by Wilder, L.
“Just like your mother—self-righteous and judgmental. Think you know everything when you know nothing at all,” my father snarled. “You know, she’s fucking the reason Danny was weak. She taught him nothing. Hell, the boy could barely rub two pennies together before I came along.”
“So, you think you came along and saved the day? Taught your son how to be a man and live a good life?” I shook my head in disgust. “You did it. Well done. You turned your son into drug dealer. I’m sure you’re so proud.”
“I am proud. Danny has done well for himself. And you should be proud of him too.”
“And what happens when he gets caught? Are you going to be proud when he ends up in jail?”
“That won’t happen. Since he started working for me, Danny has smartened up and become more like me. He’s learned how to keep his head down and stay clear of any trouble.”
I crossed my arms as I spat, “If that’s so, then why is he suddenly missing?”
“We both know he isn’t missing. At least, not anymore.” In a low, threatening tone, he growled, “He’s with those friends of yours ... the Ruthless Sinners.”
“What makes you think they’re friends of mine?”
“I already told you, Delilah. I know everything there is to know about you. Where you went to college. Where you work. What you drive. Where you spend your days and nights, and who you spend them with. I gotta say, I thought you were smarter than to get involved with men like those. You want to call me out for doing something that’s illegal. What about them? Running strip clubs. Selling drugs to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. They’re no better than me, and yet you’ll spread your legs for them. Give them anything they want, including your brother. What does that say about you and all your judgements?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” I yelled. “You don’t know me, and you certainly don’t know them.”
“I know enough.” He leaned back into the dark shadows as he grumbled curses under his breath. “I know they think they’ve pulled a fast one over on me, but I’m too smart for that.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Of course, you don’t. When it comes to them, you only see what you want to see.” For weeks, I’d held a grudge against the Sinners for what they’d done to Danny, and to me, but the day they came to the nursing home to see Mr. McClanahan, I saw a different side of them. Like Zander, they had a good side to them—one that was gentle and kind—and that side made me want to defend them, especially when my father said, “You know ... I’ve seen you with him. That biker with the cocky fucking smirk on his face, putting on airs like he’s someone important, but he’s nothing. I’ve crushed bigger men with the bottom of my fucking shoe.”
“He’s a better man than you’ll ever be.”
“You’re a fool.”
“I stopped caring about what you think a long time ago.”
Just as the words left my mouth, I heard the low rumble of Zander’s motorcycle pulling into my parking lot. Panic washed over me when my father stood and walked over to the window. As he looked down at the parking lot, a low, menacing chuckle vibrated through his chest. “Well, look who’s here again. I shouldn’t be surprised. The piece of shit thinks he owns the place … and you.”
“You’re wrong, but I’m not going to waste my breath trying to convince you of something you’ll never believe.”
“I believe in facts, Delilah. And the fact is this guy is nothing but a piece of shit. What’s that saying? You hang around shit long enough, you’ll start to smell like it. Well, sweet Delilah, you’re reeking of it.”
“And what? You think you smell like roses? If anyone’s reeking, it’s you.” I motioned my hand towards the door as I said, “I’m done with this insanity. This conversation is over. It’s time for you to go.”
“No. The conversation is over when I say it’s over,” he growled. “I came here for Danny, and I’m not leaving until I have him.”
“What exactly do you want me to do here?”
“Call him. Tell him to meet us at Sully’s in twenty minutes. Do whatever it takes to get him there, and tell him to come alone.” When I hesitated, he barked, “Call him, Delilah. Now!”
Fearing what he might do, I reached into my purse and took out my phone. As I stared down at the screen, I knew I couldn’t take the chance on Danny coming to the apartment, not when I didn’t know what my father wanted with him, so I dialed Zander’s number instead. My heart raced as I stood there waiting for him to answer. After just a few rings, I heard Zander’s voice answer, “Delilah? Are you okay?”
“Hey, Danny. It’s me. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Danny?” Zander asked.
“Can you come meet me at Sully’s?”
“I’m downstairs. I’m on my way up—”
“No, no,” I interrupted him. “That’s okay. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll be fine. I just need to talk to you about something.”
“Delilah.” I could hear the concern in Zander’s voice when he asked, “If you’re in trouble, I’m coming up there!”
“I don’t want to talk about this over the phone. Just meet me at Sully’s in twenty minutes, and I’ll tell you everything there..”
Relief washed over me when he said, “Okay, I got it.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“Can you stall whoever’s there for a few minutes to give me some time to get the others here?”
“Yeah, no problem. I can do that.” I glanced over at my father, and I prayed he was buying it as I asked Zander, “How long do you think you’ll need?”
“Fifteen … twenty minutes tops.”
“Okay, that’ll be just fine.”
“Shotgun and I are gonna leave the parking lot in case whoever’s up there is watching, but I’ll be just around the corner.”
“Okay, that’s fine. I’ll wait a few minutes before I leave.” Before I hung up the phone, I said, “Thanks, Danny.”
As soon as the call ended, my father asked, “What did he say?”
“He’s going to meet us, but it’s going to take him longer than twenty minutes to get there.” I put my phone back in my purse, then placed it on the table as I said, “It’ll be a least forty-five minutes.”
“Good. I knew I could count on you.” His attention was drawn back to the window when Zander and Shotgun started up their bikes and pulled out of the parking lot. “Looks like your friends are leaving.”
“I’m sure Zander thought I was asleep and decided to go home.”
His eyes narrowed as he asked, “Hmm ... Is that right?”
“We had a disagreement earlier, and I’m sure he was hoping we could talk.”
“A disagreement, huh?” he asked, still sounding skeptical.
“Yeah.” I hoped I might be able to distract him from Zander by picking a fight with him. “As I recall, you and Mom had quite a few of those when I was growing up, usually over your spending all her money to pay off your gambling debts. How’s all that going by the way? You still spinning the wheel, hoping for a big win?”
“My gambling days are over. I’ve moved on to bigger things.”
“About that. How did you get involved in the whole dealing drugs thing anyway?”
“Same way Danny did. I ran into a little bad luck and needed a way to make some cash fast. Started doing a little dealing, but it didn’t take me long to figure out that the big money was in running the show. That’s when I decided to go into business for myself.”
I could tell by the way he spoke that he took great pride in his accomplishment. Sadly, I couldn’t have been less impressed. I didn’t want him to know that, so I kept my face void of expression as I listened to him yammer on. “A man’s gotta make a lot of sacrifices to make something out of nothing.”
“What kind of sacrifices did you have to make, other than your wife and kids?”
“This conversation is growing old, Delilah.” He stepped towards me as he said, “Let me see your phone
.”
“What? Why do you want my phone?”
“Give it to me, now!”
He reached over and grabbed my purse from the table. Panic washed over me as I watched him take out my phone. He went to my recent calls, then snarled, “Fuck. You called him. I should’ve known better than to trust you.”
“So much for being smart.”
I’d barely gotten the words out my mouth when the back of his hand met my cheek with a powerful slap. I quickly cowered away from him, cradling my throbbing jaw and busted lip in my hands. “You’re about to learn that I’m not a man you want to cross, and the same goes for those bikers you’ve been running with.”
He grabbed me by the arm, and as he started pulling me towards the door, I noticed a gun tucked away in his waistband. “Where are we going?”
“Getting the hell out of here before your friends show up.”
With that, he opened the door and dragged me out into the hallway. I tried to pull free from his grasp, but he just tightened his grip and yanked me towards the emergency exit. Using his free hand, he opened the window, then stepped out onto the fire escape, pulling me behind him. I didn’t bother asking why he hadn’t gone out the front. I knew he was hoping to stay out of sight, but unbeknownst to him, Zander and Shotgun were parked just a few yards away, watching in silence as my father yanked me down the steps. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the Ruthless Sinners came to join them.
Hawk
When I saw Delilah being jerked down that fire escape, I wanted nothing more than to pull out my gun and put a bullet in the guy’s head, but I couldn’t take the chance of putting Delilah in even more danger. I had no idea if the guy was packing, and with Delilah stumbling down that metal staircase, I feared the guy might do something stupid. It was too dark to get a good look at him, but even from a distance, I knew I’d never seen the guy before. He was older, about my height with a medium build, and he was wearing dress pants, making it clear he was no fucking biker. I was watching them make their way down the last flight of stairs when I heard Shotgun ask, “Where the hell does he think he’s taking her?”
“I have no idea, but I’m about to fucking find out.”
As I got off my bike, Shotgun shook his head. “The brothers should be here any minute.”
“We don’t have time to wait. I got no idea where he’s taking her.”
“I get that but....”
“I’m going. Period.”
“Then, I’m going with you.” Shotgun got off his bike and said, “If nothing else, maybe we can stall him.”
“We’ll have to.”
Shotgun followed me towards the alley. Delilah and the stranger had just stepped off the fire escape when the guy saw us walking in their direction. He reached behind him, and within a blink, he had the barrel of his gun pointed at Delilah’s head. “Don’t do something stupid, boys, or I’ll end her right here.”
“Easy, man. We don’t want any trouble,” I told him, stopping dead in my tracks. “Just let Delilah go, and we’ll sort this thing out.”
“You got another thing coming if you think I’m going to play games with the likes of you. Either back the fuck off, or I’m gonna pull the fucking trigger.”
“It’s okay, Zander. I’ll be fine. Just do what he says,” Delilah pleaded.
It wasn’t until that moment when I noticed the red swelling across her cheek and her busted lip, and I was immediately consumed with rage. “He do that to you?”
“Yeah, I sure fucking did it,” the man answered as he took hold of Delilah’s hair, yanking her head back. “She’s my daughter. I’ll put her in her place whenever she fucking needs it.”
Hoping to get him talking, I asked, “Your daughter?”
“You heard me. The name’s Bruce Davenport, and yeah, this whore you’ve been fucking for the past month... is my lovely daughter.” He gave Delilah’s hair another hard tug, causing her to whimper in pain. I wanted to reach over and rip the guy’s throat out. “Now, back the fuck off before you make me do something you’ll regret.”
“That’s not gonna happen.” I wanted to end the guy, but I knew the wrong move could cost Delilah her life, and I just couldn’t take that chance. I took a step back and said, “Just tell us what you want, Bruce, and then we can settle this thing now before anyone gets hurt.”
“He w-wants Danny,” Delilah stammered. “You can’t let him—”
Before she could finish, Delilah’s father pulled her to his side, slamming his knee into her abdomen, knocking the breath out of her. I took a charging step towards them, as I growled, “You keep your fucking hands off her!”
I was just inches away from him when my stomach twisted into a knot at the familiar click of his gun’s hammer. I had no choice but to stand there and listen helplessly as Delilah gasped for breath. “Best watch your step, boy, or you’ll both end up dead.”
“Look. Just let her go. We’ll get Danny for you.”
“It’s too late for that.” Bruce gave her a hard tug and said, “We’re leaving, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll move out of the fucking way.”
Neither Shotgun nor I moved as Bruce started walking towards a red BMW that was parked in the back of her apartment. They hadn’t made it very far when the roar of my brothers’ bikes came rumbling down the alley as they pulled into the parking lot across from us. As soon as they parked and got off their bikes, the brothers started charging towards us, causing Delilah’s father to panic. He quickly picked up his pace, tugging her further away from me. As the brothers got closer, I looked over to Viper and said, “It’s Bruce Davenport ... Delilah’s father, and he’s got a gun on her.”
“What the hell does he want with her?”
“That’s just it,” I quickly replied. “He doesn’t want Delilah. He wants Danny.”
About that time, Danny came up and asked, “Who wants me?”
“Your father,” I answered. “He’s the one who’s got Delilah.”
“You fuckin’ kidding me?” Danny asked as he started down the alley. “If he wants me, then he can fucking have me, but he ain’t gettin’ Dee.”
Danny rushed past us as he started running towards the back parking lot. Bruce was about to put Delilah in the car but quickly stopped when he heard Danny shout, “Yo, Dad! Hold up. It’s me ... Danny. I’m here.”
“Danny?”
Bruce turned back with surprise. He kept his gun pointed at Delilah as he watched Danny continue towards him. The brothers and I pulled out our weapons as we followed close behind him. Bruce seemed completely unfazed as we surrounded him. Danny tried to keep his cool as he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I came looking for you. I thought you were in trouble.” Bruce motioned his head towards Viper as he told Danny, “Figured these assholes had something to do with it.”
“Why would you care if I was in trouble or not? I haven’t seen you since I was kid.”
“I had many reasons,” Bruce answered. “You’re not only my son, but one of my prized employees.”
“Employee? What the fuck are you talking about?” Confusion marked Danny’s face as he stared at his father. “I don’t work for you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve been working for me for the last several years.”
“You’re the boss?”
“The one and only,” Bruce answered with a smug tone. “I noticed you weren’t around for a few days. That wasn’t surprising; it’s happened before. But when Miller didn’t return after his meet with you, I knew something was up. That’s when I came to find you.”
“So, what does Delilah have to do with any of this?”
“She was my way to you.” Bruce glanced over to me as he continued, “When I didn’t find you at your place, I went looking for her. I figured, in time, she’d lead me to you, but all she did was lead me to them. When I found out they were the ones selling my product in their strip club, I started piecing two and two together. It didn’t take an Einstein
to figure out that there was some connection between them and your sudden disappearance, and I’d bet my last dollar that they had something to do with Miller as well.”
“Miller sold them trash. Took your money and half your take, so whatever happened to Miller, I’d say he got what he had coming.” Danny’s tone turned stronger, more determined as he said, “None of that matters now. If you’re here for me, then you have me. Just let Delilah go, and let’s end this shit.”
“Danny, no,” Delilah muttered. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Shut your fucking mouth!” Bruce gave Delilah a hard shove, knocking her to the ground. She was trying to pull herself up when he kicked her hard in the side. Seeing him hurt her again enraged me in a way I could never explain. My blood ran hot, like my very soul was on fire as I placed my finger on the trigger. I was about to end the motherfucker when Danny beat me to it. He reached behind and pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans, and without a moment’s hesitation, he fired, sending a bullet straight through his father’s heart. Bruce’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at his chest, watching in disbelief as blood started to seep through his shirt.
He stood there for a couple of beats before dropping down to his knees. “What have you done?”
“I just took my life back. My sister’s too,” Danny answered coldly. “I didn’t want you in my life when I was a kid, and I sure as fuck don’t now.”
Bruce lifted his hand, aiming his gun at Danny, but before he had a chance to pull the trigger and end Danny, I fired off a shot at him, knocking him flat on his back. As the gun fell from his hands, Bruce mumbled, “Dead or alive. You’ll always be my son. Nothing will change that.”
Silence engulfed us as we all watched him take his last breath. Unable to stand it any longer, I rushed over to Delilah and knelt down beside her, pulling her into my arms. She quickly wrapped hers around me, pulling me close as she started to cry. I held her for a few moments before I finally whispered, “It’s gonna be okay, Delilah.”
“I’m so sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have put all the blame on you.”