by Sonja B
“Yeah, their asses stay here, who wants to fucking know?” He replies, taking his last pull on the cigarette before flicking it in the yard.
“I’m their older brother, Axl. I’m here to see them.”
I follow his eyes, as they scan me from head to toe. “Their older brother, huh? So, you’re the one they think is going to come take them away. Well, I got news for you, they ain’t going anywhere. We are not giving up those checks for them. So, you can get your ass away from here.”
This stupid mother fucker just didn’t know, I was leaving here with my brothers, even if that meant snatching his fucking soul. “Look, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Tell Felix and Adam to come to the fucking door, or I will make sure you won’t see the sunrise in the morning.”
“You can’t threaten me, you’re on my property. If you don’t get the fuc…” That’s all he got out before I had my hand around his neck, pushing him back into the trailer. He fights back, but I head butt his ass, making him howl out in pain, as blood sprays from his nose. Movement from my right catches my attention. I turn, and there is Felix, who was sixteen, standing there with Adam, now fourteen behind him.
“Hey, little brothers, let me finish having a talk with this asshole, and I’ll be right with you, okay?” I tell them, before turning back to their fucked up foster dad. “Listen to me and listen to me good. My brothers are leaving with me today. I don’t give a shit about your checks; you can keep that shit, but my brothers won’t spend another night in this hell hole. You will continue to act like they stay here. If anyone asks where they are, you tell them they went to visit a relative. Now get me their legal papers, and we will be out of your hair.”
I knew legally, I couldn’t get them because I couldn’t explain where and why I had been away for so long. Plus, I didn’t have what the government would consider a legal job, either.
He rapidly shakes his head up and down. Before I release him, I say, “Don’t try anything stupid. I would hate for your wife to come home and find your body cut to little pieces.” His eyes widen with tears in them. “Honestly, I really should fuck you up for putting your hands on my brothers. Adam told me that you like to hit little kids.”
“Nooo.” He wines.
“My brother wouldn’t lie to me.” I bark back. “Go get their shit before I change my mind and kill your ass anyway!”
I watch him, as he pushes past my brothers and hauls ass down the hall they were standing in.
“Axl?” Felix questions. I know I don’t look nothing like I did when they last seen me. Shit, neither do they. Felix has gotten so tall but is lanky, which lets me know he was not getting enough to eat. Adam has grown some too, but he looks underweight too. He’s not as tall as Felix, but he’ll catch up to him in no time. Adam, like me, always looked more like mom than Felix. He favored our father more, but the two of them got our mother's brown eyes.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I tell them. They rush me, damn near knocking me over with hugs. I said I wouldn’t cry anymore, but this moment deserved a tear or two to drop.
“Where have you been? We thought you were never going to come get us.” Adam sobs.
“I’m sorry, Adam. It took longer than I thought it would, but I’m here now. Man, I missed you guys so much.” I tell them, as I wrap them in my arms.
“Where’s mom?” Felix asks. Shit, they didn’t know. How in the hell was I going to tell them that our mother committed suicide?
“We’ll talk about it when we get home. Let’s get your stuff so we can go.” I state, deflecting his question. I looked down at their dirty clothes that were too small for them. Their shoes are worn with holes in them. What the hell were these people doing with the money the state was giving them to take care of my brothers, because they sure as shit wasn’t using it on them. I finally glanced around the nasty ass living room. Dirty dishes, empty beer cans, and an ashtray that should have been emptied weeks ago littered the small coffee table. The couch has cigarette burns and stains on it. Sheets are hung on the windows instead of curtains. And what the fuck was that smell?
“You know what, you guys ain’t taking shit from here,” I tell them just, as the asshole comes from the back with papers in his hand with toilet tissue stuffed up his nostrils.
“Here’s their paperwork.” He says with his hand shaking, as he holds them out for me.
“You know what I’ve changed my mind. You nasty mother fuckers will not receive another penny for my brothers. I will be by here personally every month to pick up their checks, and if you don’t have it, I start removing appendages from your body.”
He starts to stutter. Nn…nn…now wait a damn minute, we have been taking care of those boys for years now. We depend on that money. You just can’t come up in here and take that away from us! You said we could keep it!”
I step away from Felix and Adam and stalk towards this piece of shit. He backs up until his back hits the wall. “Look at this place, mother fucker! It should be condemned! Look at how my brothers look! You bitches weren’t using that money on them or the upkeep of this place. You got my little brothers living in a fucking dump!” I roar, then slap the shit out of him, causing his head to snap back, hitting the wall with a thud. “You must really think I am playing with you.” I reach into my suit jack, pulling out my trench knife, placing it under his neck. The blade is so sharp that I don’t have to put any pressure on it, as it starts to cuts into his skin. “You don’t know how bad I want to snatch your soul right now, but since I need you alive, I’m going to give you a one-time warning. If you fuck with me or my family, I will come back here like the Grim Reaper. You won’t know when I’m coming, and by the time you do, you will only hear my words before death takes you.”
The smell of piss crosses my nose, causing me to glance down. This idiot has pissed his self. I shake my head, before locking eyes with him. “I see you understand I’m not playing with you. Now, like I said, I will be by here every month to pick up their checks. What day do their checks usually come on?”
“Thirteenth. The thirteenth.” He murmurs.
“Fine, I will be here every thirteenth. Rain, sleet, or snow, I’m coming. I don’t give a shit what you and your wife have to do to supplement that money, but you will no longer use it on whatever the fuck you’ve been using it on. Do you understand what I just told you?” He slightly nods his head, trying not to make the blade go deeper in his skin.
I regard him, before taking the knife away from his neck. I point the knife at him to let him know I wasn’t playing with his ass, as I snatch the papers out his hand. He throws his hands up, wincing.
“Let’s go, boys,” I tell my brothers. They give their foster idiot one last look, before leaving out the door. I make my way to the door and stop. “Oh, since today is the tenth, I will be back in three days to get their money.” With that, I left out the door, thanking God that I had my brothers back.
Before we went home, I took them shopping for new clothes and shoes. While at the first store, when they were trying on clothes and shoes, I took their old ones and threw that shit in the trash. My little brothers will never have to want for nothing as long as I was around.
They were so amped when we pulled up to the house. It was way better than the house we once lived in with our parents. To see the excitement on their faces when I told them they had their own furnished rooms was enough to choke me up. I know our mom is looking down on us, smiling that her boys were back together again. After we got their clothes and shoes put away, we went to the grocery store and damn near bought everything we saw. One thing was for sure, we weren’t going to be hungry anytime soon.
Later that night, I had to do two of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. They had so many questions, and I felt it was best to tell them the truth. I wasn’t going to hide anything from them.
First, I sat them down and told them where I’ve been all this time. They sat wide-eyed and tearful, as I recalled the harsh treatment and training, I had to
endure. I left nothing out. They needed to know that because of our father’s stupidity, I was basically sold to the devil. They didn’t blink when I told them I was now a hitman for Romano, and because of that, I could get called out at any time to do a job. Most importantly, I told them that I wanted them to always be safe. Romano kept saying he had eyes everywhere, which I didn’t know to believe or not. Still, I wanted my brothers to be aware of their surroundings and ready for anything. I explained to them that Romano knew that they were my weakness and threaten their lives every time he thought I was getting out of line. That was one of the reasons I bought the warehouse, besides using it to snatch souls, I began to train my brothers in hand to hand combat and weaponry. If anyone ever thought they could fuck with them, they’ll wish that thought would’ve never crossed their mind.
Second, I told Felix and Adam about our mother. They took it hard, Adam more so than Felix because he was the youngest. Adam was scared that I was going to leave them again too. I assured them that that was never going to fucking happen again. I wasn’t going anywhere and would always be there for them.
Three days later, I went back to that raggedy-ass trailer to get my brothers’ money. The idiot and his wife were there, waiting on me with the cash. I had the wife go up to the boy’s school and have them withdrawn. Next, we went to the post office to do a change of address on her, Felix, and Adam to my address. Then I had her follow me to the school closest to my house to have them enrolled using the new address. With the change of address, my brothers’ checks would come straight to them. Since they couldn’t cash them, I had the foster mother go to their main office and have the checks set up to be deposited onto a separate debit card so I wouldn’t have to deal with their funky asses, unless she needed to come here when foster care came to do wellness checks.
That was five years ago, and both my little brothers are doing well for themselves. They both graduated from high school with honors and went on to further their education. Felix loved to cook, so he’s finishing up culinary school with hopes of being snagged up by a five-star restaurant. But his hidden love was for computers. The kid was a fucking genius. There was no firewall or code he couldn’t crack. Adam studied mechanics in high school because of his love for cars. He took dual classes at the college so he could be certified by the time he graduated. He’s now a lead mechanic at one of the popular garages in the city. He’s even worked in a few pit crews for the Indy 500. They inspired me so much, I went back and got my GED and started taking some online business courses at the local college.
I gave up the house we were staying in. Since I was still doing hits for Romano and he was paying generously, I bought a bigger house. Felix and Adam still live with me with their own wings of the house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We had already spent too much time apart, and as far as I was concerned, they could stay with me for the rest of their lives.
Chapter 5
Axl
I hummed along with a tune playing on the radio, as I headed home from working out at the warehouse. I cruised along the streets in my black Dodge Barracuda. Long gone was the Camaro I used to drive from Romano. Since Adam was a wiz with cars, I had him fuck up the engine to where it couldn’t be fixed. Romano was too busy running behind his hot in the ass wife and now two kids to care about the car, so I went out and bought this one. I loved this car. It has so much fucking power. It was a beast in its own right.
The song on the radio changes to an old school tune that has me reminiscing about high school, more specifically, Monica. I smile at the thought of her, but it soon fades, as I think back to when I did build up the courage to see her.
Felix and I were up late one night watching a Walking Dead marathon when the character Sasha appeared on the screen.
“She kinda looks like Monica,” Felix says, comparing the two.
I play stupid. How could he remember Monica?
“Monica who?”
“Really, Axl? You know damn well who I’m talking about. Mon-i-ca, your ex-girlfriend. The cute black girl, the one who you followed behind like a puppy.”
I continue looking at the television, ignoring him. I did not want to talk about Monica. I try to keep her to the back of my mind most days.
Felix clears his throat before speaking. “You know she came by the house the day after you were taken.” That catches my attention, as I whip my head in his direction. “Yeah, she came by looking for you. Dad answered the door and was hella rude to her and told her all kinds of lies. He told her that you went to live with a relative in Louisiana and that you were using her. You didn’t care about her. You just wanted to see what it was like to be with a black girl. She ran away from the door, crying. I tried to talk to her at school a couple of days later to tell her what happened with you, but she wouldn’t talk to me. Then her brother threatened to beat my ass if I ever tried to talk to her again. He said that if he ever saw you again, he was going to put a bullet in your head for fucking his sister over. I left it alone after that. I would still see her at school with that guy, what was his name…Julian, yeah, Julian. He would always be around her like he was her personal bodyguard. Then three months before school let out for summer break, she disappeared. No one knew where she went.”
What the hell, where did she go? I start to panic because my only thought was that Romano must have taken her. Sweat starts to bead on my forehead, as I clench my fists, about to tear some shit up.
“Calm down, bro. She came back a few months after school started back up in the fall. She looked different though, she was thicker, but it looked good on her. And that Julian was glued to her side as always.”
Relief washed over me to hear that Romano hadn’t taken her. If he had, I was going to go straight to his mansion and snatch his soul, but not before I made his ass suffer.
That fucking Julian! I knew he always wanted Monica, and with me out of the picture, he swooped his bitch ass in and got her. Just thinking about that shit was pissing me the fuck off. I should drive to our hometown, hunt his ass down and fuck him up for taking Monica. Wait, what do I mean ‘taking Monica’? In reality, I lost her the night I was taken. Who was I to fuck up the guy who was there for her when I couldn’t be? It’s been ten years. I would look stupid as hell confronting him now about something so long ago if he made her happy, then so be it. I still hated his ass though.
Feeling defeated, I got up from my recliner. “I’m going to bed.” I didn’t want to hear anymore. That chapter in my life was over a long time ago.
“Alright, bro. Hey, I didn’t mean to bring you down.” Felix says, looking worried.
I smile at him. “You didn’t, Felix. I’m just tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.” He replies, grabbing the remote.
I tossed and turned that entire night. Thoughts of Monica filled my head, so lousy curiosity got the best of me. I had to see her, just to make sure she was okay. The next day was Sunday, and I remembered Monica and her family used to have Sunday dinners together faithfully. I didn’t know if she still lived with them or had moved out, but if they still held on to that tradition, then maybe I could get a glimpse of her.
That next day around six in the evening, I sat in my car two houses down from her parents. I almost left a couple of times thinking this was insane. I mean, since I have been out from under Romano’s thumb and in my own place, I have dated. Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it dating; they were women I would call upon when I needed a release, especially after snatching a soul. I didn’t have time for relationships, with taking care of my brothers and never knowing when Romano was going to call for a hit, I kept my dealings with women casual.
A white SUV pulls in her parent’s driveway. It sits there for a few minutes before the passenger door opens. My heart stops…Monica. She looked just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. She was thicker, but it only enhanced her hourglass shape. Her tits and ass were larger too. My dick was starting to come to life just from the sight of her. She had
her hair up in a messy bun, and her face was void of any makeup. She was a natural beauty. The skinny jeans paired with an off the black shoulder sweater and black boots fit her to a tee. I just wanted to reach out and caress her supple neck and shoulders.
My lusting over her was interrupted when the driver’s side door opened, and Julian got out saying something to her. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles were turning white. I wanted to get out and run up on his ass so bad. I smiled, just thinking of his soul leaving his body.
“Fuck it!” I growl, as I reach for the door handle only to cease my action when the back- passenger door on the driver’s side opens, and a little girl hops out. I couldn’t get a good look at her face, but she was light-skinned with dark ringlet curls on her head. She runs over to Monica, who swats down to adjust her clothes. Monica says something to her that has the little girl nodding her head up and down. Julian walks over to them and takes a knee. He says something to the little girl that has her smiling, and he places a kiss on her forehead. Then the realization hits me, Monica had a baby with Julian. My whole fucking world crumbled at that moment. I used to dream about Monica being pregnant with my babies, but ever since my father fucked my life up, those dreams no longer existed.
Monica stands, saying something to Julian, before she takes the little girl’s hand, as they make their way to the front door with him walking beside her with his hand on the small of her back. A family, they were a picture-perfect family.
A black Mercedes Benz pulls in the driveway next and parks behind the SUV. Nolan, Monica’s brother, gets out. He looks a lot older and buffer than before. He has a bald head with a connecting beard and mustache, and he’s dressed like a rap star. A chick who looks like a washed-up video vixen exits the passenger side. The little girl runs over to him, and he picks her up in a hug, then places her back down. He reached into his jack and pulls out a small box, then gives it to her. She jumps up and down clapping her hands before she takes it. Monica smiles, as she rolls her eyes at them. She then opens the door and disappeared inside with a very excited little girl. Julian gave Nolan some dap like they were best buds, as they talked and laughed it up, then walking inside the house, ignoring the chick.