“Joshua,” Drake mimicked in a condescending tone. “I hope you aren’t starting trouble in my club. The club that I so generously let you kids into and have told you several times to not start fights in. Tell me, what happens if someone here calls the police because of a fight and you’re taken in for underage drinking?”

“You have to waste time and resources to get me out,” Crow answered like a prayer like it was so practiced that he knew it by heart.

“Not anymore,” Drake says calmly as he removes his hand. “New rule, if you get caught fighting by cops, you find your own way home or you stay in there and rot. I will not keep having this conversation with you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Drake,” Crow said, his voice high-pitched and nervous but there was a promise to his words. 

“Good because I will not remind you of this. If you get busted for selling, I’ll be there within the hour but I have had to deal with this temper of yours for long enough now and I’m sick of it.” Drake’s eyes cut to me before moving to where I had left Dev and Peter. I didn’t bother looking back. I knew they were making a scene and didn’t want to get tangled in Peter’s shit after this. “It looks like they’ve had enough. Sober them up and send them home. The two of you have caused enough excitement for one night, I don’t need Peter adding to that.”

“Yes, Drake,” I said with a smile of my own as I turned to follow his orders. I glanced over my shoulder just long enough to see Drake send away Crow’s friends and force Crow to walk outside the VIP area with him. It was too loud in here to make out his words perfectly but I strained to cut out the background noises. 

“I expect better from you,” Drake said with a glare. 

“I know.”

“How can I trust you to take this over if I can't trust you to get a drink without causing trouble? I will not hand my gang over to someone who will run my hard work into the ground. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Drake.”

“You better. I will not remind you again. I have been too lenient with you. That ends now. I better not hear of anything like this happening again.”

“You won’t.”

“Good. Now come with me. Let’s make sure this lesson sinks in properly.” Crow flinches at the statement and I don’t miss the small flinch he makes when Drake puts a firm hand on the back of his neck. 

I huffed to myself as I thought about Crow taking this gang over. I didn’t know what the time frame for that looked like, Drake looked perfectly healthy and clearly capable of running this place, but I would make sure as hell that I got out before that day came. Hell would freeze over before I worked for Crow. 

After a while of switching Peter and Dev’s drinks with water, they were sober enough to understand we had overstayed our welcome for the night and I was able to drag them back to Peter’s house. 

When Crow came to the drug house late the next day his face was beaten black and blue. His nose looked broken and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. He looked like simply breathing took a great deal of effort. 

If I had been a better man, I would have offered to take his route. I was not a better man though and allowed him to limp through the door with his stash hidden in his pockets. 

Despite everything, I did feel bad for him though. I had felt those bruises and scrapes and knew how hard it was to do anything after a beating but even if I had offered, Crow would have likely refused and made a big deal out of nothing. 

I knew nothing of the rules he had with Drake but based on my own experiences, getting into another fight after just being told not to, doesn’t go over very well. I may have hated him, but not enough to wish that kind of pain upon him. If I had known Drake was going to do that, I wouldn’t have baited him the way I did and I couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. 

“Drake took it too far again,” Peter sighed when Crow closed the door behind him. “He pushes the kid too hard. Drake won’t take anything less than perfection and forgets that kids need to simply be kids sometimes.”

“Who all knows he’s taking over the gang,” I asked, making Dev pop his head up from the slightly altered route. 

“Everyone important,” Peter shrugged. “Section leads mostly, a few of the seconds. I don’t know how you figured it out but keep it to yourself. Drake doesn’t want fights breaking out over this. He wanted to wait for the hell to break loose when Joshua is already in charge to see how he handles it.”

“Why him though,” I scoffed. “Why not you? You could move up and Crow could take your spot.”

“Mostly because I don’t want it,” Peter shrugged, still staring out the door where Crow had left. “Hell, look at what Drake did to a child. He’s been training Joshua for this since he started making progress on his first route and he’s still going this hard. You think I want any part of that? Besides, Drake doesn’t want me.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m not taking over. If Drake wanted me, I’d already be training. I think I’m older than what he wants,” Peter said with a frown. “Drake’s about 50 and has been running this gang since he was 19. I’m already pushing 27. He wants Joshua taking over at 19 too. At 27 he’ll be training his replacement to make sure he’s strong while I would only be getting started. Having constantly changing leadership will ruin a gang and Drake knows it. Starting young is the only way to do it.” 

“And Crow wanted it,” Dev asked. “He wanted to be treated like this?” Peter shook his head with a sigh but there was a light smile on his face. 

“He wasn’t always like this you know. Joshua was a good kid. You would have gotten along with him. He wanted to prove himself a bit too much and that caught Drake’s attention. That’s why I told you to keep your fucking head down. Just because Joshua is chosen doesn’t mean Drake can’t have a backup ready. As for if he wanted it, I think he did at first. Who would say no to that much power and money when you grew up with nothing?” I had to admit I saw where he was coming from there. “Either way, Drake wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. The second Drake made up his mind up about it, it was already set in stone. All he can do now is put up with him for a few more years until Drake steps down and becomes his advisor.” I hummed and tried shaking my head from the thought. 

“Joshua is a poor choice,” I said mostly to myself. “He’ll run this into the ground.”

“Drake knows,” Peter agreed. “I told him that myself when he first started asking about Joshua which is why he’s still exploring other options just in case,” he said with a pointed look at me. “Do you want that to be you?” 

“No,” I said too fast. If it had been anyone other than Peter I would have been kicking myself for the quick honesty but Peter looked pleased as he placed a hand in my hair. 

“Then I suggest you stop giving Drake reasons to look at you. Tell anyone this and I’ll personally kill you but Drake has already been asking about you. It might already be too late and I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you sooner. If you don’t want to get chosen as a backup, do what I say. Keep your head down, do your job just good enough to keep your current ranking, and stay out of Joshua’s way. If want to stay out of this, we need to make Drake think he is the only option. If you’re constantly doing better than him, Drake will move onto you.” There was a pit in my stomach and a pressure on my chest that I couldn’t seem to get rid of as I slowly sat down on the couch beside Dev. 

He looked just as sick as I felt as he took my hand in his. Peter sighed as he sat on the other side of me, resting his hand in my hair yet again. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Peter promised. “I’ve already been doing my part to make you seem undeserving. We’ve only got a few more years until Joshua takes over. He’s got a lot of loyalists already who would turn on Drake in a second if he tried to demote Crown after he takes over. All we have to do is wait it out and play nice until then. You think you can handle that?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Peter said and I didn’t miss the relief in his voice. “Then you have nothing to worry about alright? I know it’s hard but try not to think about it until I tell you to. Now get ready, your shift starts soon.”