Ex-Con Times Two

by Jay S. Wilder

  I never imagined my family might get involved.

  My throat closes up and my eyes burn. Why can’t things just be simple?

  20

  Jake

  Katelynn drags her feet across the walkway. She stares at the ground while she walks, hiding her face, but I know something’s up. Something happened during the few minutes she was in her house.

  Hunter opens the door and helps her inside the truck. She stares straight ahead as we back out and hit the road.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  She turns her eyes to me. “My brother told me two men stopped by last night and asked for me.”

  Fury rips through me in a half-second. There’s no preparing for it. “What men?” I practically yell. “The men from yesterday?”

  Over Katelynn, Hunter scowls at me. “Calm down,” he demands.

  I glare at him. Now ain’t the time to be calming down. I don’t get how he can’t sit there all cool and shit. Usually, he’s the one to lose his temper. I end up running behind him with a bucket to put out all his fires with. No one can overreact like Hunter.

  But what’s happening today isn’t some molehill turned into a mountain. Katelynn is in real fucking danger. If it weren’t for Hunter and me, she could be dead right now.

  “It might have been the same men,” Katelynn says. “I don’t know.”

  “What happened?” I ask her. “What did they say? Did they come inside the house? Did they find out you stayed with us last night?”

  “No one knows where I stayed last night. I texted my parents and told them I was at a friend’s house. And no, they didn’t come inside the house. My dad would never let strangers in. He’s careful about that kind of thing.” She bites at her fingernail. “He’s too careful. He’s probably freaked out right now.”

  My shoulders relax a bit but the big ball of tension is still there. “This is too far, Katelynn. You need to talk to Will and your boss and find out just what’s happening. They’re going to want to make you think what’s happening ain’t a big deal, but don’t back down. Don’t let them pussyfoot around it.”

  She nods. “I’ll talk to them today.”

  “Let me know if they don’t fess up. I’ll come over there myself and get the truth out of them.”

  “Jake,” Hunter sharply says.

  I glance his way. His eyes glint. Watch it, he’s saying.

  I know he’s right. I can’t afford to get into a fight. Something small like that will turn into a big deal for me. I’m supposed to be keeping clean in every regard. One wrong move and my time on parole can go down the drain. I could be right back in prison if I don’t watch it.

  But it’s Katelynn. An innocent woman who probably doesn’t even know how to do wrong. She doesn’t deserve to get roped up in some shit she’s got nothing to do with.

  It just makes no sense at all. The system has put me back in the world and expects me to do the right things, but the right thing in this case is something that could get me back into trouble. How can I be a good person with my hands tied behind me?

  “I’ll talk to them,” Katelynn promises.

  “Good.” I can’t say much else. I’m afraid that if I keep opening my mouth I’ll make promises I can’t keep.

  We pull into the assembly plant’s parking lot. I do a quick survey of each car in the rows. Each vehicle is empty and there’s no one hanging around outside the building. Everything looks normal, but you never know.

  “Don’t take any breaks outside,” I instruct Katelynn. “Stay inside all day. And call if you need a ride anywhere. One of us will come and get you as soon as we can.”

  She nods and gives me a smile. It’s forced, but still there. “Thank you. Y’all are such a big help. I don’t know what I would do without you here.”

  The words get to me and make my chest ache. I pull up to the front door and put the truck in park. I wrap my hand around the back of Katelynn’s neck and make her look right in my eyes. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen to you. I won’t let it.”

  Katelynn’s eyes fill with tears.

  “Do you believe me?”

  “Yes,” she whispers, looking back at me with an unblinking gaze. “I believe you.” She means what she says. She knows I’ll do what it takes.

  “Be safe.”

  My fingers press into her skin and seem to glue themselves there. I can’t let her go. “I should come in with you and talk to them right now.”

  She blinks back the tears and straightens her shoulders. “I can do it,” she insists. “If you come in they might get defensive and not reveal anything.”

  “We have to get to work,” Hunter says. “We’re already running late. She’ll be fine, Jake. She’s got her phone and she’s not going outside. Those bastards have to fess up eventually.”

  I tear my touch away from Katelynn and watch as Hunter helps her from the truck. She waves at us, enters a code on the keypad next to the front door, and goes inside.

  I do a slow turn in the parking lot, giving each car a second look to make sure no one’s sitting around waiting for Katelynn.

  “We have to be careful,” Hunter tightly says.

  Irritation spins in my gut. It’s not like him to suddenly be Mr. Cautious.

  “You’re saying that about us, but what about Katelynn?”

  “We’re here for Katelynn if she needs us.”

  “Are we?” I glare at him. “Because it damn well sounds like you’re wishing we could just forget about it all.”

  He grinds his teeth together. “Get your fucking head straight, Jake. I’m not saying we need to forget about Katelynn. I’m saying we need to be careful about how we do things.”

  “You’re one to fucking talk,” I tell him. “You weren’t careful applying to jobs. You didn’t put your criminal history down on any of those applications.”

  It’s a low blow. I understand why he lied on his applications. The outside world doesn’t exactly treat ex-cons kindly. Playing by the rules means we often get left behind. But I’m mad and I need to get my anger out.

  “That was different,” he says. “I needed a job and I wasn’t about to be sent back to prison for leaving a space empty on a piece of paper. Whatever the hell is going on here, it ain’t minor at all. We need to remember that.”

  “I remember that,” I tell the road. I don’t want to look at Hunter. It’s not yet nine, but I’m tired of hearing his voice. For once I’m wishing he wasn’t keeping his ballsy attitude in check.

  “We managed to keep our noses clean for this long and we have some damn good things going for us. We’re caught up on rent. Our parole officer is happy. Business is almost more than we can handle.”

  “And we have her,” I add, annoyed that he left her off the list.

  Hunter doesn’t answer. I look over at him and raise my eyebrows to silently let him know I need a response.

  “Do we?” he asks. “Is she our girl now?”

  “Yes.”

  “You can’t put everything on the line for a piece of ass.”

  My blood practically boils. “She’s more than that and you know it.”

  Hunter’s nostrils flare. He runs a palm over his face and stares at the dashboard. I can nearly hear his wheels turning. “I like her too. I want her to be more than a quick thing. We just need to be...”

  “Don’t tell me again how damn careful we need to be. I got it.”

  “We’ll see if you do.”

  I grind my teeth together and stop looking at him. He’s really starting to piss me off. If we get into a real fight it won’t lead anywhere good.

  There’s a day of work ahead of us, and God knows what else.

  I do know one thing for sure. I’ll be keeping my phone turned on high and in my pocket at all times.

  21

  Katelynn

  I gnaw at the side of my fingernail and stare at the door. I texted Will a few minutes ago, but still haven’t gotten a response.

  That means he’s eit
her driving to work or something bad happened.

  I don’t want to think about the second option.

  Herb, one of the oldest workers here, comes to the door. I buzz him in. He waves a good morning and shuffles down the hall.

  I turn back around in my seat to see Will at the front door. I hit the door’s button and jump from my seat.

  We meet each other halfway across the floor.

  “I need to talk to you,” I immediately say.

  Will’s eyes shift past my shoulder. He stares down the hall beyond me. “Work is starting, Katelynn. I should get in there.”

  “Now,” I insist. “It can’t wait.”

  “Fine. What’s up?”

  “What’s up is that I almost got kidnapped yesterday, Will. By men who I think you might know.”

  “Fuck,” Will hisses. He rubs his hand across his head. “Okay, tell me about it, but not here.”

  I cross my arms and stand my ground. I’m not usually this assertive, but Jake’s talk in the car did something to me. Seeing him willing to fight for me made me feel braver myself.

  “I have to stay at the door,” I remind him.

  Will nods his head. “Shit. All right.” He takes a step closer to me and lowers his voice. “What exactly happened?”

  I have to pause to take in a deep breath. Talking about the events of yesterday almost feel like living them all over again. I see the black SUV and feel the man’s hand covering my mouth. A shiver runs across my back.

  Jake’s blue eyes pop into my head. They give me something better to focus on. With him believing in me I become stronger.

  “I went out to get Brad’s car and this SUV pulled up. These two men told me you and Brad have been avoiding them and because of that, they were going to take me for a ride. The guys who work at the auto shop heard what was happening and came out and chased them off. This morning my brother told me two men, the same ones, I’m assuming, came by my house last night and asked for me.”

  Will’s eyes get wider as I talk. “Damn, Sav. I’m sorry.”

  There’s too much fear in his eyes for him to be a neutral player.

  “You do know what’s going on.”

  He hangs his head. “Uh-huh.”

  “Tell me, Will,” I hiss, just in case someone is in hearing distance.

  “The men you saw, I think they work for this bookie Brad and I know.”

  “Bookie? What’s that?”

  “It’s like a go between guy for gambling. They set up the bets and collect money.”

  “You two are into gambling? What were you betting on?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Just sports. Nothing illegal.”

  I plant a hand on my hip and just stare at him. “This all sounds pretty illegal. Kidnapping is against the law, last time I checked, Will.”

  Will’s Adam’s apple bobs nervously as he takes a long gulp. “Okay, okay. It’s illegal.” His voice gets down to a whisper. “This bookie works for the Russian mob.”

  I want to laugh, it sounds like such a joke. But I can’t, because the way that straight-face Will delivers the news, it’s got to be the absolute truth.

  “Since when does the Russian mafia have a presence in a Podunk place like Amarillo?”

  “There’s a ton going on in Amarillo that you probably don’t know shit about.”

  I don’t like his tone. He’s talking down to me. I’ve put up with a lot in the years that I’ve known Will, but this is too far. My family might be in danger.

  “You have more explaining to do,” I bluntly say. “Who is this bookie person, exactly? What do you know about him?”

  “Not much. Everyone calls him Bennie Whispers, but that’s probably not his real name.”

  “And why would he hire men to hunt us?”

  I already know what the answer probably is, but I need to hear it straight from Will’s mouth.

  “Because we…” He gnaws at his lip and stares at the far wall. “Brad and I owe them money.”

  “How much money?” I tightly ask. Questioning Will is like pulling teeth, but I won’t stop till I get every last decayed answer out.

  Will goes red. “I owe him ten thousand and word is Brad owes about fifty thousand.”

  My jaw drops. “Are you serious?”

  “At least I don’t owe him as much as Brad does.”

  I could slap him upside the head right now. “How can you owe that kind of money? You’re gambling again, I’m guessing. Are you out of your mind?”

  “Sports don’t always go the way you think they’re going to, Katelynn. There can be a lot of surprises.”

  “Clearly.” I turn and take a step back towards the front desk. My knees are wobbly and I need something to hold onto. I grip the edge of the counter and lean into it. “Let me guess. You don’t have that kind of money.”

  “Do you?”

  “I don’t gamble what I don’t have!”

  Will’s lips draw into a tight line. He steps close to me. “Would you lower your voice? I don’t want everyone here knowing my business, thank you very much.”

  I glare at him. “They came after me because of you and Brad! Do you get that?”

  His face softens. For the first time in our conversation, he looks genuinely regretful. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t see this coming.”

  “This Bennie guy hasn’t talked to you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s been over a month. I figured he was giving me some time to get the money together.”

  “And are you doing that?”

  His lips purse and his cheeks blow up. He seems embarrassed. “I’m scraping together what I can.”

  I can’t hide the disgust washing over me. How does a person rake in ten thousand dollars last minute? Not by doing anything moral.

  “Those men said you were avoiding them,” I say.

  “I’ve been avoiding Bennie.”

  “They made it sound like… I don’t know… That they’d talked to you and Brad already.”

  “They must have spoken to Brad. He owes a lot more than me.”

  “If you’re telling the truth,” I slowly start.

  “I am.”

  I study his face. He seems honest. “They came to me and not you. Why?”

  “It must have to do with Brad. They came to collect his money first.”

  “But he won’t talk to them,” I finish, putting the pieces together. “Which means they turned their sights on me. They’re probably thinking they can hold me hostage or something until Brad pays what he owes.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  I shake my head. “God, this is crazy.”

  “I’m really sorry, Katelynn. I didn’t think it would ever come to this.”

  “I know, Will.”

  I’m still mad at him, but I believe he didn’t know what he was getting into the day he started betting with a shady bookie. I run my tongue across my bottom lip. My mouth is dry and caked feeling. The logical thing to do right now would be to call the police. Or maybe not. We have no evidence that Brad and Will have been doing anything illegal. It’s all just hearsay.

  I push myself off of the counter and go around to my rolling seat. “Have you seen Brad today?”

  “Naw. He’s not here.”

  I read the time. Nine thirty. His being late doesn’t mean too much. He doesn’t run on the plant’s regular hours. He comes late or early and leaves at whatever time he needs to.

  But today his not being here makes me worried.

  Will stands where I left him. I don’t know if he’s looking for an answer from me. I’m the last person who has one. I’m younger than him. I have less experience in almost everything than him.

  I have absolutely no clue what to do.

  “I need some time to think,” I say.

  “You aren’t calling the police, are you?”

  “No. You’d get in trouble, wouldn’t you?”

  “We would. Thanks, Katelynn. Really. I’ll figure this out. I promise I will.”

&nbs
p; I can’t say thank you. Being grateful for anything is impossible. He leaves down the hall while I drop my head forward into my hands.

  22

  Katelynn

  The minutes crawl by. I stare at the front door and twist a pen between my fingers while I wait for Brad. Fifteen minutes pass and I can’t take it anymore. I call his cell and hold my breath while it rings. He doesn’t answer. I hang up and stare at the screen. Should I send a text? What if Bennie’s men got to him? What if they’re holding him up somewhere and beating him to a pulp?

  I decide to keep it cryptic. I need to talk to you ASAP.

  I send the text and try to relax, but it’s no good. I’m on pins and needles. I can’t stop looking at the front, hoping Brad shows up and fearing the Russian guys will. The door is locked, but that doesn’t mean it will stop criminals from shooting the glass out.

  Suddenly, Brad rounds the bushes next to the door and presses himself right up against the glass. He bangs on the door and looks frantically over his shoulder. I nearly vomit up my own heart as I press the button and buzz him in.

  Brad stumbles through the front door and almost falls down. There’s a bruise forming around his eye and he’s walking with a limp.

  “Oh God,” I yell. I press a hand to my mouth and rush forward. I reach an arm out to help him but he waves me away. Blood trickles down his lip. He wipes it away.

  “My car keys.” He waggles his fingers at me.

  “What? Brad, you need to...”

  “Give them to me,” he says with new power.

  I retrieve his keys from my purse and hand them over. He rushes through the front door and around the bushes. I stay where I am, not sure what to do.

  I should follow him. Why did he stumble in here looking like he’s been through a meat grinder and demand his keys?