Bad Citizen Corporation

by S. W. Lauden

  Greg made every light on the boulevard and was back at the motel in less than fifteen minutes. The door to Marco’s room was open slightly as Greg swung the car into the lot. He took that as a good sign, but also knew that it wouldn’t necessarily be Marco that he found inside. He got out of his car and approached the motel room, stopping to listen before he actually went in. There was no sound coming from inside.

  “Marco, are you in there?”

  There was no response so Greg pushed the door open and went inside. The place had been completely ransacked. Every drawer was pulled out of the dressers and the miscellaneous contents were strewn around the floor. The mattresses were flipped over and sliced open to reveal coarse gray stuffing. The closet doors were ripped off of their hinges and the cheap paintings were torn from their mounting on the walls. Greg stepped through the wreckage and quickly made his way to the bathroom. The boxes in the bathtub were gone just as he had suspected they would be. He couldn’t help wondering how much money Marco had just lost and how dearly it would cost him when the people he was working for found out. His phone started buzzing in his pocket just as he was leaving the room. It was Junior.

  “Hello?”

  “Greg, I think that you should come over here right away. There is somebody here who really wants to see you. Right now.”

  The line went dead before he could even respond. He thought about calling her back, but knew it would go straight to voice mail. The El Camino went tearing from the parking lot a few seconds later. It was hard to keep from flooring the gas pedal, but he wanted to make sure he didn’t draw any attention to himself on the way to Junior’s. He parked on the street down the block from her house just to be safe. The living room lights were on but the curtains were drawn as he crossed the lawn and rang the bell. Junior opened the door and grabbed him by the wrist to pull him inside. She slammed the door shut behind him and quickly locked the dead bolt.

  “Junior, what’s going on?”

  “All I know is your friend Marco showed up here a little while ago and scared the crap out of me. He’s convinced Barrett is trying to kill him.”

  “What? Where is he?”

  She motioned with her thumb toward the hall closet and rolled her eyes. Greg went over and opened the door. Marco was hiding behind a row of jackets on hangars. He exhaled loudly with relief when he saw Greg’s face.

  “Dude, are you alone?”

  “Why did you come here? I don’t want Chris or Junior involved in any of this.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. Barrett knows I broke into his place. I don’t know how he knows, but he knows. I saw a couple of his trucks outside the motel.” Marco gave Junior an obvious sideways glance. “You know, after we split up earlier”

  “I know, I just came from the motel. They tore the place up pretty good. And they took all those boxes you had in the bathroom.”

  “You two better stop the cloak and dagger act if you’re gonna use my house as some kind of hideout.”

  The two of them traded looks and silently agreed that they had to let her in on the secret. Greg conveniently began the story from after he woke up that afternoon.

  “I went to the motel to make sure Marco knew about Ricky. We got to talking about the shooting and there were a few things that didn’t add up. Long story short, we ended up breaking into Barrett’s office.”

  “What the hell were you thinking? That guy’s a lunatic.”

  “Believe me, I know. It just seems like he might be involved with the shooting. We’re just not exactly sure how. Hey, Marco, how did you get away from the police anyway?”

  “The police? Okay, both of you on the couch. I want to hear the whole story.”

  Greg did most of the talking and carefully left out any information that either might upset her or potentially incriminate her later on. Junior listened carefully. She didn’t say another word until after Marco explained how he had gotten away.

  “So Greg went around the back and escaped through the reservoir. I went out the front and just bolted past the cop cars. One of them nearly hit me, so I just kept running. A fat cop started yelling and chasing after me, and then threw in the towel after a couple hundred yards. Once I got some distance I started going bush-to-bush, and complex-to-complex. I thought for sure they would call the helicopters in, but they never showed up.”

  “So then Barrett somehow finds out it’s you and sends his goons to come find you?”

  “Seems like it. I honestly didn’t stick around once I saw those trucks. This seemed like the safest place to hide out and get a hold of Greg, so here we are.”

  Greg let the info settle in before he spoke again. He was working hard to control the anger that was rising up inside of him like a geyser about to blow.

  “Do you at least have the folder?”

  “Not with me. It’s totally safe where I stashed it. I’ll get it for you tomorrow.”

  “Okay, good. Say goodbye to Junior.”

  “What?” She seemed more confused than when he arrived. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m not sure. I already told you that I don’t want you or Chris involved in any of this.”

  “It’s really late and I don’t think Barrett will come looking for you here. Where did you park?”

  “Down the street a little ways.”

  “Good. I think you two should just stay here tonight, I’m too freaked out to be alone now. We’ll have to come up with some kind of plan in the morning. Marco, you can sleep on the couch. Greg, into my bedroom.”

  “Greg Salem always gets the girl.”

  “Shut up, Marco. And good night.”

  “Good night, Junior. If you guys get up early, please be quiet.” Marco fell back on the couch with a satisfied grin on his face. “I like to sleep in.”

  “You’re getting up when Chris gets up, probably around seven. And then you’re playing video games with him until he gets bored.”

  “Whatever, dude…”

  Greg’s tired eyes locked with hers the moment they were alone in the bedroom. A small smile was forming at the corners of his mouth as she flipped the bathroom lights off and shuffled to the bed. His right hand was tucked underneath his head and four tattooed stars were bulging on his bicep. He patted her side of the bed with his free hand, moving it just in time for her to lie down on her side facing him.

  “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”

  “I wasn’t exactly stoked to get a surprise visit from Marco, but I’m glad you guys are all right.”

  “He’s not a bad guy.”

  “Maybe not right now, but if you let him hang around long enough something will go wrong. Guaranteed.”

  He wanted to reach out and touch her face, and knew that he couldn’t. That he shouldn’t. There were so many things that had gone so wrong between them for so many years. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew there was a world where the two of them ended up together, just not in this world.

  His self-restraint felt comforting in the most frustrating way possible.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing.”

  She reached out and stroked his cheek with the palm of her hand. He closed his eyes and smiled.

  “I’m worried about you, Greg.”

  “Don’t be. I can handle Barrett.”

  “I’m not just worried about Barrett, I’m worried about all of it. About the kid you shot, and about Ricky and my dad’s bar and this whole mess. I know you love Ricky, I really do, but part of me thinks that you have to let go of solving his murder and just be sad that he’s gone.”

  He opened his eyes. Their faces were inches apart.

  “You know I can’t do that, right?”

  “I know. I just don’t want to lose you, too.”

  “I’ve always been around. And I’m always gonna be around–”

&
nbsp; She stopped him with a kiss. It was light at first, her soft lips parted and hungry for a response. Her hand slid up behind his ear. He moved his body forward so that they were pressed against each other. His hand found her hip and he traced the curve of her thigh with the tips of his fingers. She let out a soft groan as he kissed along her jaw and down the length of her neck. He felt the palms of her hands on his chest, squeezing gently at first before pushing him back a few inches.

  “No sex.” She whispered it under her breath. It was unconvincing, but he lifted his hands and rolled onto his back. “Not like this, not after so long.”

  She swung her hand and brought a pillow down on her face with a smack. Her frustrated laughter was muffled as she rocked her head back and forth underneath it.

  “Junior, it’s okay. If it’s meant to happen, it doesn’t have to happen right now. And if it isn’t meant to happen, well…that will have to be okay, too.”

  Her face was bright red when she flung the pillow off the end of the bed. He could see the deliberation in her eyes. Sex is easy compared to everything that it’s supposed to mean. She brought her leg up and slid it across his thighs, lifting herself up until she was straddling him. His belt came off with a loud, leathery slap. He helped her out of her tank top and sat up to kiss her.

  “It hasn’t been all right, Greg. I’ve wanted this for too long.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Greg. Wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

  His eyes shot open. He was crouched on a pillow with his back against a cold wall. A fan was blowing a cool breeze across his naked body. Junior was on her knees in front of him, gently shaking him by the shoulders.

  “He had a gun.”

  “Who had a gun, Greg? Barrett?”

  “The kid with…” The room snapped into focus. “Never mind. It’s just a nightmare.”

  “A nightmare about the shooting?”

  “Yes and no. Something’s not right.”

  He brought his forehead down on his knees and tried to collect his thoughts. What if there hadn’t been a gun? Had he over-reacted? Let the adrenaline from the chase get the best of him?

  “I’m going to make some coffee. Unless you want me to stay.”

  “It’s okay. Coffee sounds good. But come right back, okay?”

  She flashed a small smile and slid off the end of the bed. He studied her curves as she stood up and got dressed. She slipped out of the room and pulled the door closed quietly behind her. Chris and Marco were probably both still asleep, so there might be a chance to continue where they left off the night before.

  He let his right leg drop to the floor and pushed himself up with his arms. A soft light was peeking through the blinds as he made his way to the bathroom. The toilet seat hit the tank a with crack as he flipped it up. He remembered to wash his hands before he turned to make his way back to the bed. Junior was standing there with a folded piece of paper in her hand.

  “Marco’s gone. Your name was on this note.” She held it out for him. “He must have left right after we got into bed last night.”

  Greg thought he saw her blush as he grabbed the note from her hand. Marco had remarkably neat handwriting for an addict.

  G–

  Had to bail. Too much shit going on right now. I checked in at the motel and Barrett’s already been there looking for me. I’m heading over there to see if I can figure out how to get my stash back. I won’t stick around longer than I need to. I’ll find you at Junior’s later on, after I get a few things figured out. Good hanging out with you again, even if you almost got me arrested. And killed.

  Later, M

  P.S.—You still owe me a TV.

  “God damn it.”

  “What’s that idiot up to now?”

  “Nothing you want to know about. I’ll probably have to track him down today before he gets himself killed.”

  She snorted and shook her head.

  “Greg Salem to the rescue. You haven’t changed a bit since high school.”

  Greg knew what she meant, but she was wrong. A lot had happened since they were kids. Things that had changed him forever.

  “I’m the reason he’s involved in any of this.”

  “He was Ricky’s friend, too.”

  “Right, but he wouldn’t have gone looking for the killer on his own. That’s the difference between the two of us. He’s a junkie, I’m a cop.”

  He was lost in thought when she pushed him backwards onto the bed.

  “Well, right now Chris is still asleep so we’ve got a little time to kill…”

  ›

  Chris was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV playing a video game when Greg finally emerged from the bedroom. The boy greeted him with a nod as he passed through the living room. Greg tried to make sense of the action on the screen as he passed. It looked like some kind of first-person shooter game. The coffee in the kitchen smelled too good to be ignored so he kept moving.

  The mugs were hiding in plain sight, dangling on hooks from under the cupboard. It took Greg several minutes to locate them. He had been here a million times, but couldn’t remember ever making coffee. He guessed correctly that the creamer was on the rack on the inside of the refrigerator door, and missed the mark on the sugar. He poured two cups and stirred in the ingredients until it was the color of wet sand.

  Greg took it slow going back through the living room. He didn’t want to spill coffee on Chris when he walked by.

  “Can you make me breakfast?”

  Greg stopped in his tracks. The coffee sloshed around and almost spilled over the lips of the mugs. Chris still had his eyes fixed on the screen before him.

  “Um, okay. What do you want?”

  “Cereal.”

  Still no eye contact.

  “Let me put this coffee down in the bed—in the other room—and I’ll make you breakfast in a second. Cool?”

  Greg handed Junior a mug and set his down on the nightstand. She took a sip and watched him heading back to the kitchen.

  “Forget something?”

  “Chris wants cereal.”

  “It’s in the cupboard next to the fridge.”

  Greg scratched his head and shuffled back through the living room. The TV was still on, but Chris was gone. He found the boy seated at the dinette digging into a bowl of cereal. The box and carton of milk were standing at the ready on the table next to the boy’s pumping elbow.

  “Couldn’t wait?”

  “Uh uh.”

  Milk was dribbling down his chin as he shoveled multicolored pebbles into his mouth. His round cheeks were scrunching up and down as his jaw fought to keep up with the endless stream of food. Greg grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and took a seat next to him. Chris didn’t flinch as Greg made himself a matching bowl and immediately got to work.

  Chris got up without another word and dropped his bowl and spoon in the sink. The video game came back to life with a barrage of gunfire in the living room. Greg rinsed both bowls and went to join his breakfast companion.

  “Wanna play?”

  “It’s a little early for a gunfight. You got baseball?”

  The boy bent forward and pressed a few buttons on the gaming console. The screen flickered as he took one disc out and inserted another from a nearby pile. He handed Greg a second controller without looking up.

  “Home run derby?”

  “Sounds good.”

  Long before hardcore music, Greg and Ricky had bonded over baseball. If they weren’t hanging around the little league diamond, they were playing tape ball out in the street. Or trading baseball cards during recess at elementary school. They even went to the batting cages a couple times as adults. Greg couldn’t imagine that he would ever go again now that Ricky was gone.

  Junior came into the living room eventually and set Greg’s c
offee mug on the floor beside him. She sat on the couch and watched the two of them hitting home run after home run. It was Chris who finally put his paddle down to signal that he was ready to move on.

  “What are we doing today?”

  “You’re hanging out with Grandpa. I’m running errands with Greg.”

  Greg turned to look at her, but she just returned his stare. Chris started whining.

  “You said you would take me to the beach.”

  Junior’s tone was something Greg had never heard her use before.

  “Not up for discussion. Now go get dressed.”

  Greg felt the need to jump in, although he couldn’t explain why.

  “You and I can go surfing together this weekend. Sunday morning.”

  “Seriously? Awesome.”

  Chris shuffled off to his bedroom. Greg waited until he was gone before speaking again.

  “You can’t come with me today.”

  “You sure as hell aren’t going alone. Besides, I can handle myself.”

  He knew she was right, but he didn’t care. Whatever was going on was bigger than some bar fight at a punk show.

  “Ain’t happening.”

  “You’ve brought this bullshit into my house. Am I supposed to just sit around here and wait for Barrett to show up?”

  Greg had no choice. He had to bring her along.

  “Fine. But you’re staying in the car.”

  “Stop pretending like your opinion matters.”

  Greg fumed as she went to take a shower. Truth was an extra pair of eyes might come in handy, especially now that Marco had split on him.

  With time to kill, Greg went outside to make the call he’d been avoiding.

  “Chief, it’s Greg.”

  “Great to hear your voice. How’s your vacation going?”

  “So-so. Any word on the gun?”

  “Jesus. Get to the point, why don’t you?”

  “Sorry. I’m just a little on edge.”

  “We’re working on it around the clock, so stop worrying. Is that why you called?”

  “What about the kid?”