by Zoey Parker
“I think he will,” I said, trying to keep my voice strong and steady. “I definitely think he’ll save me.”
Jake smiled, showing all of his teeth. I dared myself to look into his dark eyes and hold his stare for as long as I could.
“You really think Zane will save you?” He looked at me, up and down, letting his eyes linger on my chest.
I shuddered again. “I hope so,” I said. “After all, you need your money, right?”
“Damn straight,” Jake replied. “Rico, this one ain’t so dumb after all!” He let out sound that sounded like a cry of joy. “Hold on a second,” he said to me in an oddly formal tone, as if I was just waiting for him to do me a favor. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he dialed a number and held it up to his ear.
“Yo, Zane,” Jake said. He winked at me and I felt my heart plummet to the bottom of my ribcage. “Deal’s changed. That’s gonna be double the money. I just found out Blondie here is carrying a special load.”
I set my lips in a thin line, determined to look as strong as possible. In reality, the situation was absurd. We were standing in Zane’s driveway, with a dead body on the sidewalk not twenty feet away. My heart went out to that little old lady. She probably had a family; she probably had grandchildren. And now they wouldn’t get to grow up knowing her. Jake had ended her life in less than a minute.
“And, Zane?” Jake grinned, keeping his wolfish eyes locked on my face. “You gotta call off that deal. I ain’t gonna help you now, and I think you know that.”
I stared. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but judging by the tinny, murderous reply I could hear spewing from Jake’s cellphone, I knew it must be bad.
Chapter 28
Zane
When Jake hung up the phone, I was shaking with anger and grief. I was still standing on the front porch of Lionel’s house, staring at the street and the other houses. It looked like a normal day: cold, chilly, no one outside. It looked completely innocuous. I had a hard time believing that just behind me lay two dead bodies.
I’d given myself a few minutes to wallow in the shame of having my father and his girlfriend killed by my supposed brother. Jake and I had grown up together, and this was how he’d repaid my family. He didn’t give a shit about my father. He didn’t give a shit about me. He only cared about himself, that rat-faced bastard.
“Jake, you are fuckin’ dead,” I mumbled under my breath. I could just see him now: conniving and sneaky, the same asshole he’d always been. Secretly, I should have known better. I should have seen this coming. I should have been able to tell his motives were far from pure.
But all I could think about was Isabella. Was she okay? Was she hurt? I shivered. Jake wasn’t good to women. He didn’t like them, and as evidenced by Terry, he didn’t give a shit for their dignity. I shuddered, remembering she’d been naked when I found her. Even though Terry loved parading around in skimpy outfits, I didn’t think she would have been naked when Jake found her. My mouth went dry as I thought about him raping her, hurting her until she couldn’t move, then stabbing her just like he’d stabbed my old man.
I didn’t want to think about it anymore, but I couldn’t help it. I imagined Jake slipping into the house. Terry would have been prancing around in a bikini or a short skirt, maybe planning something for Lionel’s lunch. Jake would have acted friendly, then attacked Terry when her guard was down. I shook with anger as I thought about the screams and cries she must have made.
Jake had killed Terry first. I just knew it instinctively. Terry was a relatively young, athletic girl. She easily could have run away if she smelled the faintest whiff of trouble. But she also wasn’t very bright. I easily saw her letting Jake in, making him a cocktail or some coffee, bantering with him about whatever. But then he killed her.
And Lionel must have heard everything. Lionel had been upstairs, warm in bed, cranky and waiting for lunch. And then the doorbell rang, and he probably yelled for Terry to hurry up, probably told her his blood sugar was low. As Lionel listened to Jake and Terry flirting downstairs, he probably got mad. He was probably shaking with anger, jealous and mad. When they went quiet, I bet he was thinking about Terry getting on her knees and sucking Jake off. I bet Lionel was even thinking it was getting to be time to replace Terry soon, that she’d been living off the goodness of his heart for a long time.
But Jake had struck first. He’d killed Terry and shoved her body in a cupboard. When he went upstairs to see the old man, I bet he did a great job of acting like nothing had happened.
I shook my head in disgust and rage. Whatever sadness I’d felt about my father’s death was slowly draining out of my body, leaving me angry and powerful. I wanted to find Jake and rip his head off, or put his feet in cement and force him off the end of a boat. I hated him.
Lionel had always told me that working in the family business meant working with people you couldn’t stand. It sounded naïve, but I’d never believed him until now. He’d always said we were different because we had to do “close” work together, like disposing of bodies and shit. Well, Jake and I had never done that together but I hated him just the same.
When Isabella had told me about her family, I’d wanted to laugh. It sounded ridiculous — a single mom taking care of a little Italian girl, clueless to her husband’s real identity. I’d always thought the way I’d grown up was best: spare time filled with Italian family get-togethers, lots of meetings in the basement. I’d always felt cool, at least I had ever since Lionel had included me that one fateful night. It sounded stupid, but I thought I was better than a lot of people. My family wasn’t like everyone else’s family. We didn’t pay taxes or hold stupid, shitty jobs that wore us down year after year.
But now I was almost envious. I wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a family who loved me, who wanted to take care of me. I wondered what it would have been like to have a father who came home and played action figures with me instead of a father who disappeared into the basement with a cigar and a fifth of brandy. I wondered what it would have been like to grow up without seeing a gun, or hearing someone shriek before they died, or having to scrub blood of my school uniforms.
“It probably woulda been real fuckin’ boring,” I said under my breath. Balling my hands into fists, I climbed behind the wheel of my Porsche and started towards home. I knew Jake and Isabella wouldn’t be there, but some part of me still thought this was a joke. Some part of me still felt like I was going to get there and Jake would jump out from behind a banner that read, Congrats, Zane, you schmuck! Isabella would jump on me and wrap her legs around me, press that full, generous mouth against mine. I shuddered. I couldn’t wait.
Snap out of it, I told myself. She ain’t gonna be there. He took her, and that’s that. But I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. Maybe this was all a joke, maybe everything was happening under guise of something else.
But then I remembered Lionel and Terry. The way Terry’s body had looked shoved into that cabinet. The way Lionel’s sheets had been gelled with blood, like it was ketchup or paint or something much thicker than the blood that flowed through our veins.
My hands tightened around the steering wheel. This was war, and I knew it.
My phone buzzed in my pocket again. I knew instinctively it was Jake. As much as I didn’t want to give him the time of day, I knew he was counting on me to answer. If I didn’t answer, he’d likely hurt Isabella. And I couldn’t deal with that now. I just couldn’t.
“Hello?”
Jake laughed. “Yo, Zane,” he said in a breathy voice. “Deal’s changed. That’s gonna be double the money. I just found out Blondie here is carrying a special load.”
I balled my hands into fists. Shit. She must have told them she was pregnant so they wouldn’t hurt her. It was a smart move, but one that had put me in even deeper shit. I couldn’t believe it. “And what else?” I said through gritted teeth. “I know there’s something else, Jake.”
I held my breath as Ja
ke told me exactly what I hadn’t wanted to hear: the drug deal was off, and I wasn’t going to be able to move that coke. He confirmed my suspicions, telling me he thought things were going to end up this way anyway. That dog, I thought to myself. He always wanted to fuck me from day one, and he’s finally done it. Without even realizing what I was doing, I let loose a scream of anguish into the phone.
Jake laughed in response. “Oh, yeah, boy,” he said. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he must be smirking. “That’s how it goes, son.”
“I know you killed Lionel,” I spat harshly. “I knew you would do that. He confessed, you know. He was still alive, right when I got there.”
Jake laughed. “And that’s a problem? You hated the old man!”
“That’s not the fucking point, Jackhole,” I sneered, using a nickname from when we were kids together. “You killed him. He was the fucking leader of the family business, and now he’s fuckin’ dead. You happy about that, asshole?”
Jake didn’t reply. “It doesn’t matter,” he said greedily. “That old man was a fucker. His bitch, too. She screamed and screamed when I killed her. The neighbors ten miles away probably heard her crying.” Jake’s voice sounded dangerous, pleased with himself.
“Fuck you,” I muttered. “I recorded Lionel’s last words, you know. The last words where he confessed it was you who’d killed him. He said your name, you know. You’re fucking dead, Jake. And if anyone else in the business hears about this, they’re gonna want you dead, too. How’s that gonna feel?” I smirked, forgetting somehow that Jake was the one with the power right now. “You’re gonna be on the run, without any money, without anyone to boss around. I bet it’s gonna feel pretty fucking bad, huh?”
Jake hung up without replying. I tightened my jaw and let out a long, low scream of displeasure. I was going to kill that fucker if it was the last thing I ever did, if it was the only thing I ever did.
I imagined Isabella and our baby, fatherless. She’d be sitting in the window, rocking the infant from side to side. He’d be named Zane. Isabella would say, “Baby Zane, your daddy died keeping you safe.”
It was a grim image, but it was just what I needed to keep going.
Chapter 29
Isabella
After Jake hung up the phone, he looked at Rico. “Tie her up,” he said quickly. “I don’t want her fucking getting away again.”
I shivered as I felt Rico’s rough, tough hands sliding over my smooth skin. Even though I’d taken him to be the nicer one, the gentler of the two, he didn’t show it this time. He grabbed my wrist and then spun me around, grabbing the other and tying them firmly behind my back.
“She’s done up tight, boss,” Rico called, pleased with his work.
“Doesn’t it bother you that we’re doing this in a public driveway?” I snapped.
Rico walked around to my front and faced me. “You’re a cunt,” he said, repeating Jake’s earlier words. “And a fucking nosy cunt at that. Shut up,” he said, pulling a gun from the waistband of his pants and waving it around. “Or I’ll fucking pistol whip you until you can’t talk anymore.” My face must have showed horror because Rico grinned. “She’s gonna be quiet,” he said proudly to Jake. “I fuckin’ shut her up.”
“Good,” Jake snapped. “Put her in the car.”
Rico grabbed me and wrestled me back towards the car. The backseat doors were open and he put one hand on my head, shoving me in. I spat and kicked and did everything in my power to make it harder for him, but Rico was much stronger than me.
“God, what a bitch,” Rico said. He slammed the door shut.
It was hot in the car and I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. Even though it was chilly outside for a fall day, Jake had parked in the sun. The leather interior burned my bare skin like fire, and I moaned and writhed around, trying to get out of the direct light.
They were staring at a map that was spread out over the hood of the car. I shuddered. Were they planning to kill me? If so, I almost wished they would get it over with. Jake had to know Zane was good for a lot of money, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he wanted to kidnap me. After all, Zane had kept my identity a secret, even from me. I hadn’t found out until I’d seen the locket and confronted him. If I hadn’t known who I was, how did Jake know? How did Rico?
My mind was swarming with crowded thoughts. When they let themselves in the car — Jake behind the wheel, Rico riding shotgun — I barely noticed until Jake gunned the car into gear and started backing down the driveway.
“Hey,” I said suddenly. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because we want to,” Rico said. He turned around and faced me, a grin plastered on his grimy face. “We like to make pretty girls suffer.”
I shivered. I was more afraid than I’d ever been in my life, but I didn’t want him to know that. “I don’t think that’s the reason why,” I countered. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with me at all. I think you’re trying to get to Zane.”
Rico laughed out loud. “Jake, she’s a genius!”
“Shut up,” Jake snapped. He took his eyes off the road and turned towards me, twisting in his seat and contorting his face with rage. “Shut up! Shut up, you stupid cunt!”
I blinked. I was almost used to being called horrible names now. It still bothered me, but it didn’t have the same sting as it had before. I shuddered at the thought of being used to anything that was this bad, but I knew I was doing what I had to do in order to stay alive.
“Why do you want to hurt Zane?” I asked softly. “His father is the leader of the family business. You owe everything to him. Even I know that, and Zane doesn’t tell me shit.”
The truth was I didn’t know anything. I was bluffing. I’d been bluffing since the beginning, and I didn’t see any reason to stop now. But I thought somehow, if I could provoke Jake into getting angry, I’d be able to take advantage and run away. It was a stupid idea, but it was the only plan I’d even come close to formulating.
“You don’t know anything,” Jake snapped. “Zane’s father was a fucking pig, and I stuck him in the fucking gut.”
I glared at him. “Why? Why did you kill him?” I racked my brain, trying to remember everything Zane had ever told me about Jake.
“Did you have any brothers or sisters growing up?” Zane and I were lying in bed, just after sex. He was staring at the ceiling, flat on his back. I was on my side, propped up and watching his gorgeous, masculine face.
“Nah,” Zane said. He swallowed hard. Without turning towards me, he asked, “What about you? Did you have any siblings?”
I shook my head, even though Zane wasn’t watching me. “No,” I said softly. “I always wanted an older brother, though. Someone who would look out for me, someone who would, you know…” I trailed off and giggled as a blush came over my cheeks. “Someone who would protect me. Someone who would teach me about being an adult. I know it sounds corny, but I always wanted that as a kid.”
Zane snorted. “You’re full of it, sister,” he said.
I reached out to pull him closer to me. I knew Zane wasn’t the snuggliest person in the world, but I was feeling alone and I wanted some comfort. “What?”
“What?”
Zane pulled away. “I ain’t that kinda guy,” he said roughly. “I ain’t the kinda guy who snuggles and shit. You want that, get a puppy.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’d rather have you,” I said softly.
He didn’t reply. He was still staring straight ahead.
I looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was mesmerizing him so. “What is it?’”
Zane didn’t say anything. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “You know, I was pulling your leg before,” he said in a low voice.
I perked up. “You do like to cuddle?”
Zane snorted. “Fuck no,” he said. “I meant, I had a brother.” He let out a long sigh. “Well, I kind of had a brother. He was basically adopted. He was my best friend growin
g up and Lionel took him in.”
I was silent. It was still hard for me to accept the fact that Lionel called his father by his first name. “Oh,” I said softly. “I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I didn’t tell you,” Zane replied. “But now I am. So that mean anything to you?”
I bit my lip. “Why wouldn’t you have told me about your brother?”
“It’s complicated,” Zane replied. “It’s different. You probably grew up in some happy family, some huggy shit, some talk-about-your-feelings shit.”
I shook my head. “Not really,” I admitted. “I always wanted that…but my family wasn’t really like that. My dad died when I was a little kid and my mom was always busy. She didn’t really like having a kid. I mean, she never said anything about it. But I could always tell.”