3

Seconds after the men left, Susan was staring daggers at her brother.

“Who were those men?” she asked, barely able to keep her voice steady, “And what are you doing with people who look like that?”

Samuel went to the front door, locked it and turned to frown at her, “You shouldn't have shown up here without calling first, Suzy,” he said and began to head for the kitchen. “You could have gotten us both in a lot of trouble especially with that sharp mouth of yours, and frankly, I can't afford any more trouble at the moment,”

Flabbergasted, Susan followed him, “Excuse me. Is that all you have to say? Are you not going to answer my question?”

Samuel began opening cupboards and drawers, clearly looking for nothing in particular, and then he slammed one of them shut so hard that it shook. His actions confirmed Susan's suspicions, and she knew for sure now that her brother was in some kind of trouble.

“Who were those men, Sam,” she insisted, “And what did they want with you?”

Instead of replying, Samuel sank into a chair and buried his head in his hands. He looked so worried, and Susan couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her brother so shaken.

“I was trying to keep it away from you and mom,” Samuel said, his voice muffled by his palms, “But I guess I failed at that too.” he lifted his head to look at her. “You cannot tell mom about this,”

“Tell mom what? You haven't told me anything so what exactly am I not supposed to tell mom. Who were those men?”

“Some men I owe money. A lot of money,”

Susan swallowed hard, and tried to keep her emotions in check. Panicking wouldn't do them any good, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing as Samuel continued speaking.

“I needed money for the car I bought, and I made some bad investments and some…Bad decisions. I thought I'd pay off but it didn't and now I'm in debt and they want their money back. I don't know what I'm going to do,”

“How much do you owe them?” Susan asked, her heart was beating so fast she was surprised it hadn't exploded.

Samuel looked at his sister, “Do you really want to know?”

“How much, Sam?” Susan pressed.

“Twenty five thousand,”

Susan wanted to scream, “Twenty five thousand?” she repeated fiercely, as if she couldn't believe her ears, “How the hell are you supposed to pay back that kind of money?”

She paced the kitchen, trying to process everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. It was happening so fast she wondered if she was dreaming, but she wasn't. This was really happening. Her brother owed twenty five grand to two men who looked like they'd go to dangerous lengths to get whatever they wanted. She didn't want to imagine the worst, so she closed her mind against the thoughts creeping up in her mind.

“They're gang members, aren't they?” Susan asked as she finally stopped pacing, but she already knew the answer to her own question.

Samuel nodded, “The tall one is the boss. His name is Leo, and you shouldn't have talked to him that way. Leo doesn't like to be pushed, and from what I know about him, he's not someone you want to cross,”

“And yet you took money from him?”

“It was months ago okay? Look, I needed the money. It's not like my job pays me enough to get what I want. I made some bad investments and everything went to hell, but I swear this isn't the way it was supposed to go down.” When Susan remained silent, he sighed, “Look, I can't deal with any judgment from you right now. Where do you think the money I gave you when you started your plans to move came from? I had things to take care of and I made a bad choice, okay? I'm kicking myself already and I don't need more from you or anyone,”

Susan ignored his outbursts. It was true that he'd helped her out, but she wouldn't have encouraged him if she knew what he'd been up to. “And it had to be him?” she asked.

“A friend told me he would be able to help and that I didn't have anything to worry about as long as I paid back. I guess I was overconfident that my investment would pay off,”

“So what are you going to do now, Sam? We both heard him. You have two weeks. What happens if you're not able to pay him by then? How am I supposed to keep something like this away from mom. I'm imagining the worst already,”

“You have to,” Samuel cut in, “Honestly, I'd have loved it if you weren't a part of this but you had to come down here with your nosey self and now you know everything, but you're going to keep it away from mom. Promise me right now”

“I… I can't,” Susan stammered, “What if something happens to you. Maybe we can talk to the police. You saw those men… There's no way they're not wanted by the police for something. Maybe if we out them, the police can get them and all of this will be over.”

“What?” said Samuel, suddenly shooting up from his chair. Before Susan knew what was happening he had her arms in his hands and was shaking her hard, “Don't you dare do that. Do you hear me?” he told her. There was a look in his eyes that told Susan that he was deadly serious. “That's the worst thing you can ever think of doing. Leo has connections. Connections you can't even imagine, and I'm telling you right now that going to the cops is only going to do more harm than good. You think he hasn't escaped worse situations with the cops and your little information is going to mean anything? Because it won't. So promise me right now, Suzy, that you're not going to call anyone, and that you're not going to bring our mother into this,”

Susan squirmed. “Fine, I promise. Now let go. You're hurting me,”

Realising his mistake, Samuel released her immediately, “I'm sorry,” he said, “I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to be. I'll figure something out,”

Susan remained silent, and watched her brother as he returned to his chair. She could tell he was trying to keep it together, but could see that he was worried, and so was she.

So they couldn't go to the cops… What now?