asked. "Drop that gun!"

His jaw clenched. "No. I did what I had to."

"No. You did what your old self would’ve done."

He finally looked at me.

"You told me you weren’t part of that life anymore."

"I ain’t."

"Then stop acting like the old Tuck every time somebody mentions Murad."

His grip loosened just a little.

"You’ve spent the last few days telling me you’d die before apologizing. That’s not pride anymore. That’s stupidity."

Nobody spoke. Even Sadie stayed quiet. I slowly took another step toward him.

"Mel is alive because they gave you another chance. Don’t throw it away now."

His breathing became heavier, and the pistol slowly dipped toward the ground.

I didn’t wait.

I reached forward, carefully took the gun from his hand, removed the magazine, cleared the chamber, and slipped everything into my pockets.

Ruby let out a slow breath.

"That’s a much better start."

"Let’s all calm down," I said, raising both hands before lowering them slowly. "Alright? Let’s keep this civil."

"Ruby," Sadie said without taking her eyes off Tuck. "Let’s just kill these fuckers."

"Or we could not kill anybody," I replied. "That sounds like the better option to me. Nobody has to deal with police reports that way."

Ruby ignored both of us. She kept her attention on Tuck, her expression as calm as ever.

"I’m still waiting," she said. "Go ahead, Tuck."

Tuck bit the inside of his cheek so hard I thought he might draw blood. His jaw tightened, and he turned toward me with an angry glare.

I met his eyes without backing away.

"The hell are you looking at me for?" I muttered under my breath. "You agreed to this. Now apologize, you fool."

He looked away from me and faced the twins again.

For a few long seconds, nobody spoke.

"Jon’s dead," Tuck finally said. "Why isn’t King running things?"

Sadie frowned. "Running things?" she asked. "What is this, some mafia movie? We don’t work like that."

"Ruby calls the shots," King said from the side. "The rest of us agreed on it."

Tuck slowly nodded. "Ruby..."

She waited.

"I’m sorry."

Ruby didn’t react. "What are you apologizing for?"

Tuck clenched his fists. "For Murad."