Chapter 2 - Heavy Footsteps
The heavy oak doors at the back of the garage creak on their brass hinges.
A pair of dark leather oxfords steps onto the wet marble border.
The strides are long, heavy, and even.
Behind him, a tall man in a plain black wool coat follows two paces back, his hands folded across his waist.
The man in front unbuttons his navy three-piece suit jacket.
His black shirt is unbuttoned at the throat, revealing a cord of thick neck muscles.
The blonde woman instantly changes her stance.
Her tight jaw relaxes into a soft, curving pout.
She steps away from the puddle, letting her hip rest against the sleek body of the sedan.
"Julian," she croons, holding out the key fob between two fingers.
The boy on the floor stays frozen, his hands pressed flat into the suds.
His eyes fixate on the dark navy trousers stopping three feet away from his bucket.
Julian looks down at the boy.
He looks at the torn hem of the child’s collar.
He looks at the faint blue veins visible through the boy’s thin, cold wrist.
"Look, he scratched my car," the woman says, her voice turning sweet and shrill.
May you like
She taps the metal key against the black paint, leaving a faint oil smudge.
"He needs to pay. Debt gets worked off."
