Blood Relations

by Michelle McGriff

  Julia gulped audibly before following the instructions and injecting the fluid into her stomach area. Within moments her eye lids fluttered and she fell to the floor unconscious.

  “You’re one hell of a babysitter there, Hap,” Junior remarked smartly.

  Hap laughed. “You know what, Junior, you’re one hell of a comedian. You remind me an awful lot of my client.”

  “Can’t wait to meet the guy.”

  “Oh you’re gonna like him ... a lot.”

  Chapter 57

  Shelby was flustered and confused. Her senses were telling her that something was wrong with this whole thing. She’d called Trina and gotten confirmation that indeed Rashawn was on her way—driving. “Late as hell but maybe she stopped at some malls. Chance said, she was stressed out—but still my thing starts in just a little while.”

  “Trina have you called Rashawn?”

  “No, her phone is off or whatever,” Trina told her. “At least that’s what Chance said, or something like that.”

  “Something like that? He told me she left it at home! Doesn’t it strike you as weird that she’s leaving for there the same time as Reggie is coming here—alone. Well I mean he’s coming with Juanita’s boy.”

  “Really.” Trina sounded very surprised.

  “So you didn’t know about that either.”

  “I’m going to call Carlotta.”

  “Don’t bother, can’t reach her nor Ta’Rae ... Rita either.”

  “Something sounds raw and I think we’re being left in the dark.”

  “Why us? Let’s put our heads together. Rashawn is coming there and Reggie is coming here ... hmmm.”

  “I guess we’ll know when they both get here and there,” Trina had said.

  But Reggie hadn’t arrived. And now Shelby had a sick feeling that Rashawn wasn’t going to make it to Arizona either. She’d lingered just a bit longer around the station hoping that another train would come in—knowing this was the only one. Finally she called Chance from her car. What he told her nearly sent her through the roof. “Chance! I can’t believe ...” Shelby could barely speak. She was beyond flabbergasted.

  “Shelby calm down. I had to allow you to go down there to the station. If we had gone, it could have been a disaster. I had to allow you to see if perhaps he would actually make it.”

  “But he didn’t, dammit! My nephew didn’t make it. And where in the hell is Rashawn while you’re up here running around God’s country with Juanita! You should have trusted me Chance. You should have trusted me!”

  “I’m not running around with ...” Chance looked over at Juanita who sat quietly in the passenger seat. Ovan was on his computer in the backseat. “Shelby ... If I had told you what was going on you would have not been able to do this.”

  “Why? Where is my sister? Nobody is answering their phones. Where is everybody? I called Trina ya know! Now she’s worried too. What’s going on Chance? I bet Rashawn is nowhere near Arizona!”

  “Shelby ...” Chance’s eyes burned as he held back emotion.

  “The National Guard is right up ahead,” Ovan said.

  “Who the hell was that? Why are you at the National Guard? Where are you?”

  “I’m in Oregon. But I’m not in Eugene. We’re in Klamath, tracking the Amtrak route. We figured if we missed it or whatever at least you would be at the station, just in case. We’ve been on the road all day going from station to station. Now we’re going off road I guess. We just got some directions on where they could get a plane, maybe.”

  Shelby began to wail. Chance knew he had to tell her the rest. She was hurting now. He was hurting her.

  “Shelby. Listen,” Chance began after parking the car. Juanita jumped out and Ovan followed her. “Rashawn has been hurt. She’s okay—”

  “What! Ooooooh Chance,” Shelby cried.

  “She’s okay. She’s had a car accident. She’s in ICU and all your sisters are there with her except for Trina. When I get off the phone with you, I’ll call Trina. It’s my lie, I’ll call her. You can hate me if you want, but I had to do it this way. I needed some extra hands and yours and Trina’s were the ones I chose,” he said, taking sole responsibility for a joint decision. “Reggie sort of ran away and he doesn’t know his mother is hurt. We’re trying to find him and take him home.”

  “Chance I can’t believe you were a part of this. I will never forgive you for this!” Shelby hung up.

  “Dammit!” Chance blurted slamming the cell phone against the steering wheel.

  “Chance, come on,” Juanita called.

  Chance felt so much pent up anger inside. Why was he here? He needed to be with Rashawn. Reggie was not his son and neither was Junior but Rashawn was his wife, his world, the woman he loved. Juanita pulled open the door and tugged at his arm, bringing his thoughts back. “Come on.”

  “Juanita. Is Roman Junior’s father?”

  “Come on, Chance. I don’t want to talk about that,” she said pulling on his arm. He jerked away.

  “Was it really Roman? Or maybe Doc. Which one did you screw? Which one!” he screamed. “Did you screw them both? While my wife was being raped and violated did you take a lovely little romp with both of them. Maybe you were just fuckin’ Roman while Doc was kicking the shit outta me!” He pushed Juanita back slightly.

  Ovan walked back to the car, apparently hearing Chance screaming. “Chance, pull yourself together.”

  “And you! Who the hell are you? Who? I’m out here running around God’s country,” he said thinking Shelby’s heated words, “with who? Some weirdo from England who isn’t even interested in finding my ...” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “Where are Reggie and Junior? What does Roman want with them ... oh yeah you told me. He wants to kill them,” Chance screamed.

  Chapter 58

  Shackled to the chair at the ankles, Reggie was unable to move while Hap took the blood from one of his ankles. He gritted his teeth in pain as Hap took vial after vial with that big needle. “There,” he finally said laying the last vial on the tray. He then eyed Junior.

  “What?” Junior asked.

  “I just can’t get over my thoughts,” Hap said, rolling up Junior’s sleeve.

  Junior closed his eyes tight. “A www shit man ... come on. I hate needles.”

  “Me too,” Hap said, sounding light-hearted before tying the tourniquet around Junior’s arm and thumping the bend of his arm looking for veins. Finding one, he stabbed roughly, drawing blood. “This is sort of silly in a way. I mean, you have the same mother but—”

  “No we don’t,” Reggie coughed out, recovering from his discomfort.

  “Ahha! Just as I thought. Who is your mother?” Hap asked Junior.

  “Don’t tell him shit!” Reggie barked.

  “Oh Reggie stop being difficult for no reason,” Hap told him.

  “Juanita Davis,” Junior said.

  Hap thought about the name for a moment and then shrugged, “Nope, don’t know her but whatever,” he said, happily labeling Junior’s blood sample.

  Chapter 59

  Roman was none too happy about the scratches on his neck, no not at all. But if nothing else he knew now not to underestimate his opponents. The years had been strengthening for them whereas he, on the other hand had weakened. He needed to get to Oregon so that he could get Reggie’s kidneys. He needed to just do it and leave to maybe South America. He’d already made arrangements to set up a new office somewhere else. He smiled at the thoughts of his globetrotting. He was truly an international celebrity—well at least with the FBI, CIA and now this renegade group of bounty hunters of which Ovan Dominguez was a part.

  “Dominguez, what kind of name is that for a Brit?” he asked himself. “But then again, what kind of name was Tollome for a white man,” he said, thinking aloud about his stepbrother Blain for the first time in days. His mother had told him that Blain’s father was from South Africa ... Johannesburg. Roman remembered wondering how a white man could be from Africa. “But then agai
n, I didn’t know anything back then. Nothing of real value anyway,” he corrected.

  It was amazing to him how complex and involving these experiments had become. At first when working with only one live patient and one dead one while in Jamaica, it was easier to cover his tracks that way. But in London, where he caught Ovan’s tail, he had worked on two live patients—killing them both. As he progressed throughout Europe, all in all the test had been a success. He knew now where he had taken when he should have given and clipped where he should have fused. He’d figured out the magic combination. The ages of the previous victims ... errr ... involuntary kidney volunteers, Roman mentally corrected, were too old, he reasoned. He knew the next experiment would have to be perfect—no mistakes, as the next one would be performed on himself—right here in the US. Picking up the phone he called Hap.

  “Hello,” Hap answered sounding nearly out of breath.

  “What are you doing, playing with the children?”

  “Funny. Where are you?”

  “No, where are you?”

  “I’m where I said I would be when I said I would be here.”

  “You don’t sound happy with me,” Roman laughed.

  “Hey, you didn’t tell me I’d have all these people to deal with. And you sure as hell didn’t tell me you had another son.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Don’t be so sure about that.”

  “I’m positive.”

  “There are two boys here and they are brothers. I’ve taken blood samples.”

  “Who is the other one?” Roman asked sounding almost tongue and cheek.

  “Junior.”

  “Junior?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s Chance Davis’s boy. The DNA you’re seeing is his mother’s. They have the same mother.”

  “No they don’t. He said his mother’s name is Juanita.”

  “Juanita has my son? Good job Hap,” Roman blurted, his heart was instantly lighter. “This is fabulous news. Now neither boy will die ... this is fabulous.” Roman had just recently pondered the thought of a second donor. He’d thought about using Rashawn’s kidney—anything to keep from killing Reggie. But he’d run out of time in that thought process and had just opted for both of Reggie’s kidneys—a full transplant. Once his life had been extended he was planning to continue his studies in South America—where the population was a bit more penetrable and where he could blend in a bit easier. He’d planned to take Reggie with him. Why not? They would truly be father and son then. “Father in son and vice versa.” Roman smiled.

  “Excuse me? These kids are leaving here alive? What about me? I’m not going to prison.” Hap’s voice brought Roman back from his reverie.

  “You kill my children and you won’t have to worry about prison.”

  Roman slammed closed the flip phone he’d picked up from the MetroPCS store before leaving town, and put a bit more speed behind his vehicle. Hap was a lot of things, but crazy wasn’t one of the things Roman assumed about him. But now he wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter 60

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” Julia called out. It had been hours now. She’d awakened to find herself tied to a chair at the wrist and ankles. Junior was strapped in by the wrist only, with restraints. Reggie was sitting in the straitjacket with his ankles tied now with ropes since Hap found he’d needed more blood samples and the shackles were cutting off a degree of circulation.

  Hap came from the backroom. “Fine, I’ll take you.”

  “You’re not about to stand there and watch me pee,” Julia argued.

  “If I don’t, you can’t go.”

  “Fine, I’ll piss on the floor right here then,” Julia growled.

  “My that’s not very ladylike. What would the queen say?”

  “She’d tell me to cut off your balls,” Julia spat.

  “Sounds interesting. Have you ever even seen a man’s balls?”

  Reggie jerked at his restraints. “Hey man just take her to the bathroom. Why you gotta humiliate her this way.”

  “You stay out of it. I’m about tired of you. Frankly, I’m about tired of all of you.”

  “But I thought we were friends. Well until you started taking my blood like a vampire. Then yeah, I kinda fell out with you too ...” Junior began.

  “Shut up. If I had known you were his kid this whole thing would have gone differently.”

  “Well I think I told you whose kid I was and—” Junior went on.

  “You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re both Allen Roman’s sons.” Hap glared at Reggie who now stared wide-eyed with shock. It was the first time he’d heard the name of his father.

  Hap roughly untied Julia, snatching her up from the chair. “Come on,” he said, wiping the sweat that quickly appeared on his top lip. “Now I’ve got this gun. Don’t play with me girlie,” Hap threatened.

  Julia jerked at his grip but could not break it. “You’re not much fun anyway.”

  They disappeared down a hallway that led to the bathroom.

  Leaning forward as much as he could, watching them disappear down the hallway, Junior looked at Reggie. “Do you believe him?”

  “Believe what?”

  “That we’re brothers. That that Allen Roman cat—”

  “Who is Allen Roman, Junior? Who? He’s talking shit to scare us. Your father is Chance Davis. My father—”

  “Is Allen Roman,” Junior said.

  “Just shut up. He’s a liar and if he ...” Reggie stretched his neck to see down the hall, which was impossible.

  Suddenly they heard a scuffle. They heard Julia cry out and Hap yell. The sound of a body hitting the wall made Reggie call out for Julia. There was then silence.

  “Aww Damn, Julia!” Reggie called again, jerking at the straps.

  Julia appeared from the hallway then. She had Hap’s gun tucked into the front of her pants before quickly working Junior’s restraints. “Come on boys.”

  Junior’s eyes were wide with excitement. “What the hell?”

  “Who are you?” Reggie asked while she struggled with the jacket, freeing him. He began loosening the ties on his ankles.

  “I guess you realize I’m not a teenager,” she said, speaking quickly.

  “No shit Sherlock,” Junior exploded excitedly.

  “Well not quite Sherlock but I guess you could call me a something like that. I’m a bounty hunter—and I’m here to capture your father and take him back to London for trial,” she said looking Reggie deep into his eyes.

  “Who is Allen Roman?” he asked.

  “Look we’ll talk on the road. Shit! Where did he put the car keys?” she asked hurriedly searching the small table where she had seen them last. “Go, go get in the car! I’ll find them.” Reggie and Junior started for the door. “They’re probably in his damned pocket,” she mumbled.

  “No, I’ll get them,” Reggie insisted stepping back into the cabin.

  “No, you boys go. I’m fine,” she insisted.

  Just then Hap appeared in the doorway. He was bleeding from the mouth and looked worked over. “You want these?” He dangled the keys that he’d pulled from his pocket.

  Julia pointed at the gun she was holding on him. “Drop them Hap. Drop them and kick them this way. I’m not here to kill you.”

  “It doesn’t matter bitch, if Roman finds you all gone, he’ll do the honors so what the hell,” Hap said. “I’ve got nothing to lose but a lot to gain!”

  “Go on boys,” Julia instructed, noticing them drifting closer to her.

  “No. We won’t leave you,” Reggie barked. Julia slightly distracted took her eyes off Hap for one second.

  Just then Hap charged her. The tussle began. There was a shot and Hap’s head went back right before the second shot dropped him to his knees.

  Junior ran to get the keys Hap dropped in the doorway before running back over to Julia, that’s when he saw Julia bleeding. “Julia!”

  “Buggas,” she said smiling we
akly, stumbling backward.

  “I’ll get something,” Reggie said rushing into the back room where he’d seen Hap going in and out of with the blood samples he’d taken from him and Junior earlier. The room was set up like a hospital room—a surgical room. There were gurneys and stirrups, straps and restraints. There was a tray filled with surgical tools as well. His mind spun with the contemplation of what was to occur here.

  “Come on Reggie. She’s hurt bad,” Junior said, rushing in with his hands covered in blood. Junior froze momentarily as well noticing the chamber of possible horrors.

  “Shit!” Reggie grabbed up some bandages and ran to Julia’s side. Her belly was bleeding profusely. She was weak. He held the bandages against the wounded area. “Julia, hang in there. Hang in there. Junior, look over there and see if there is anything for pain. She’s gonna need something.”

  “I’m looking. I don’t know the names. I ...” Junior was freaking out. Reggie could tell. He glanced back at Julia who was coughing softly. Her eyes were at half mast. She was fading fast.

  “Julia?” Reggie called her. She smiled weakly.

  “Leave me,” she said.

  Reggie shook his head. “No way.” His eyes were burning now. He glanced over at Hap, crumpled on the floor. Laying her softly on the floor he ran over to join Junior in his search for painkillers. Just then Reggie heard movement behind them.

  Turning, he saw Hap on his knees. He was aiming a dart-like syringe right at Junior. “Die!” he called out letting the syringe fly. Pushing Junior out of the way, Reggie caught the syringe in the shoulder.

  “Arrrrg,” Reggie cried out in pain, ripping the dart out immediately.

  The gunshot was louder than the last one as the bullet entered Hap’s back and did not exit. Although blood spilled from his mouth before he fell forward. It was Julia’s last brave act before she closed her eyes. “Julia!” Junior screamed, while rushing over to Reggie all at once.

  “I’m okay. I’m okay,” Reggie growled, trying to hide the pain that the fire in his shoulder had caused. The heat was spreading fast.