Bent not Broken

by Lisa De Jong

  Speaking in a low, raspy tone, his eyes grew darker as he continued to ogle me. “What can I say? He came to me asking for work … no … he screwed up … big time … sixty … yeah, sixty.” Slowly he began to walk towards me, his eager eyes staring into mine.

  For every step forward he made, I took one step back, until my back pressed against the staircase. My breathing sped up when he was only inches away from me. “Your woman’s a feisty one, isn’t she?” He slightly pulled the phone away from his ear and cringed. I could hear Marcus’ loud tone throughout the phone but couldn’t make out what was said.

  Lou laughed and fixed his gaze back on me. His hand slowly moved from his ear over to the side of my face. Because I was frozen, he pressed the phone along my ear with the tip of his fingers sliding across my cheek. His touch shot shivers through my spine and caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. He frightened me, but I made sure not to show it. Pushing his hand away, I grabbed the phone. He took a few steps back.

  In a raspy, dry manner, I managed to say, “Hello.”

  “Baby, I need you to do me a favor. Are you near my office?” Marcus’ desperate tone forced me to be alert.

  “Yes,” I said, watching Lou as he cocked his head to the side, folding his arms on his chest. His stares were giving me the creeps. Swallowing, I focused back on Marcus.

  “Okay, I want you to walk into my office and lock the door behind you.”

  “What?” I asked confused.

  “Just do it. Tell me when you’re in there and the door is locked.”

  I looked up at Lou. He was in the same position. I fixed my gaze towards Romeo. He was sitting by the couch, watching Lou. Was Marcus trying to keep me away from them? What about Romeo, shouldn’t I lock him in the office with me? Confused by this sudden request, I wasn’t sure what I should do. “Mia, are you in the office yet?” Marcus’ impatient tone hurried my legs to his office, and I shut the door behind me. Locking the bolt, I turned the knob to make sure it was secure. “Okay, I’m in here. The door’s locked. What now?” I asked.

  “Good, at my desk by the top right-hand drawer, you’ll find a key. Let me know when you find it…what the fuck…you cock-sucker, move out the fucking way!” Road rage—he was trying to rush home. I glanced at the clock by his desk. It was rush hour. There was no way he’d be here anytime soon.

  After I took a seat in the office chair, I reached for the top right-hand drawer. There were several files, no keys. Rummaging through, I tried to see if the keys were in between the files. I was alarmed when I noticed one particular folder. On the tab written in all caps were the words M. SULLIVAN. Why was there a file with my name in his desk? I lifted the file to have a closer look. That was when I noticed the key. Marcus interrupted my curiosity, “Mia, did you find the key?” Biting my lip, I wasn’t sure what to do. Romeo was out there with Lou, and if I didn’t hurry, he could harm him again. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the key and placed the file back. I’d look at it later.

  “Yes, I have it.” I said, closing the drawer.

  “Okay, beside the bookshelf, you’ll see the large-framed mirror. Underneath the frame, you’ll have to feel for a small keyhole to place the key in. Unlock the mirror and open it. Behind it will be a vault.”

  What the hell? As many times I’ve been in this office and stared into that mirror, never once did I expect it to be a hidden passage to something. The mirror had a vertical gold frame, and it was taller than me. I assumed it was décor; I always admired how beautiful and luxurious it looked.

  Kneeling before my reflection, I held the phone between my shoulder and ear. Feeling underneath the curvy detailed frame, I managed to locate a small keyhole. I dug the key in and turned it. A small clicking noise told me the mirror was loosened. Standing up, I pulled the mirror open like a door. Behind it was an all-black steel door with a keypad in the middle. “It’s open,” I whispered, imagining what could possibly be behind this door.

  “Good, now you have to do this correctly, or the entire system will lock for twenty-four hours.” He waited for my okay and continued, “On the keypad press the following code: pound-two-four-four-seven-pound. Once you hear the door unlock, open it and enter immediately. Don’t be alarmed. The door will shut behind you. Let me know when you’re in.”

  This was ridiculous; he should be here to do this. What if I get stuck in there? I didn’t want to screw this up, and he trusted me with all of this. I sucked it up and took a deep breath. Doing as I was told, I punched the code into the pad and entered as soon as it unlocked. As he said, the door closed behind me. I was standing in a small, lit, narrow space with another door in front of me. I told him I was in and waited for the next instructions.

  “You’re doing good, baby. Just a few more steps and you’ll be done. Now this entry is similar, though the code is different: pound-two-two-zero-four-pound.”

  I did as I was told, and the door opened. Hurrying through, I almost dropped the phone. When I looked up, I was shocked. It felt like I’d walked into an eight-by-ten, advanced storage unit. On one side of the wall, there were shelves filled with all types of guns: small, large, AK-47’s, many different calibers. If you could think of a type, it was there. On the other side of the wall were neatly stacked bricks of money. Not just a few bills, no, there were rolls and columns of one-hundred-dollar bills wrapped in Saran Wrap. If my jaw weren’t attached to my face, it would have fallen to the ground. I’d never had been around this much money. I knew Marcus was financially successful, though my mind steered more toward only a fraction of what was in this vault.

  “Okay, Mia, now that you’re in, I need you to walk over to the money stacked along the right side of the wall. On the metal table in the center of the room, you’ll find a few black bags. Each small stack is worth ten grand. I need you to take six of those stacks and place them into a bag and hand it to Lou.”

  The “small” stacks were placed into two fabric bags. After exiting the vault and making sure it was securely closed as per Marcus’ instructions, I placed the key back in the drawer. Marcus said he’d be home in twenty minutes. We hung up, and I was left in the room holding two heavy medium-sized bags worth sixty-thousand dollars. Taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, I stormed out of the office.

  Romeo was nowhere in sight. Lou was sitting on the couch, and beside him was Elle, holding up her handheld game, showing her score. Lou had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. The image of him touching her disgusted me. “Elle, go to your room.” Both of them snapped their heads in my direction. Elle first smiled, but it instantly faded when she saw the irate expression I had.

  “But I’m showing Uncle Lou my game,” she whined.

  “Go to your room now!” I pointed to the staircase with a black velvet bag in my hand. She flinched at my tone, and her lip began to tremble. Great, I’m becoming Marcus. I took a deep breath and tried in a calm manner to explain myself. “Please, Elle, go to your room. I need to talk to Lou…privately.” He nodded at her, giving her the okay. Very quickly she ran past me and up the stairs, holding back her tears. I felt terrible. I didn’t mean to snap at her. Shifting my anger back on the person it was meant for, I stomped over to him and tossed the bags on the couch where Elle just vacated. “You have what you want. You can leave now.”

  The smart smirk slowly turned into stern, thin lips, and his jaw tightened. Very slowly, he flexed his neck side-to-side, and a loud crack sounded. Standing up, his shoulder bumped into mine. Adjusting his suit jacket, he turned and lowered his head. His lips were inches from the side of my face, and he growled in a low, raspy, stern tone, “You know at first your little attitude was cute, but don’t fucking think for one second that I will tolerate it.” Turning, he grabbed the bags, and walked towards the door. Before leaving he yelled out, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mia. We should do lunch.” The door slammed behind him.

  When all the air released from my lungs, I collapsed into the sofa, burying my face into my hands. The entire exp
erience had been terrible. I just wanted to be locked in Marcus’ arms. What happened with Romeo? Why did he owe so much money? Aarrrgh! I just wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. At the sound of the door creaking, I snapped my head up in its direction. Romeo was standing a few feet away with a frozen steak to his eye. I glared at him, and he looked down mortified. “You, in the kitchen, now.” I flew past him and headed to the kitchen. He followed, and I directed him to sit by the table.

  Elle had had a few scratches and dents, so I knew the first aid kit was kept inside the pantry. I placed the open kit on the table, and he looked at me with his light brown eyes. Except for the eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to Marcus: the same olive skin, perfectly thick arched eyebrows, and model-like silky, dark hair. He was definitely gorgeous even with the bruises. Now that I was closer, I was able to see a huge split from the middle of his forehead to the end of his eyebrow. It was about three inches in length and pretty deep. “Romeo, you’re going to need stitches.”

  “No, I’m not going to the hospital. Can’t you stitch it together?”

  “No! I wouldn’t even know how to. There are butterfly bandages here. I can use them, but if Marcus thinks you need a hospital, you have to go.” He nodded. I began the cleansing process. Before I could even nurse the cuts, I had to clean his face and wipe all the blood, just in case there were any open cuts I missed.

  I cleaned all of the blood with a wet cloth and started to nurse the cut on his lips. I needed to steer my mind away from exploding. Not enjoying the silence, I began to question him. “What happened to you, Romeo?”

  Shrugging, he hesitated before speaking. I wondered if he thought to tell me the truth. Then when he began, he spoke as if it was like a relief to get it all out. “Marcus warned me not get involved, but I didn’t listen. I figured I could use the extra money before school starts. I did a few runs for Lou. I delivered a few small packages to certain groups, collected the money, and brought it back to Lou. He’d give me a cut. Today, I had to deliver a package to a Russian cartel. They teased me, saying I was too pretty to be a runner. I didn’t like it, so I said a few words.” He’s more like Marcus than I thought. Since when does someone teasing you, give you the go-ahead to be cocky?

  I brushed the cut on his forehead with an alcohol wipe. He sucked in air and winced. I bit my lip and apologized. Cautiously, I wiped his wound again. This time he pressed his lips together and shut his eyes. “So Lou didn’t do this to you?” I asked, continuing to nurse him.

  His eyes shot open. “No, the Russians did. They took the package, and left me on the side of the road. When I was finally conscious, I found my way back to Lou. He said he would take care of the Russians, but the package was worth sixty grand. That’s when we came here.”

  “You brought him here, Romeo?” I thought Lou brought Romeo here, knowing it was the other way around, upset me even more.

  “I had no choice, Mia. He threatened to kill me, saying if I didn’t come up with the money, then—” We both jumped when the sound of the front door slamming alerted the room.

  “Mia!” Marcus yelled my name from the front door.

  “In the kitchen!” I shouted. Romeo straightened his shoulders, and his knee began to bounce nervously. I thought that was weird. Why would he be nervous? If anything he should be relieved Marcus was finally here.

  Marcus stormed through the kitchen door. His shoulders were broad and rapidly moved up and down with his heavy breathing. His arms were slightly bent and secured on the side of his body. His hands were closed in tight fists, and the veins on his hands and arms were visibly seen from a distance. His face was red and damp with sweat. He glared at Romeo with an arched eyebrow and a straight face. This was the angriest I’d ever seen him. I just couldn’t understand why he was so upset with Romeo. Lou was the one that deserved the evil look. Within three steps Marcus was by us, pushing me aside. He leaned over Romeo, pressing his hand against the side of Romeo’s face.

  Yelling from the top of his lungs, he let him have it. “What the fuck were you thinking?” One hard smack across Romeo’s face forced him slightly off his chair. I jumped.

  “Marcus!” I breathed, shocked by his behavior. What’s gotten into him?

  He ignored me and continued to grill Romeo. “Huh?” Romeo lowered his head and began to cry.

  “I’m sorry…” Romeo choked.

  “You’re sorry? You’re sorry! I told you, Rome! I fucking told you to stay away from this shit. But you wouldn’t fucking listen, would you? Then you bring him to my house! Where my niece and my girl stay?” Veins popped out of his forehead and neck as he poked his middle and index finger into Romeo’s forehead with each word, “HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID!” Marcus yelled the last insulting word so loudly spit flew all over the place.

  Sniffing a few times, Romeo tried to control his weeping. “I promise I’ll pay you back every dime.”

  Marcus leaned up, pressing his hands on his hips. “Pay me back? It’s not about the money, Rome!” His arms flew wildly in front of him. After a few seconds of silence, he placed his hands back on his hips. “I didn’t want you in this shit.” Marcus lowered his head and brought one hand up to his forehead, rubbing small circular motions with his fingertips. It calmed him a bit, and he lowered his tone. “Do you want to end up like your brother? Like my father?”

  Romeo burst into hard sobs, shaking his head. His body began to tremble with his cries. “No!” He moaned.

  It felt like forever before Marcus spoke again. He stood over Romeo, watching him break. I was a mess in quiet tears by the island, watching the entire episode, stunned. Finally Marcus kneeled before Romeo. Sighing heavily, he looked up at him. “I spoke to Lou; you’re out. He’s not giving you any more work. I need you to promise me that you’ll focus on school and live life the way you’re supposed to live it. If you can promise me that, we’re even. Can you do that?”

  Romeo nodded.

  “Okay, I can’t send you home like this. I’ll call your mom and tell her you’re staying with me for a couple weeks. I’ll make up some shit about shadowing me at the firm. Take the room on the third floor and get yourself cleaned up.”

  Both of them straightened and hugged in a tight manly embrace. Romeo muttered something while they were locked together. Marcus patted his back and assured him everything would be okay. It only lasted a few seconds, and Romeo flew out of the kitchen with his head lowered and went up the stairs. It took a moment for Marcus to compose himself. He looked everywhere else before looking at me. I watched as he put the first-aid kit away and pushed the chair back underneath the table. He also sprayed down the table with sanitizing spray and wiped it. It was his way of avoiding a breakdown.

  When he reached the point where it was okay for him to acknowledge me, he didn’t say anything. Instead he walked over to the island where I was. Burying his head into my collar bone, he sighed. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Pulling me in by my waist, we didn’t say a word, just sheltered each other, feeling safe and relieved. The only thing that came to my mind was, “What is he thinking right now?” He always wanted to know my thoughts when he could sense I needed to talk or if he didn’t know how to comfort me.

  Marcus tells me how he’s feeling when it involves me. He never holds back in telling me how much he loves me and how much I have changed his life. He never talked about how he felt regarding the stress and the emotional conflict working for Lou brought. He kept everything all bottled up. I was afraid one day he’d explode and when that day came, it might be on the wrong person.

  He took my hand in his grasp, and we silently make our way up the stairs. I stopped in front of Elle’s room. When I entered, she was lying on her bed, arms behind her head, watching a movie on her small flat screen. I felt terrible for how I acted earlier, and at that moment I realized the reasons behind Marcus’ outbursts. He never meant any harm; he was just simply trying to keep me away from witnessing terrible circumstances. I apologized to Elle several times, and she assured
me time and time again that it was okay. I promised to take her shopping the next week at the mall for a girls’ day as a way to make it up to her. She quickly approved.

  Marcus went ahead to his bedroom while I spoke with Elle. After she and I made up, I left her room. When I entered Marcus’ bedroom, his back was facing me. He stood over the nightstand. Empting his pockets, he placed the items on the nightstand. Walking up behind him, I wrapped my arms around the middle of his stomach. I squeezed tightly against him, and he sighed, lowering his head and rubbing the back of my hand with his fingertips.

  “Talk to me, Marcus,” I pleaded, using the words that so easily worked on me. I pressed the side of my face on his firm back. He eventually turned in my arms and faced me as I still held him tightly. His hand gently cupped my face, and leaning down, he planted a small, tender kiss on my forehead. The feeling of his soft lips sent a warm sensation through my blood. My body instantly relaxed, and I closed my eyes.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Mia,” he whispered.

  My eyes shot opened. “Do what?” I searched his face. He can’t do us anymore? The job, the stress, the second life, what can’t he do anymore?

  “This … Look at me. I’m slowly breaking … With a baby on the way and you … The thought of either of you hurt or even …” He didn’t finish. He didn’t have to.

  “Marcus, then leave. Why are you still involved with the Sorrentos? Just leave.” I begged. Hoping and wishing he could, I wasn’t sure why it was so hard to walk away. Did he owe Lou Sorrento something? Was it money? I was sure he could pay him off with all the money that he had in the vault.

  “You don’t understand. I can’t …” His hands firmed against my face.

  “Why don’t you talk to me, Marcus? I thought we were a team here. How can I possibly know what’s going on up here?” Pointing a finger to his temple, I said, “If you don’t let me in, I’ll probably never understand.”

  He didn’t say anything as always. He just stared at me for a long time as if holding back something he so desperately wanted to say. Instead of using his lips to talk, he forced them onto mine. Keeping my eyes open, I watched as his eyes were tightly shut. This was his way of coping? To fuck his way into forgetting? I wanted to be angry with him, to smack him away and tell him we needed to talk, that sex wouldn’t solve his issues, but he grew hungry and twirled his tongue along mine. His slight moans made the pit of my stomach twist with sensation. Giving in, I closed my eyes and allowed him to take over. The moment I relinquished myself to him, he forced me onto the bed.