Campbell by C. S. Starr Page B

until her death. Juan was as laid back as they came, and his jumping on him had been an entirely ridiculous way to deal with something that was likely innocent enough. It was a few hundred dollars. If Juan wrote it down, he probably needed it.  
    Even if he didn’t, it wasn’t like Connor couldn’t spare it. Tal didn’t know why he gave a shit.  
    After picking him up, Connor started off the drive quiet, which made it fairly obvious that he wasn’t over their fight. He also turned up Dance Mix ’96, which was the album Tal hated more than anything ever recorded.  
    “The fuck?” Tal finally snapped. “Look, just fucking say it, whatever it is you need to say.”
    “You’re supposed to be on my side, and you’re not.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Connor finally turned down the music. “You didn’t have my back with Juan.”
    Tal answered with a groan and an eye roll. “Jesus, Connor, it was like two hundred dollars, and he’s a friend. He’s got kids to feed.”
    Connor glared from the passenger seat. It wasn’t about the money. They both knew that. It was that he’d attempted to take something from Connor that wasn’t his. If Juan had asked for the money, Connor would have been likely to give it to him willingly, with no repayment required. Connor wasn’t an easy person to ask favors of though, and the costs were usually high.
    “Don’t ever think I’m someone that’s to be taken advantage of, Tal. It doesn’t matter that we’ve known each other since we were kids. I’d ruin you too.”
    “Fuck, you’re melodramatic. You’ll ruin me?”
    “It’s about trust. It’s not about the money. I don’t give a fuck about the money.”
    “Well, I’m not going to fuck you over, so I guess you don’t have to worry,” Tal muttered. “Now enough with the cold shoulder.”
    His cold shoulder was met with a hearty punch. “Fine, asshole. We’re good.”
    “Good,” Tal muttered. “We’ve got enough problems without creating unnecessary ones between us.”
    Connor nodded and Tal could see relief flood his face “We’re good man. We’re good.”
    The election went fine. The right man won. Connor and Tal were revered guests, and it was after dark when they began their drive back to Los Angeles.  
    They’d just passed Bakersfield when Connor’s phone rang. The look of surprise on his face when he answered caught Tal off guard.  
    “Campbell? What? He’s gone?”
    “Who is it?” Tal mouthed.
    “Rosa.”
    Rosa was a shitty actress Connor paid a lot of money to in order to give him the run-down of the goings on in Campbell. She’d been up there for a couple of years, after living in Los Angeles for a long time, and Connor trusted her. They’d dated for a while. Tal had never had great love for Rosa, and he’d suggested Connor fire her after their visit. She was manipulative and would do anything for fame, which was likely how Connor had talked her into moving to Campbell.  
    He pulled over on the side of the road and put the car phone on speaker. “Slow down. Okay, say it again.”
    “Cole Campbell’s presumed kidnapped by East. Everyone up here is fluttering around like it’s the biggest thing since the adults died. There’s talk that they’re viewing this as an act of war. They’re like arming up and shit.”
    Immediately, Tal’s feelings on the subject were unclear and his mind raced to reach conclusions. It could go one of a few ways for them, if Campbell and East went to war. Either way, they were the next logical choice for the winner to devour, but it did buy them some time. Or maybe Campbell and East would destroy one another, and leave them the spoils.
    “How do they know it was East?” Connor questioned, raising his eyebrows at Tal.
    “There’s some sort of letter ordering them to disarm, and merge territories, or he gets it. Cole. I guess there were some pictures too, of him all tied up and looking rough.”
    Tal and Connor frowned at one another.