Hope & Despair- Full Circle

by Alan Wild

  Noah sighed and said, “Alright, I guess it is time for me to call my mom. I should do it before NelDean talks to her.” Noah dialed the number and waited for his mom to pick up. She answered the phone and didn’t sound so good. Noah said, “Mom, are you okay? What’s wrong?” His mom said, “Oh, thank heavens, you are okay. I’ve been worried sick, we couldn’t reach you, and the phone has been ringing like crazy. All the people calling are claiming to be worried and checking in to make sure we are okay. They haven’t checked on us in the three years since we left Denver so, you know they are just busybodies looking for details. Honey, can you tell me what is going on?” Noah said, “Mom, I am fine. I am sorry that I worried you. I am going to have NelDean tell you what is going on. She should spend the day with you tomorrow.” “Oh, honey, no! She works tomorrow, and she told me that she would see me over the weekend,” his mom said. Noah told her that she will be there tomorrow for sure because she is going to stay with you. His mom said, “Oh, dear, was she fired again?” Noah said, “No, she quit, but that is because I asked her to. Don’t worry, mom, NelDean will explain tomorrow. I do want to ask you about something, though.”

  Noah took a deep breath, and he still felt like he couldn’t get enough air. His mom waited, then asked, “Honey, what’s wrong? Noah said, “Mom, we are trying to find the person who is trying to hurt me, and the private investigators have found some issues that they can’t resolve. They asked if you had any information that could shed some light on the issue.” She said that she would help however she could. Noah said, “They are looking into everyone in my past. They are searching all the way back to our grandmother and all of her husbands. They are finding conflicting information with Salvatore Petrelli. One report makes him out to be 85 years old, and another makes him 37 years old. Mom, do you know what is going on?

  His mom said, “That is one name that I really didn’t ever want to hear. I am not someone to hate, but that vile man stirred up the hate in me. He took to beating on your grandmother. Your dad had a man to man talk with him. He told him that if he ever saw another mark on my mother again, he was going to make sure he didn’t have the chance to hit another woman again. Sal’s answer was to move your grandmother to California so your dad couldn’t see any more bruises on her. We aren’t sure what happened in California, but your grandmother cut off all ties with us while she was there. Your grandmother had a girlfriend, her name was Shirley. She went out to California to check on your grandmother. She found her, alright. Your grandmother had twice as many bruises than when she was here. She was in a bad situation too.” Noah asked what she meant. She said, “Noah, she was pregnant. Everyone was worried. At her age to be pregnant was unheard of and risky. She could have died, or the baby could have had several problems.”

  “Your grandmother gave birth to a boy, and she named him after his father. Salvatore Petrelli was an evil man. From what Shirley said, one night, that bastard beat your grandmother and ended up hitting the baby too. He knocked the baby out cold. The baby wasn’t the same. Salvatore made her give up the baby to his brother. I’m sure she agreed because she wasn’t really interested in being a mother and certainly not in her later years.”

  “They couldn’t sell their house in Denver, so they moved back. Your grandmother wasn’t the same after she came back. She was mean and hurtful. I think she wanted everyone to hurt as much as she hurt. Once she was back in Denver, your dad and Shirley promised her that if she left that evil man, they would keep her safe.”

  “The day came to move her out, and they fought like crazy. In front of your dad and me, he slapped her hard. Your dad slammed him up against the wall and knocked him in the crotch and slapped him several times. That bastard got his revenge. He hurt your dad the only way the coward could, by hurting you. Honey, you know how that ended up. You were burned so badly. You were in the burn unit for months. I stayed with you the entire time. You would cry every time a nurse came in because they would do something that would hurt. You know how your dad loved you, he was a hot head and very protective of his family. Your dad got your uncles together, and they went out to teach old Sal a lesson. Sal hurt you, and your dad hurt him.”

  All that Oliver could do to comfort Noah was to gently rub his back while he cried. It killed him to hear all that his grandmother had gone through. He was more upset that everyone kept secrets, and reliving that experience was like it happened all over again. Noah had stopped crying, and he shared everything that his mom just told him. Oliver asked him if he would be willing to go with him to update the team. He wanted to make sure he informed them of the crucial details.

  The team was informed of the update, as was Ray. Willa got to work and started to pull background checks on everyone related to Salvatore. Willa said, “Sal only had one brother. Bad news, guys. He and his wife were murdered in their home. It was vicious, and they had been beaten to death. They had one son who has not been located. I am going to send this over to Ray. It looks like we know who is after you. Salvatore Jr. Now, let's figure out who is helping him and why he is doing this.

  Noah began to process the information, and his frustration grew. His head was spinning, and his heart was aching. He didn’t understand why his family had so many secrets. Oliver said, “I think your mom was trying to protect you. Could you imagine the weight you would carry knowing this information? Would things have been different for you if you knew that the assault was intentional out of retaliation? How about knowing that your dad sought out revenge and caused harm to someone for harming you?” Noah said, “I guess I didn’t look at it like that. After everything that I experienced, I am almost relieved that the monster didn’t get away with destroying my life. I wished I knew that I wasn’t the only person with the knowledge that his actions were intentional. I wouldn’t have felt so alone and afraid knowing that someone stood up for me, and it wasn’t all in my head.”

  Chapter 15

  Oliver Thaddeus

  Now that Oliver had a better idea of who was behind this, he felt a little better about his ability to keep his promise to Noah. Having a name, at least he could research the psychotic murdering fiend. This was the most significant break that they had in the case. Oliver joined everyone at the table and asked that each person do their part to find everything there is to find about this guy. He said, “I want to know if he has a social media presence. Can someone find an image of this guy so we can do a facial recognition search.” Oliver told the team that they are on their own for dinner.

  With tasks and responsibilities delivered, Oliver set out to have a conversation with Noah’s sister. NelDean answered on the first ring. This woman was indeed something else. She was the exact opposite of Noah, personality-wise. Oliver looked forward to meeting her in person. “Hey, I am calling to see if I could ask you some questions. I know it might be difficult, but I think it will help our case.” NelDean was reserved, and he could tell that she was hesitating, then she said, “I just don’t want to hurt my baby brother. He has had enough pain, more pain than ten people combined. If I betray his trust, it could damage our relationship.”

  Oliver explained that they had a suspect. “Noah spoke to your mom, and while it was a painful conversation, it was helpful. We know that your grandmother had secrets.” Oliver told her all of the information that they had on Salvatore Petrelli and what her grandmother experienced. NelDean let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Damn, that woman spent so much time pushing people away, she was always intentionally hurtful. I guess I never stopped to ask why. That could be the reason, though. Wait, let's talk about this fuckin’ prick Salvatore. So, you are telling me that the guy had a kid, and now the kid wants to kill my brother?”

  Oliver gave it some thought and shared his idea of what he thought was happening. “I think that this guy resented being given up for adoption. If I had to guess, it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows for him growing up. So, he grew up pissed off and has this obsession with his “Real dad.” He hates your grandmother,
and he wants to finish what Salvatore Sr. started when he burnt Noah.” Oliver asked her for any information she might have on Salvatore or the situation.

  NelDean said, “I’ve given this so much thought over the years. I blamed myself for what happened to Noah. I think everyone blamed themselves. Our parents blamed themselves, so they drowned the memories of alcohol. When my parents were drunk, they would talk and let the shit slip out that was intended to be locked away forever. One night my dad let it slip that he broke Salvatore’s knees. He said he couldn’t let a slippery son of a bitch like him get away with hurting Noah. My mom had given grandmother money so that she could hide from that monster and start over. Dad was so irate when he found out. He worked hard for his money, and he told my mom that problems don’t go away by throwing money at them. That was when he confessed his sins to my mother and told her what he did to Salvatore. He didn’t think Sal would be dumb enough to come around again.”

  NelDean told Oliver that Salvatore made her grandmother sign an agreement that all her current and future earnings would go to him. “This slimy ass lawyer came after grandmother after the divorce was final. He wanted to collect the money due to Salvatore. Grandmother got my dad involved, and I am not sure what happened after that. I am sure it wasn’t legal, both the contract and whatever my dad did to make the lawyer go away.”

  NelDean remembered that her grandmother often would give her mom stuff, documents, and jewelry to “Keep safe,” she said, “I can go back to my mom’s place and look for all that shit” Oliver asked if she could take her mom with her. Oliver said, “I don’t want to frighten you, but because this guy is after your brother, it is likely that he could try and hurt you or your mom.”

  “I have a secret weapon; it is called a big sister. Nora could become unhinged at the drop of a hat. I’ve seen her take on six girls in a bar fight, and after she knocked five out, she had the energy to run after the sixth girl. The Blain family comes from a long line of fighters. I will keep both my sister and my mom with me. If the fighting doesn’t work, I have several guns and stun guns to protect us.”

  Oliver wanted to get a set of eyes on the security feeds. He asked Ajay to assign someone with a good eye for detail to get down to his security room or on one of his iPads. He wanted to look at the feeds pointed at Noah’s house. He knew that the people had to get into the house, and he wanted to know-how. He pulled Noah to his room and closed the doors. Oliver said, “I need to talk to you about something, but first, I need to kiss you” Oliver was close to Noah, his breath soft and warm on Noah’s lips. The kiss started out sweet while Oliver gently let his tongue trace over Noah’s lips. A moan escaped from Noah, and Oliver used it as an invitation for more.

  Noah opened up, and Oliver explored with his tongue, and together their kiss became a beautiful exotic tangle of tongues. Oliver pulled away, trying to regain his composure, remembering the confession he had to make before he got carried away. He said, “I need to talk to you before I lose control and ravish your body in my kisses.” Noah had the look of lust all over his face, but Oliver refused to give in to his desire. Once seated, Oliver grabbed Noah’s hand and said, “I don’t want to keep anything from you.” Oliver, feeling anxious to reveal his information to Noah, took a deep breath, and said, “I called your sister because I had questions to ask her. I also needed to make sure that they were safe. Now that we have a good idea of who is behind this, we can’t assume that anyone is safe. We do not know what information Salvatore has or what he will do next.”

  Noah, staring at Oliver, started to take rapid shallow breaths, running his hands through his hair. Fear crept up, and his stomach was in knots. With a dry mouth, he said, “I didn’t think about my sisters or mom being in danger. What did you tell her?” The weight and fear of going behind Noah’s back dissipated. Oliver let out a sigh of relief and said, “I called to ask your sister if she could remember any additional information that could be helpful. She gave me a better picture of the situation. Your sister has stories that both your parents spoke of after the alcohol loosened their lips.” The look of sadness and despair was evident on Noah’s face, “I remember all too well how my parents drank. They started to talk, and NelDean sent me to my room. She always had some excuse or another to get me away from my parents.”

  Oliver tried to tread lightly, he didn’t want to hurt Noah, he didn’t want to keep anything from him either. He said, “I guess your grandmother gave your mom documents and jewelry for safekeeping when she felt at risk or in danger. Your sisters are both going with your mom to sort through boxes tomorrow morning. NelDean will keep us informed if she finds anything.”

  Noah sucked in a lungful of air and quickly blew it out and said, “Wow, if Nora is involved, the shit is going to hit the fan. When I was a freshman in high school, there was a group of seniors that kept knocking me around. Nora wanted to know what happened, and I refused to tell her the truth. I was caught looking at one of the guys in the locker room. For months it continued; they started to knock stuff out of my hands, then step on it and kick it down the hall. Then they decided to have fun one day; they played tag the fag and would punch me, help me up only to punch me, and knock me down again. I lied to Nora and said I fell down the stairs.”

  Noah had tears breaking free and staining his shirt. Oliver could feel the sadness reeling off of the man he was enamored with. He reached up and wiped the tears and kissed his forehead.

  “Nora had already graduated and was working at the Dairy Queen while in college. When Nora gets something in her head, there is no safe place to hide. She came to school and caught the guys punching and pushing me around after school. She beat the shit out of every single one of the assholes. She didn’t even have to chase them. Nora told them that they would wait their turn, and if they ran, she would find them, and she would beat them every single day just like they beat her brother.”

  With the swipe of his hand, Noah cleared the tears, and a laugh broke loose. “She told me that I would get my whoopin’ when we got home. She made me ride home in her car. The silence was painful. When we walked into the house, she grabbed me by my collar and pushed me against the wall, got up in my face and said, ‘Noah, you look at me right now!’ I looked up, and she was crying. She said, ‘Don’t you dare allow anyone to ever lay their hands on you again, am I clear?’ I shook my head, but Nora grabbed my face and made me promise her. Then she taught me how to defend myself.”

  Oliver, unable to control the smile that was growing on his face, asked, “So, sugar tits, did you open a can of whoop-ass?” With a smile, Noah said, “No, I didn’t have to; the guys avoided me after that day. Once word got out that Nora is my sister, no one messed with me again. Nora is known to be unpredictable and unhinged at times. I am sure NelDean told her everything. I would not be surprised if she is on a flight traveling here as we speak.”

  Oliver began to rub Noah’s shoulders and asked, “So, um, do I have anything to worry about?” A laugh escaped from Noah, and he said, “No, she is going to love you like I do.” Oliver had a euphoric feeling after Noah confessed his love. He stood and gave Noah a kiss on his forehead and said, “We have work to do. How are you doing with that website? I have an idea; it will take some time to put together, but it might work.”

  Noah could put a website together in no time, but he was missing the primary component that made a website successful, content! Explaining the situation to Oliver, he asked, “How much information do you really want out there? How can you go on location, investigating a case, and have your investigators picture and bio on your web page? Anyone can do an image search with the internet and world wide web; you can find information about anyone.” Giving it thought, Oliver said, “I have been caught up on providing clients with information, I didn’t think that the information we put on the site today would stay up forever.”

  Looking at Oliver, making that face he does when he is deep in thought has Noah wanting to jump all over him and take full advantage of his body. Hav
ing a silly look of a teenage boy crushing on a love interest, Noah becomes lost in his thoughts. “I do not know what it is about this man that is making me think and behave this way. He is bringing out the best that I have to offer, and I didn’t even know that I had it in me. In real life, I would be sitting at home, watching one of my favorite channels that I keep on for noise. I would work on one of the many projects and sipping on iced tea alone.”

  Oliver had his hand on Noah’s arm, gently rubbing, he asked, “Where did you go? One minute you had this goofy look with an adorable smirk, and the next, you had a look of sadness. What is going on in that head of yours?” Contemplating on telling the truth or saying nothing, Noah goes for the truth. “I am having a hard time thinking that this is reality. I am afraid that I am going to wake up and find that you are this big dream. I am the weird guy that never leaves his home. The guy that people laugh at because I struggle with conversations. I haven’t had real friends because I have always distanced myself. How did I ever become lucky enough to be your friend?”

  Giving Noah a smile and blowing out an exaggerated breath,, he said,, “I think it was a situation of “Right place, right time” I know it is very tragic the way we met, but it was the situation you were in that made you drop your walls of protection. I am undecided on whether you allowed me in or if I just pushed my way into your life. Either way, Noah, this is very real. You have gone from the elusive guy across the street that I peeped at to the man sharing my room and my bed. That only happened because you allowed it to happen. I think you block everyone out so that people can’t see your scars, so they can’t hurt you. You have so much to offer this world, I just don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Noah, I may have pushed you to talk to me, but it is you that has been opening up, having conversations with everyone in this house, and it is you that accepted all of the people downstairs as friends. You can analyze it and doubt it, or you can decide that this is your time, and you want to make the best of it.”