A Jar of Dreams

by Cartharn, Clarissa

  “Yes. Who’s asking?”

  “My name is Eric Tanner.”

  Carl lifted up an eyebrow.

  “John Adelstein sent me…,” Eric started.

  “Yes, yes, I remember. You’re here for a job.”

  Eric coughed. “Yeah… yes.”

  “You green?”

  Eric gave him a brief blank stare. “No. No, I’ve got experience.”

  “How many years?”

  “Five?”

  “Was that a question or an answer?” Carl said sternly.

  “I’ve had five years in the construction business.”

  “I’m hoping that was the last five years?”

  “No… I…uh… had left it for a brief while.”

  “Well, what was your last job?” he demanded impatiently.

  Eric’s jaw tensed. He glanced up at the workers, whispering as they studied him. What did he do last? He cleaned up for people. His heart sank. He shouldn’t be here. He didn’t belong here. “Desk job,” he muttered. “Pushing papers.”

  “You didn’t like going to work in a tie?”

  He smiled. “I was bored. Thought I’d return to my old roots.”

  Carl ran a stern eye over him. “The last thing I need is some Jedi-Apprenti. But if John sent you, I’m gonna give you a shot. If you can’t do the job, you tell me. You hear me? It’s better that I get someone to babysit you than you play Russian roulette with my building. You got that?”

  “Yes.” Eric nodded.

  “First things first. Let’s get you a brain hat and a bra.”

  A hard hat and safety vest, he told himself. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.

  Eric collected the mail from the letterbox and then dropped the lid, clanging it shut again.

  “Eric,” his neighbor called from across the street.

  “Jake,” he acknowledged and then smiled. A month ago, he almost had a tussle with him over Anne. And with the charm their handsome neighbor kept wielding into his conversations with Anne, he couldn’t help but become possessive of her as well. Not so much now though when she revealed exactly what she thought of him.

  A cute and adorable bear. Weren’t those the exact words she had used? He grinned. If the guy was adorable, then surely he couldn’t be a potential rival, right? Women didn’t call a man they were attracted to adorable.

  He gave him a small wave as he punched in the code to open the front door.

  “Eric?” Anne called from the living room.

  “Yeah,” he said as he shut the door behind him.

  She walked up to hold him, but he held her hands and gave her a small kiss on her cheeks instead.

  “I’m awfully in need of a wash,” he explained. “You’d get dust all over you.”

  She smiled. “How was your first day?”

  “Good. I’m officially in now.”

  “I’m so proud of you.” She beamed.

  “I’m so proud of me.” He laughed and then added, “I’m glad I went.” He caressed her hair. “Let me go grab that shower. I’m starving.”

  “Good,” she said. “Because I’ve cooked. We can have dinner now. I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

  “Awesome!” He skipped up the stairs. “Back down in a minute.”

  He pulled off his shirt as he entered their bedroom. But as he unbuttoned his jeans, his phone beeped. He stopped, ambling over to it curiously. An email? He frowned as he opened the folder.

  Call me.

  He rechecked the email address. It was Bobby. He turned on the phone which he used to call him and dialed his number.

  “Ricky?” Bobby asked from the other end.

  “Yeah. You dropped a mail.”

  “Yeah… yeah I did.”

  “So what’s up?”

  Bobby grew silent. “You’re in some fucked up shit, man.”

  Eric tensed. “Why don’t you tell me what it is first?”

  “Do you remember Mike Bartlett? The guy you knocked off two years ago?”

  He frowned. “The director for Creeks River Projects. Yes.”

  “Right.” Bobby paused. “Do you know why you were hired to kill him?”

  “I don’t ask why, Bobby. As long as I am satisfied they’re the fucked up bastards that they are, I don’t mind.”

  “Well, here’s the thing. He wasn’t a fucked up bastard.”

  Eric ambled over to the window. “What are you talking about?”

  “You see, the guy who contracted Cavallo to set up the job, Kurt Lynch? Well, he kinda messed up with Mike Bartlett’s daughter.”

  “So he fucked her. What’s the big deal?”

  “Ricky, she was fourteen years old.”

  His collar suddenly caught at his neck, suffocating him and he opened the windows with a little tremble in his hands, eager for some air.

  “Ricky?” Bobby asked when he didn’t speak for a while.

  “Do you know why Lynch wanted Bartlett dead?”

  “Bartlett found out Lynch raped his little girl and when he threatened to report it to the cops, Lynch contacted Cavallo.”

  “That can’t be all,” he whispered. “There has to be some dirt on this guy. There must be something.”

  “I’m sorry, Ricky. But Bartlett was clean as a whistle. His only connection with Lynch was that the bastard was his client. They were working on some project involving a water dam together.”

  His heart clamped. He killed a guiltless man. His sins had caught up to him. His hands were finally stained with innocent blood.

  CHAPTER 18

  “Rick, are you alright man?” Bobby spoke into the phone.

  He swiped his hand over his face tiredly. “Yes. I can’t believe I didn’t bother to do a background check on the man.”

  “You trusted Cavallo.”

  “Yeah.” He peered out the window and to the garden below. “Do you know why they want me dead then? The Bartlett job was a success. I don’t understand what they would want with me now.”

  “Lynch suspects your conscience. Apparently Mrs Bartlett is hounding the cops for answers about her husband’s death. Lynch is afraid you might talk. After all, it is well known, Ricky, that Cavallo can be bought but your principles do not have a price.”

  His principles had long been a contention in the underworld. Some admired him for his loyalty while others despised him for holding strong to what they thought were meaningless values. It had become a double edged sword in his strive to become the best in what he did.

  “What will you do?” Bobby asked worriedly.

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about it.”

  “Do you think Cavallo will back off if you make it clear you won’t talk?”

  “Cavallo’s been paid a price for my blood. He’d sell his own mother for an irresistible offer. What makes you think he will even consider leaving me alone?”

  “That’s true,” Bobby said slowly. He hesitated briefly.

  “What is it, Bobby?” Eric asked immediately, noticing the little tremble in his voice.

  “I don’t know how to say this, Ricky. Cavallo no longer has a contract from Lynch.”

  His ears perked. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s a bounty now. There are a handful of dirty fucked up hit-men out there thirsty for your blood. It seems Lynch preferred a hunt and all your rivals were too eager to partake in the game.”

  His jaw clenched. He had underestimated the severity of his predicament. There were not just two people out there trailing his scent, but there was an entire pack of those vermin.

  “How much did Lynch place on me?”

  “Two hundred and fifty thousand.”

  “He is desperate,” he uttered, strangely impressed with the sum.

  “Yeah. But that’s also indication of how much attention this has garnered. There will be people who will turn against you, Ricky. You can’t trust anyone.”

  “I know, Bobby. Thanks,” he muttered.

  “So what now?” Bobby asked
.

  He looked down at his nails filled with dirt from his day job. They could be cleaned. But what of the stain of Bartlett’s blood? That would probably remain on his conscience forever.

  “Can you track Lynch?” he asked Bobby slowly.

  “Yeah, I could do that. What are you gonna do, though?”

  “I need to clarify those facts, Bobby.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid, Ricky. Lynch is a powerful man. He won’t be too easy to get rid of.”

  But it would be the only way to get his freedom back- the only way to get all those bounty hunters off his trail. Nothing else made sense. If he took away the prize, the sporting would stop.

  “Eric…honey, dinner’s ready,” Anne called out as she came towards the room.

  He covered the mouthpiece of his phone quickly. “I’ll be there soon.”

  “Who are you talking to?” she asked from the doorway.

  “Just a friend, babe. I’ll be down soon, okay?” He walked up to her and gave her a light kiss on her lips.

  “Okay,” she said with some hesitation. She turned around and walked back down the corridor.

  He waited until she had safely gone down the stairs. “Bobby?”

  “Who was that?”

  He swallowed. He wasn’t ready to reveal his relationship with Anne. He couldn’t risk putting Anne in the middle of a crossfire between him and those ruthless cunts. They cared nothing for the innocent, much less families. All that mattered to them was the reward.

  “Ricky, who was that woman?” Bobby asked again.

  “A friend,” he said at last.

  “She sounds more than that.”

  He didn’t reply, not wanting to lie to someone as close as Bobby.

  “Ricky, man, listen… it seems you’ve found yourself a good woman. You can’t go after Lynch. This maybe your chance to get away from this world. Make your escape. For god sakes, you’re already playing family and it seems you’re pretty good at it. Take this opportunity. Start a new life, man.”

  He sat on the edge of their bed, unable to go back to sleep. Bobby’s words kept reverberating through his mind. You can’t go after Lynch… Make your escape… Start a new life.

  He squeezed onto the edge of his mattress, trying to catch his breath.

  “Eric?” Anne asked, sitting up slowly. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing, honey. Go back to sleep.”

  She crawled up to him, her hands caressing his arm. “What is the matter, Eric? You haven’t been yourself since after speaking to your friend. Are you missing your family?”

  He caught her palm and kissed it. “You are my family, Anne.”

  She smiled as she sat up and kneeled behind him. She put her arms around his neck, her breasts pressing against his bare back.

  He closed his eyes. He liked her there, leaning over him like that, her face tucked in his shoulder and her cheeks chafing against his neck.

  “Who was he?” she asked. “Your friend?”

  He sighed. There wasn’t much he could tell about his past. But Bobby Naylor was one he was proud of.

  “I met Bobby when he was just a fifteen year old finding his way aimlessly through the streets of New York,” he started. “His mother was a drug addict and he didn’t know where his father was. I found him one day collecting cans at the corner of a dance club and we kind of just started talking. At fifteen, I thought he would have been like most abandoned kids. You know, being the bully, playing with guns and robbing stores. But yet, he was out there doing it the hard way, the right way, earning for his food. Perhaps, I admired that about him or perhaps, it was simply Momma Leticia’s influence rubbing off in me. Whatever it was, I grew to love that kid.” He let out a small chuckle and then continued. “I got a home for him and made sure he went back to school. He’s in his second year of college now,” he said proudly.

  She brushed his hair tenderly and laid a small kiss on his temple. “You are a good man, Eric. You looked out for him. Not everyone would have been as kind.”

  He lowered his head. “We both look out for each other. He still does.”

  Bobby had always insisted on being his third eye. And no matter how many times he had fervently told him not to, Bobby would still interfere, keeping an ear out for any information that he could use. The boy did well at college and he wished that that is where he would stay. But Bobby would always worry about him, deliberately hanging out in circles where he could learn anything that could be of help to Eric. Eric understood where he was coming from. Bobby felt too obliged to Eric for plucking him out of the streets. There was also the fact that Eric was the only family Bobby really ever had. He had actually heard the relief in his voice when he had heard Anne in the background. He had always wanted Eric out of that business and he finally could see there was hope.

  He covered his face tiredly. What had he got Bobby into? He could only hope he wouldn’t be caught from all his nosing. But it wasn’t just about Bobby anymore. There was Anne now.

  He clasped her hand tightly. What would he do if they found out about her? Kurt Lynch wouldn’t withdraw his bounty so easily. And as long as that still loomed over him like a death warrant, there will always be people hunting to kill him.

  “Eric?” she whispered a little concernedly.

  He tugged her to the front, carrying her on his lap. “What am I gonna do with you?” he whispered back as he leaned down into her to kiss her.

  She opened her mouth to take him in. He nipped at her lips, darting his tongue into her mouth, playing and teasing hers. His hands trailed under her night dress and then lifted it off her.

  He admired her for a minute as she sat there on his lap, her breasts bare and free for him. How did he get so lucky?

  He cupped her face and began kissing her again. She pushed him down, leaving a trail of kisses down his body and to his hips. He moaned, his breath growing short and raspy.

  “Anne?” he spurted.

  “Shh,” she quieted him. She pulled his boxers off and clasped his cock in her hands.

  He pulled in a deep breath of air, his hands clutching a bunch of her hair.

  She kept her hand wrapped around his hot member, gliding it up and down until he bucked.

  “Anne,” he begged.

  She didn’t listen, taking him in her mouth and pushing him deep into her. His ass moved in rhythm to her mouth and he groaned, knowing he was almost going to come in her mouth. But she withdrew and he groaned again, now from the loss of her.

  She climbed atop him, straddling him as she slid his cock into her slick wetness. He closed his eyes, enjoying the new found confidence in her. He held onto her hips as he ground deep into her. Their breathing grew raw and rough until their bodies constricted; drunk with the pleasure they gave each other.

  “Hey, Tanner, I need to drop a deuce.” The man rubbed his crotch. “Keep a watch out for the skipper, okay?”

  Eric grinned. “That’s your third time to the shit sauna, Deelon. Did you eat something disagreeable last night?”

  Deelon groaned, glancing about for the foreman amongst the bustle in the construction site. “My missus tried baking last night. All I can say she’s not the finest cook in the land.”

  “Well, kudos to you for swallowing it down.”

  “It’s quite a price to keep her happy. But she is worth it, man.”

  Eric felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, tingling his thighs. He pulled it out quickly, knowing that it could only be Anne. She was video calling and he switched her on immediately.

  “Anne?” he said, a smile lighting up his face as soon as he saw her.

  “Hey, honey,” she said. “Are you busy?”

  “Your missus?” Deelon mouthed at him.

  Eric smiled and nodded. “No, I’m fine, babe.”

  Deelon tried to peer at the screen and Eric chuckled. “Honey, this is Deelon,” he introduced. “He works with me on the site. Deelon, this is Anne.”

  “Wow, aren’t you a stunner?” Dee
lon said. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Deelon.” Anne laughed on the other end.

  “Now, get on with your business,” Eric growled playfully at Deelon and then turned back to Anne. “What was it, honey?”

  “I wanted to make some pasta for dinner. But I can’t tell the difference between the jars. I need the red wine and herbs pasta sauce.”

  Deelon overheard her question and stalled, a frown creasing his brows.

  “Lift up the phone a little higher babe,” Eric said, peering carefully into the screen.

  “This one?” she asked as she touched a bottle.

  “No, to the right babe,” he instructed, spotting it almost immediately.

  “This one?” she asked again.

  “Yep, that’s the one.”

  “Hey, Tanner, get the fuck off the phone!” Carl Johnson shouted at him angrily. “If you want a job here, you stay off the fucking phone!”

  “I have to go, honey. I’ll talk to you in the evening.”

  “Oh, okay. I hope I haven’t got you into trouble,” she said, worry masking her face.

  “No, you haven’t. Bye, darling.”

  He switched the phone off and hurriedly returned to his task.

  Deelon strode up casually to the foreman, a little twitch in his jaw annoying him slightly. “You might want to go easy on the kid, Johnson.” He nodded at Eric. “His missus is blind. She just needed him to point out a jar of pasta sauce.”

  Eric packed up for the evening, throwing his jacket over his shoulders as he made his way out of the construction site.

  “Tanner!” Johnson called out to him.

  Eric stopped, his temples pulsating a little more rapidly than normal. Was he going to berate him over Anne’s call? If he couldn’t talk his way out of this, he would have to look for another job. But Anne- Anne, he couldn’t sacrifice.

  “Carl,” Eric acknowledged, bracing himself for a tell-off.

  “Uh…” The man fumbled with his hard hat as he stammered for words.

  Eric frowned, wondering now if he was trying to fire him.

  “Listen,” Carl started. “Some of the boys are bringing their families over to my place for dinner on Saturday evening. “Why don’t you and your missus join us?”