by Laurèn Lee
I swallowed hard.
“Not too long after that, Jerry, my nephew, realized someone had stolen the money he’d left out on his bed. To be frank, he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack. I mean, who leaves stolen cash out in the open like that, but I digress. I went into his room to inspect the scene of the supposed crime and found a single pink hair on his bedspread. Strange, that I’d find such a clue after having heard a young woman with pink hair had been seen on our street only hours before. Jerry knew at once who it had to be. Why the woman he’d just conned had a daughter with the same pink hair. Such a small world, right?”
I had no idea if he was truly asking me or, if his question had been a rhetorical statement.
“Wayne, let’s stop wasting our time here, okay? I know you helped this girl break into my house and steal from me,” he said coolly.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered.
“Don’t lie to me!” His voice boomed within the apartment. “No other man I know could have broken into my house without leaving a single trace. It’s too bad your little girlfriend wasn’t so careful.”
I sighed. “Listen—”
“No, you listen to me. I have been very good to you over the years, Wayne. I gave you a job and a promise for a future. I groomed you to be the best hitman this state has ever seen. I afforded you the opportunities no one else ever would have. And, this is how you thank me? You break into my home and steal from my family?”
“Sir, your nephew stole the money from Serenity first.”
There’d be no point in playing dumb anymore.
“Then, she shouldn’t have been so stupid as to have it so easily available. No one, and I repeat, no one crosses me or my family and gets away with it.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I said more defeated than I’d ever felt in my entire life. I’d been caught and now I had to pay the price.
“There will be severe punishments, Wayne. I promise you that.”
“I know.” My head drooped as I eyed the floor. “Please don’t hurt Serenity, though. I should have stopped her. Punish me, not her.”
“Don’t worry, my friend. That is exactly what I’m going to do."
44
Serenity
I stirred and quickly realized I no longer occupied the tiny space in the car’s trunk. Now, I felt a cool, moist air wash over me and assumed I had to be in a basement or shack of some sort. The air smelled moldy and stale.
Where am I? Where’s Ma?
A strand of my hair tickled my face. As I reached to move it out of my eyes, I quickly realized I couldn’t move my hands. They were tied behind my back and bonded together with scratchy, rough rope. Groaning with agonizing frustration, I also realized no sound escaped my lips. Duct tape lay across my mouth. I was a prisoner.
No lights had been turned on in the basement, or wherever I was, but water trickled from the ceiling. I couldn’t see a damn thing. I couldn’t even see my own legs or feet. My ears strained to hear if anyone else had been put down there with me, but I only heard the buzz of silence.
I felt the desperate urge to pee. I hadn’t gone all day. Would someone feed me? What if no one came to check on me, or give me water? Would I die down here? Would death come as a mercy? Would I welcome it?
Lost in thought, I barely noticed a door had creaked open which invited a sliver of light to illuminate the room. Shuffling feet echoed against the stone walls and I heard two sets of footsteps laboriously climb down the stairs.
“In you go,” a scruffy man the size of a professional football player urged.
“Please let me go! I didn’t do anything,” the other voice pleaded.
“I don’t give a shit if you’re innocent. I’m just following orders,” the giant grunted. Although dim light spread across the room, it wasn’t enough to see my captor or the new prisoner.
“Put your hands behind your back,” the man ordered.
The other captive, a boy, whimpered. The giant shoved him against the wall. When the giant grabbed the boy’s arms and pulled them behind his back, the kid’s sleeve was pulled up. I squinted to see the dark image on his arm. And then I saw it, scrawled on the boy’s arm was one word: Brothers.
Sammy had been captured, too.
45
Wayne
“Where are you taking me?” I asked my boss as we rode in the back of his black town car.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“What are you going to do to me?” My voice shook, betraying me as I’d wanted to stay cool, calm, and collected.
“It’s not what I’m going to do to you exactly.”
My mind raced a million miles a minute trying to predict my punishment, or what would happen. There’s no way I’d get out of this unscathed. No one fucks over a crime boss and gets away with it, even if I’d been loyal for all these years. In fact, I might be punished even more severely because of this. The more loyal, the bigger the disappointment when let down.
Although the car’s windows had been tinted, I vaguely noticed the car approached a large abandoned warehouse with missing windows and the dilapidated structure threatened to crumble at the next breath of wind.
“Why are we here?”
“You ask too many questions, Wayne.”
The driver parked the car just outside a tall, metal fence and came around to open my boss’s door. My boss, Gino, gingerly stepped out of the vehicle and made a point to brush off his Armani suit before leaning into the car and asking, “Are you coming?”
My instincts told me to run, to save myself. But, this may be the one time I’d have to ignore them and follow instructions. Who knew what further damage I’d cause if I ran. Hell, I might not even make it off the lot alive. He knew this, too. Which is why he didn’t bother having someone escort me into the factory. We simply walked side by side, his guards led the way.
“And now, you will find out that every criminal must pay the ultimate price when they betray their master.”
46
Serenity
I’d seen in a movie once that someone being held captive tried to stick their tongue to the tape across their mouth to loosen its grip. To remove its stickiness. I tried this method, completely ignorant if it would work or not. Luckily, it did.
Before the giant left the basement, he’d turned a light on in the corner. But, the fixture must have been older than me, or the bulb was about to die, because it’s glow barely lit up the room. Fortunately, it provided enough light to see Sammy and a little of our surroundings.
“Sammy?” I croaked once the tape had lost its adhesiveness.
He groaned next to me also restricted by duct tape on his mouth.
“I’m going to scoot closer to you. We need to get back to back, so we can try to loosen each other’s ropes, okay?”
Sammy grunted. Both of us shuffled closer and closer until our backs pressed against each other. We furiously tried to unravel the knots keeping us immobile; all the while, I concentrated on the floor above us to make sure we wouldn’t get caught trying to make our great escape.
I felt my restraints loosen and hope soared throughout my body. We weren’t going to die down here like forgotten rodents left to become extinct. The ropes fell off my wrists and onto the floor. I wanted to shriek with delight, but refrained instead. Feeling my way to Sammy’s face I touched upon the tape on his mouth.
“I’m going to take this off. Try not to scream, okay?”
He nodded vigorously.
“One, two —” I didn’t wait until “three.” I held my breath and hoped Sammy wouldn’t yelp in pain. The kid was tougher than I thought, though and remained silent while I ripped the tape off his face.
“Thanks,” he panted. “Can you get the ropes off me, too?”
“Yeah, just scooch around again so your back is to me.” My hands explored until they found the ropes and untied the last know. “We did it!”
“Serenity, what is going on?” Sammy whispered
.
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.
“Does this have to do with what you and my brother did earlier today?”
“I’m not sure. Are you hurt?” Guilt slapped me across the face.
“I think one of my ribs is broken.”
My heart shattered as I heard him talk about his other injuries. If this all had to do with Jerry, it was my fault Sammy had been roped in, too.
“Did you hear that?” I asked panicked.
“Sounded like footsteps,” he gasped.
The door creaked open which allowed even more light to brighten the room.
“Hurry! Put the rope behind you and the tape back on your mouth!” I urged.
Several sets of footsteps descended and I had a feeling nothing good would come from the unexpected company.
47
Wayne
My boss and his guards led me down a steep set of stairs, which presumably connected the first floor to the building’s basement. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when we reached the bottom, but the distinct scent of sweat and fear lingered in the air.
“Jack, get the main lights,” Gino demanded coolly.
Jack, one of his guards, silently obeyed and used the light on his phone to find the switch. Once he flipped it, reality stabbed my stomach and my heart sank into oblivion.
“Sammy! Serenity!”
Their eyes reflected pure terror to see me and all the other men behind me. I stepped to rush forward, but both guards, including Jack, grabbed my arms to hold me back.
I turned to my boss with hate somersaulting in my gut. “Why are they here? I told you to punish me!”
“And, I told you I’d punish you as I see fit.”
“Sammy has absolutely nothing to do with any of this and Serenity is just a kid, too!”
“A kid?” he chuckled. “My, my, she has you wound around her dirty little finger, hasn’t she? Serenity Harris, nineteen years old, barely earned her GED and is the local cocaine tycoon. I know all about her and I know you’ve become very cozy the past few weeks. You seem to have lost your touch, Wayne. Not so good at staying under the radar are you now?”
Serenity glared at my boss. I recognized this face; it revealed pure hatred and disgust.
“So, now, you get to choose.”
“What?”
He handed me back my gun very slowly as his guards had theirs trained on me. “As your very last assignment working under me, you will have to choose one to live and one to die.”
“Is this a joke? This is ridiculous, Gino! You want me to kill an innocent all because of your asshole nephew? This hardly seems like a fair punishment!”
“While I may delight in your agony, no, this is not a joke, or a trick, or even a suggestion. This is your final hit. Now, kill one.”
48
Serenity
My ears rang out and I hoped my brain had simply played a trick on me. Surely, I had not heard what I thought I just heard. Did that man, Wayne’s boss, tell him, no, demand him to kill one of us? It had to be a joke. It all had to be one sick, and cruel prank.
But, part of me knew it wasn’t a trick or a figment of my imagination. My life was about to end. I could never expect Wayne to spare my life in return for his little brother’s, nor would I want him to do so. Never.
My heart throbbed and blood pumped through my body in desperation. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and held my breath. Ready and waiting for everything to end.
A minute, or, maybe an hour passed, and nothing had happened. My right eye peeked open, wondering what was taking so damn long. It’s cruel enough to kill someone, let alone to make them wait and suffer for it to happen.
Wayne stood before me, sweat poured down his face. His chest heaved with every quick breath he managed.
“It’s okay, Wayne,” I whispered. “Save Sammy.”
Sammy shot a look over at me with pleading eyes. “No! No, Wayne. Save Serenity, please!”
Sweet, innocent, Sammy. He had his entire life ahead of him, but he wanted Wayne to save me. And, who was I really? I was some drug dealing low-life scum who didn’t have the courage to leave this God forsaken town. I didn’t deserve to be saved. I am a worthless piece of trash with nothing to live for.
“Time is ticking,” the man with snow-white hair said behind Wayne as he tapped his foot.
“Please, don’t make me do this. Don’t make me choose,” Wayne begged.
“You said you would accept the consequences of your actions. Now, accept them!”
Wayne looked at me with sad, yearning eyes. Since we met, he’d done everything in his power to save me. He’d rescued me countless times from the trouble I’d brought upon myself. And now, who would save me from him?
I tried to speak to him with my own eyes. I wanted him to know it’s okay to choose me. It was okay to save Sammy.
“Time is running out, Wayne. I won’t wait forever,” his boss warned menacingly.
Wayne turned around, and for a moment, I thought he’d get down on his knees. “Please, I’m begging you. Anything else. I’ll accept any other punishment than this. Kill me instead! Take me!”
His boss croaked a shrill laugh which echoed and bounced off the stone walls around us. If I’d ever met someone capable of pure evil, it would be him.
“You made a choice, Wayne. You knew what you were doing was wrong, and yet, you did it anyway. Why should I change your punishment to make it easier for you?”
“They’re just kids, man. They’re just kids,” Wayne broke down and sobbed.
“This is taking too long,” one of the henchmen announced farther back. In slow motion, he reached for his gun, took aim, and shot one single bullet.
49
Wayne
The sound of the gunshot erupted inside the basement and I hadn’t even had a chance to see where it’d come from. However, in an instant, I saw who it had been intended for. Jack cackled behind me, but the sound of his laughter faded and all I heard was a faint buzzing inside my head as I realized my entire world had begun to crash before me.
Sammy looked down to his stomach at the warm, red liquid gushing from the bullet wound. He’d been shot and started losing blood. A lot of blood.
“No!” I called out as I lunged for my little brother, my heart in my throat.
Arms behind me held me back and I crumpled within their grasp. “No, Sammy! No!”
Serenity started screaming. An animalistic cry escaped her lips as she threw her arms out in front of her and turned to pull Sammy into her lap. She had to have broken out of her restraints before we came down here.
I pulled and tugged at my captors behind me, but their grip wouldn’t loosen. They wouldn’t let me go to my dear, sweet Sammy.
Serenity held him in her arms and rocked back and forth, as she continued to weep as though her own child had been attacked.
Sammy gurgled as he tried to speak. “Wayne,” he murmured. My soul shattered into a million pieces as he said my name. I’d devoted my entire life to protecting him, and now I couldn’t even hold him when he needed me the most.
He looked over to me, the light in his eyes faded rapidly. “Wayne,” he said again.
Tears and sweat continued to slide down my face. “I’m here, buddy. I’m here. I love you so damn much.” I continued to tug against my captors to no avail.
“Tell Mom and Dad I love them, okay?”
I dropped to my knees, my boss’s lackey’s hands still glued to my arms. “I’ll tell them, I promise.”
“Take care of Serenity,” he whispered as he looked from me to her and back to me.
I prayed, hoped, wished this was all a terrible nightmare. I waited for Sammy to jump up and scream, “Got you!” But, he didn’t jump up. The blood didn’t stop pouring from his abdomen no matter how much pressure Serenity applied. She continued to hold him and sob.
“Wayne?” Sammy asked as his eyes had begun to flitter.
“I’m here, Sammy. I’m here!”
&n
bsp; “You’ve always been my best friend. I love—”
Before Sammy could finish his sentence, his breathing stopped, and his eyes stared at me, but no longer blinked. He’d left us.
Serenity howled as she rocked him, and I felt my soul had left the room with Sammy, too.
50
Serenity
Sammy had taken his last breath in my arms and it seemed as though the world had stopped turning. Time had paused and the universe no longer existed. How could I live in a world without this charming, wonderful boy? I couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could someone take the life of an innocent soul?
Wayne sobbed at his knees and I couldn’t even begin to imagine his pain. I’d known Sammy for a short time, but Wayne? He knew Sammy for half his life. The pain I felt couldn’t even compare to Wayne’s. I felt guilty for even thinking of myself in this moment. If anyone had their life suddenly turned upside, it was the man I’d grown close to who stood only a few feet away from me.
I wanted to go and comfort him, but that would mean letting go of Sammy who grew colder in my arms every single second that passed.
“Jack, that was unnecessary. Now, how will Wayne fulfill his punishment?”
My heart dropped all over again.
Wasn’t killing Sammy enough?
I imagined another gun would soon be pointed in my direction. I’d be shot and die holding onto Sammy.