buddy story - part 4

Meanwhile, Danny spent most of his day running errands. He arrived back at his apartment as the sun began to set. During the day he felt distracted. His mind kept going back to his new friend, Mary. She seemed nice but he couldn't help think about her loss and wonder if he was making too big of a deal over his ex.

After closing the apartment door, Danny tossed his keys on a table. He jumped at the sight of two men sitting on his couch. They were members of the family.

"Hello Daniel." The one in the blue suit said.

"What are you doing here?"

They both gave each other a look, one that didn't go past Danny. He started to feel a little concerned since he hadn't seen any of the family after telling his secret to his father. The last thing he remembered was the vase being thrown against the wall.

"Daniel," The blue suit said, "you might want to sit down. We have some bad news."

Sitting on the seat, he felt a little drained. Danny didn't know what to expect. "What is it?"

After an uncomfortable pause, they let it out. "Your father was shot down last night." After letting that fact sink in, one of them added, "You're the only one who can take over. It was your father's wishes. But you need to lay low for a few days until we take care of business. They will come after you."

"I can't..." Danny stared at the floor. He didn't want to run the family and had no idea what he should do. "I need to be alone."

They left him, but warned against leaving the apartment first.

Even so, he still planned to see Mary in the morning. Maybe she'd have some advice.