It’s sad too.
But it’s also scary.
Anymore slip ups… or even just any slip up… it can hurt everyone.
It can hurt Jolie.
That’s my main worry.
Hurting Jolie.
There’s a piece of my heart and mind that wonder if the right thing is to find the truth about her father and then tell her to get out of this life.
And I mean it.
Every inch and aspect of this life… get the fuck out, sweetie.
“What’s the plan, Mac?” Les asks.
“The plan is…” I swallow hard. “I’ll be involved more. No more taking messages from Mama. When she says something, we nod or whatever, but then we have to find out for ourselves what’s happening. We just have to keep going here. There’s no choice. But we have to keep an eye on her. See if anything else happens.”
“That sounds risky,” Taz says.
“What’s the other side of it?” I ask. “We tell her we know something’s wrong? Then what?”
“Fuck,” Les says. He pushes from the railing. “Fuck this.”
He grabs the railing and jumps it.
He takes a handful of steps and stops.
Taz starts to move over the railing and I punch his shoulder.
“I’ll talk to him,” I say.
I jump the railing and walk up to Les.
“What the fuck is going on here, bro?” Les asks.
“I don’t know, Les,” I say. “This might be the biggest thing we’ve ever had to deal with. And it just keeps piling up right now.”
“No shit, Mac.”
“We can’t lose our edge here, Les. We just have to be careful. She’s only forgetting little things.”
“For now,” Les say.
I sigh. “I know that, bro. That’s why I said we’ll get the info ourselves. This thing with Jolie’s old man is going to end quick. We just have to know who he really is in all of this shit. Then it’s done. Then we can talk to Mama. Try to find a way to do it quietly. Calmly. Fuck, man, maybe it’s just age. Time and age, right? Maybe she needs some vitamins or a pill…”
Les looks at me. “Vitamins or a pill?”
I shrug my shoulders. “What do you want me to say? That she’s sick? Like sick-sick? That she’s losing her mind? That she’s going to keep slipping and get worse? That one day she won’t remember who we are? That she’s going to have to live somewhere else and die alone? Is that what you want?”
“I didn’t say that, Mac. Fuck, bro, why do you-”
I hear a whistle behind me.
I turn my head and Taz is standing with his arms folded.
Nodding toward the bikers.
I look and see an old piece of shit that shouldn’t be there.
Stimmy.
And he’s talking to the new guy with the fanny pack.
“That doesn’t seem like a good thing,” Les says to me.
“No, it doesn’t,” I say.
I squeeze my fists tight and look at Les.
“What’s the plan, Mac?” Les asks.
“Let’s go find out what’s going on.”
I walk toward Stimmy.
His back is to me and this guy has no fucking clue we’re there. His fanny pack buddy gives a nod and when Stimmy looks back at us, he hurries around the fanny pack guy like a squirrel trying to hide.
“Fuck that,” I say. “Get over here, Stimmy.”
“We’ll come get you,” Taz says.
He takes a step and the fanny pack guy puts his hand out. “What is this?”
“Excuse me?” I ask. “This is our skatepark. Our beach. Who the fuck are you?”
“Tell them, Brown,” Stimmy says in his little chipmunk voice.
“I’m Brown,” the fanny pack guy says.
“Yeah, you’re about to be red,” Taz says. “When I’m done with your face…”
“Like I haven’t heard that before,” Brown says.
“Let’s take a breath here,” I say. “This is ours. Stimmy isn’t supposed to be here. We have this place covered.”
“Who covers it?” Brown asks.
“Peg Leg Mikey,” Les says.
Brown smiles. “Right. Where’s he at?”
I look at Les… then at Taz…
This is a takeover.
Stimmy got some punk to come over here and wants to take over the place.
I look at the bikers as they start to look at us.
I point. “You buying this shit?”
The guy shakes his head and shows his hands.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask Brown as I get closer to him.
“Just enjoying a ride,” he says. “I saw you eye humping me.”
“I’m going to break your jaw soon,” I say. “I’m not sure what Stimmy has told you, but both of you don’t belong here.”
“Is that so?” Brown asks.
“Don’t do this, bro,” Les says. “Not for Stimmy.”
“I’ll take care of him first,” Taz says.
He moves and Stimmy jumps away from behind Brown.
Taz chases him to the railing and grabs the back of his shirt.
Stimmy gets bold and throws an elbow at Taz.
It catches Taz off guard and he steps back and lets Stimmy go.
Stimmy turns and almost dives into Les’s arms.
Les simply throws Stimmy back into Taz and Taz wraps his arm around Stimmy’s neck.
He squeezes and Stimmy’s face turns bright red.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Stimmy says in a choked voice.
“You’re next,” I say to Brown.
Brown quickly slides his fanny pack around. “Want to see what I have here for you?”
“No,” Les says.
He moves toward Brown.
Brown jumps and kicks at Les.
I have to admit, it’s a pretty badass move. Like a fucking karate kick or something.
As he does it, he opens the fanny pack and reaches inside.
And now he’s got a gun pointed at me.
“Tell your buddy to let my buddy go,” Brown says to me.
“Fuck that,” Taz says.
“Do you think I’m fucking around here?” Brown asks.
He steps forward and puts the gun to my chest.
This guy has some balls.
Some big… stupid… balls.
Does he really think for a second that we’re here without protection?
This is our skatepark.
Nobody just walks into the place and owns it.
“You really want to pull that trigger?” I ask Brown.
“Don’t make me,” he says. “And don’t tell your other buddy here to do something. My finger is faster than his fist.”
“Les, don’t do anything,” I say. “Brown is right. He’s got us. He wins. Fuck. I guess we’re screwed now. Taz, you better let Stimmy go. Okay, bro?”
“You sure, Mac?” Taz asks.
“Yeah. We’re fucked.”
“Yeah you are,” Stimmy says. “And good luck finding Peg Leg Mikey too.”
I nod.
I stare into Brown’s eyes. “You got us. I can’t believe it. But you fucking got us.”
I slowly put my hands up.
“Fuck,” Taz says. “Fine.”
I smile.
“What’s so funny?” Brown asks.
Taz releases his hold on Stimmy.
And then he grabs Stimmy again and throws him into Brown.
Brown stumbles to the side and doesn’t pull the trigger.
Now we can attack.
I punch Brown in the wrist so he drops the gun.
He looks at me and he knows he’s the one who’s fucked right now.
I throw one punch.
That’s all I need.
I hit him so hard in the face, he hits the ground and that’s it.
His eyes are spinning in his head.
I grab at his stupid fanny pack and open it.
It’s full of the same g
arbage that Stimmy had been selling here once before.
I look over to Stimmy and Taz has him by the shirt.
His mouth is bleeding.
He looks ready to cry.
“Can’t help yourself, huh?” I ask.
“Mac…”
“No,” I say. “Taz, finish it.”
“Wait!” Stimmy yells. “You need to know where Peg Leg Mikey is.”
Taz holds his fist back.
He doesn’t hit Stimmy.
I look at Les.
“What did you do?” Les asks Stimmy.
“Brown offered to help,” Stimmy says.
I look down at Brown.
He’s trying to move.
I swing my foot and kick him as hard as I can in his stomach.
He cries out in pain.
I reach down and grab his hair and lift his head.
“You ever come back here again and I will drown you in the fucking ocean. Got it?”
Brown stares at me.
I look over to one of the bikers. “Got wheels, bro?”
“Yeah,” the guy says.
“Next high is one me,” I say. “Take this piece of shit two miles down the coast and dump him off.” I look at Brown again. “I swear on my life what I said…”
I let him go and set my sights on Stimmy.
I take one step and Stimmy’s legs give out.
Taz lets him fall to the ground.
Now we’re standing over Stimmy.
“Mac…”
“Just say it,” Taz says.
“Under the pier,” Stimmy says. “Okay? Under the fucking pier…”
I start to run.
Les and Taz follow me.
I’m not worried about Stimmy hanging back at the skatepark. He knows better than to linger when he gets caught.
“That guy won’t give up, bro,” Taz says.
“I know,” I say.
“He took it too far this time,” Les says.
“One problem at a time here,” I say.
We run to the pier and there’s Peg Leg Mikey.
Sitting in the sand, his right hand tied to the pier.
He looks at me and shakes his head.
He’s bleeding from his nose and mouth.
“What the fuck happened?” Les asks.
“They jumped me,” Peg Leg Mikey says. “I saw Stimmy and went after him. I can’t run, you know? My legs…”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. I crouch down. “You can untie yourself, bro.”
“I don’t want to,” he says. “I fucked up. I let this happen.”
“No you didn’t,” I say. “He set you up.”
“You need some protection,” Taz says.
Peg Leg Mikey looks at Taz. “What do I do? Shoot Stimmy?”
“Hell yeah,” Les says. “Do us the favor.”
Peg Leg Mikey hangs his head.
I grab the rope and untie him from the pier.
I stand up and help him to his feet.
“Look at me, bro,” I say. “Shit happens. Got it? Shit fucking happens. But you never stop fighting. You want control of this place? You want to help us? Expect this shit. Now… are you going to finish this?”
Peg Leg Mikey nods.
I look at Taz and motion for the skatepark.
He starts to run.
Me, Les, and Peg Leg Mikey walk slowly to the skatepark.
“I didn’t even see the guy,” Peg Leg Mikey says. “He literally jumped on my back. And I went down. Then they attacked…”
“Look, bro,” I say and point.
Taz has Stimmy by the shirt.
“Fucking asshole,” Peg Leg Mikey says.
“He’s all yours now,” Les says.
I stop walking and so does Les.
When Peg Leg Mikey gets close enough, Taz lets Stimmy go.
Now Peg Leg Mikey can make his presence known.
I just hope he doesn’t kill Stimmy because I would miss Peg Leg Mikey.
But that’s not my problem.
I light a cigarette and my phone starts to ring.
“Now what?” I ask.
It’s Declan.
“What the fuck do you want?” I ask.
He tells me what he wants…
I drop my lit cigarette to the sand and start to run.
8
JOLIE
“I think I know you.”
I throw an elbow and hit the man in his stomach.
“Hey!” the woman yells from behind the counter. “What are you doing?”
“You’re the girl that’s missing!” the man yells at me.
Now I have everyone looking at me.
“I saw your picture,” the man says. “You’re kidnapped. Is the person who took you right outside? Are you okay?”
“I’m not kidnapped,” I say. “I’m not anyone. Leave me alone. You’re a stranger.”
“No, it’s okay, sweetheart,” the man says. “You don’t have to be afraid. You’re safe here.” He looks at the woman behind the counter. “Anne, you need to call the police right now. This girl was kidnapped.”
“I’m fine,” I say to the woman. “I’m just leaving.”
“You didn’t take your sandwich,” she says.
“I’ll pay for it,” the man says. “Just stay here and eat. Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. You’re safe here.”
The man moves toward me.
I’m creeped out.
He’s just trying to be nice. I get it. But he knows nothing.
He’s right. Yet he’s wrong.
I turn and bolt for the door.
“No! Wait!”
The man starts running after me.
I’m faster than him, but he’s coming after me.
He’s the one who looks like a kidnapper.
I just want to be left alone.
This was a big mistake.
It’s takes an entire block of running before the man finally stops.
“Please stop running!” his voice yells at me.
I don’t stop running though.
I can’t stop running.
I have no choice but to go to Mama Dae’s.
And tell her what I did.
Now I’m afraid of her.
I’m afraid of getting caught by the cops too.
I need Mac.
I didn’t bring the cell phone with me though.
There’s literally nothing I can do right now…
But run.
When I get to Mama Dae’s, I bust through the back door and she turns around in the kitchen, holding a knife.
She looks at my face.
She looks at the door.
“What did you do?” she asks.
“I screwed up big time,” I say. “I’m so sorry. I screwed up big time.”
I start to cry.
Mama Dae puts the knife down and steps toward me.
She slaps me across the face.
“No crying right now,” she says.
She opens the back door.
I hear the sound of a police siren.
Mama Dae looks back at me.
“Oh, Jolie… what the fuck did you do?”
I’m in the basement of the house.
In a room that no human should ever be in.
And I have no choice but to hide in this room.
Mama Dae swore to me she wasn’t going to lock the door… and, yes, I’ve checked. And, yes, the door isn’t locked.
The room in perfectly square, dark, and looks like the kind of room where a serial killer in a horror movie would take his victims to chop them up.
I mean that literally because all over the walls are different kinds of knives. Big, little, machetes, axes… blades that are tall and curved…
It’s scary as hell.
The floor is concrete and there’s a drain in the middle.
I shiver, not wanting to know what goes on in this room.
I calm myself by saying that maybe Mama Dae comes from a family of farmers and these a
re all old fashioned tools that she’s collected or inherited or something.
Do I actually believe that though?
Not a chance in hell.
But, again, there’s no other choice.
I did this to myself.
I should not have left the house.
But I can’t reverse time.
All I can do is wait.
I have a small light turned on above a bench that’s as old as everything else in the room.
I hear the sound of knocking and my heart jumps into my throat.
Mama Dae is right above me.
She opens the back door to the house.
It’s the police.
They’ve tracked me to the house.
I touch my forehead and want to cry.
But I can’t cry.
It won’t do anything.
I hear voices…
“A young woman here?” Mama Dae’s voice says. “Are you sure, Officer?”
“I’m sure,” the officer says. “She was reported missing and was just seen not far from here. A man spotted her in a restaurant and she took off. He followed her with his car… to this house.”
I shut my eyes.
No. No. No. No.
“This house is empty,” Mama Dae says. “I’ve been standing here making sauce. Which is probably going to burn now since I’m not stirring it properly. You know that’s the secret to good sauce, right? You have to keep stirring.”
“My grandmother came from Italy, ma’am,” the officer says. “I know how to cook. I’m not here for lessons. I need to look around this house.”
“Are you serious?”
“Ma’am, there’s a woman missing…”
“Then go find her,” Mama Dae says. “She’s not here.”
“Are you refusing to let me look around?”
“Not at all,” Mama Dae’s voice says. “I’m just confused.”
“Maybe she snuck in through a window,” the officer says.
I hear footsteps.
The cop is in the house.
I swallow hard.
If he finds me… what do I do?
I can play dumb.
I can say I ran away.
Yeah, that’s easy to do.
I can say I have no idea who Mama Dae is either.
So nobody gets into trouble.
In fact…
I bite my lip and walk to the door.
I can just turn myself in.
Just walk up the stairs and tell the cop what happened. That the guy in the restaurant grabbed my shoulder and scared me.
Simple.
It’s easy.
Mess Us Up (Brooks Crest Book 3) Page 7