by J. L. Mac
Before thinking any better of it, my eyes find Andy leaning against the wall behind Edward, eating from a can of mixed nuts like he’s just hanging out at a bar, shootin’ the shit. Bastard.
“You!” I accuse.
He shrugs casually. “Me,” he supplies with a wink.
“You pretended to be my friend! You tried to—you wanted to fuck me, you—you bastard!” It isn’t much of an insult, but it’s the most dominating of my thoughts. I feel ill remembering his mouth covering mine in front of the penthouse the night I went with him to Ga Tan.
Andy shrugs and snickers, tossing another fistful of Noni’s food into his rotten mouth.
“He’s going to kill all of you,” I hiss.
My eyes dart to Howard, who’s sitting in a chair by the front windows, no doubt keeping an eye out. He turns to face me when he hears my warning. The worried look in his eyes tells me he knows that Damon was the wrong man to mess with. His eyes meet Edward’s steely glare and he returns to his lookout duties.
“Howard, he may kill you first,” I warn, “simply because he trusted you.”
I face forward again to see Edward motion to Andy and I know that I’ve likely just earned myself more pain. Handy Andy abandons his snack on Captain’s side table and scurries over like the obedient little worker that he is. His hands go to my jaw and I don’t resist. I let him pry my mouth open while Edward takes another long pull of amber-colored liquor then stuffs the bloody rag back into my mouth.
Edward smirks, making my heart seize in my chest. “Damon won’t be doing a damn thing to anyone.”
What’s that supposed to mean? Where’s Damon? What are they going to do to him?
Noni’s soft cries pull my attention from Edward to her and all at once I feel like the only person in the room that doesn’t know something. Something important. Thoughts of my Big Man flood my mind. Along with thoughts of Damon come thoughts of the baby I’m carrying. Damon’s baby.
“You know, you look very nice with your mouth open, Jo.” Andy drags his index finger across my jaw, forcing me to jerk away beneath his unwelcome touch and cut my eyes up at him, hoping he gets the message I’m sending. “I’d still like to sample what’s under those clothes,” he croons, his voice repulsively sincere.
“Andy, we gotta talk.” Edward summons Andy to Captain’s kitchen, leaving Howard to watch Noni and me.
The moment they’ve left the room I lock eyes with Howard, sending him a silent request. His eyes drift away from us, as if it’s too difficult to look at the scene before him.
“Howard,” I muffle. “Help us,” I go on, hoping he can discern my simple plea. “Don’t do this.”
He closes his eyes tight and drops his head. He knows better than anyone that whatever amount of money he’s being paid, whatever compensation he’s been offered, it won’t be nearly enough payment for what Damon will do to all three of them. “I’m sorry,” he mutters weakly, then turns his attention back to peeking out of the window blinds. The rational part of my brain knows that he must be doing this for the medication that he said his father needed, but the pissed off part of my brain wants to bludgeon his skull for being such a traitorous sellout.
Edward reenters the room with Andy in tow, cracking his knuckles like he’s a big dog.
“Here’s the deal, bitch,” Edward growls, jerking the gag from my mouth, “I need money. I owe some serious dough to some people that are dangerous like you couldn’t even read about. I was on my way to paying my debt when suddenly, my access to money was cut off. Now I have no choice but to squeeze money from that asshole son of mine to fund my life in Mexico. The only thing that makes you worth a damn is your ‘condition.’ He may have ditched you, but lucky for me, you got knocked up, making you a very valuable person to my son. He’s always been a pussy.”
My eyes widen. Andy told him. I see where all of this is going now and it’s the worst case scenario besides being murdered, I guess. They want money, loads of it from what I can tell, and they’re using me and this baby as a bargaining chip. How is this happening right now? This shit only happens in the movies. No one gets kidnapped for ransom in real life. People just kill other people and try their best to escape the police. He’s not going to let us go. He wouldn’t tell me details about his plan if he planned on letting me go. They’ve made no effort of hiding their identities or disguising their voices. They don’t intend on allowing us to live. No witnesses.
“You can go to hell!” I snarl, then spit right in his disgusting face. Had I thought better of it, I probably wouldn’t have done that simply because I know I’ve just earned out quite a beating; a beating that will put my child at risk. I can’t afford to be reckless where my baby is concerned.
Edward pulls a hanky from his back pocket and wipes his face. “You’ll pay for that shortly,” he warns, his voice even so I know he’s sincere. “So, here’s the plan,” he continues, grabbing onto my hair to make me meet his eyes, “you’re going to call Damon and have him come over just like we had her call you.” He nods to Noni with a disgusting leer. “Make something up. Just get him here.”
“Okay,” I concede. My mind is racing a million miles per hour. I’ve got to say something that will let him know something’s not right. Think, Jo. Think.
Edward nods to Andy, who locates my cell phone within what I swear is seconds and dials Damon. He thrusts the phone at me, holding it in place so that I can pin it between my throbbing head and shoulder.
Damon answers on the third ring. “Hello.”
“Hey,” I begin in the steadiest voice I can muster.
“Josephine?”
Hearing him say my name makes me ache. The territory of my heart is fragile. Knowing that I’m about to lure him into this mess gives me pause. I don’t want him to get hurt. I don’t want something terrible to happen. He may not want me anymore, but I still love him, maybe more now than ever. I have to protect him.
“Hey, I was wondering something,” I continue.
“Yes?” He sounds puzzled, but I hope to clear the fog with what I have to say.
“Remember what you promised me that night in bed? The first night after Grams moved in?”
He sighs, obviously recalling the moment we shared. “Yeah.”
“I need you to make good on that promise. I’m stuck at Captain’s house. My car is doing something weird. Can you fix it?”
“What’s going on?” His voice has deepened and I can hear shuffling from his end of the line. He’s already on the move.
“Um, I don’t know what’s wrong with this thing. I just know I can’t fix it on my own, so come prepared, okay?”
“If something’s wrong, say anything other than no.”
“Yeah, Noni’s here,” I answer conversationally.
“It’s him isn’t it?” I can hear a loud crashing noise, which was likely Damon’s fist meeting some poor door or desk.
“Right. Okay, see you in a few,” I chime, feigning a cool and calm demeanor.
Andy ends the call before I can say anything else and takes the gag from my lap, shoving it back into my mouth. He slips my cell phone back into his pocket and runs the backs of his filthy fingers over my face, making a condescending “tsk tsk” when his knuckles graze beneath the gash on my forehead.
Edward is all business as soon as he knows Damon is on his way, and it makes me even angrier and a helluva lot more anxious. “Howard, make sure you can’t be seen from that window,” he barks. “Andy, stand in the foyer so that the door blocks you when he comes in. That’ll put you behind him. I’ll hang back in here. Now once he’s down, we’ve got to move fast. Got it?”
Both men agree to do as Edward ordered, but I’m stuck on “once he’s down.” What does he mean, once he’s down? A painful knot builds in my gut, knowing that Damon is coming here to be ambushed by these dipshits. He’s putting himself at risk for me and Noni and our child. I can’t stomach the thought of something happening to Damon. I won’t be able live with myself if something
happens to him.
What feels like an eternity passes and then there’s a knock at the door. Noni whimpers. Tears stream down her face. She’s just as scared as I am. I hear the door open. Footsteps knock against the floor and I wait for disaster.
“Jo, babes, where are you?” Brian calls out, not sounding like himself.
He knows. Damon must have told him that something was going on. My dear friend is so brave coming here; he’s just walked into a nightmare for me.
“Damon sent me to get this thing towed,” he yells, still at the door. “Did you call AAA already?”
Where’s Damon? Oh, God, Damon. Where are you?
The door shuts with a slam and we heard rustling, then a loud thud. “Brian!” I scream through the fucking stupid gag. Noni’s cries turn frantic. I look to her to see her staring at Edward. He’s got a gun drawn and pointed at the entrance to the living room.
“Shut up, bitch!” Edward growls, waving the pistol into the air. He brings the butt of the gun down hard against Noni’s head and she instantly goes limp.
Andy appears in the arched entrance of the living room with Brian, weakened but still struggling against him. “Just him,” he grunts.
“Fuck!” Edward shouts.
“What now?” Andy asks, holding Brian in a sort of hand on hand combative hold. Both of Brian’s arms are locked with Andy’s and hoisted upward, forcing his shoulders downward submissively. In that awkward position, small-framed Brian is just as immobile as I am in this chair.
Brian’s has one bloodied eye but he sees me. He fights hard against Andy, trying to break his hold. My emotion gets the best of me seeing my friends beaten and bloodied and I finally start to cry. My sobs make breathing through my nose so much harder. I feel so lightheaded. I tug at my bonds. I need to break free. I need to help Brian.
I make eye contact with Brian and he winks back, fixing his eyes on me with a brave, determined smile. He rears back one foot and brings it crashing into Andy’s knee. Andy yelps like a wounded animal and his hold on Brian loosens enough for Brian to jerk away, freeing one arm. They struggle and Brian goes for the front door with Andy after him. A deafening blast rings out, making my ears useless. My eyes instinctively squeeze shut. All I can hear is ringing. My eyes pop open to see Brian squirming on the floor. He’s shot. Blood is pouring from his leg or maybe it’s his gut. It’s difficult to tell. I pull against the chair and scream as loud as I can, but I’m useless. There’s no way for me to help my friend. Brian inches, belly down, towards the foyer. He’s groaning gutturally. One side of his body is limp, leaving the other side to do all of the work to escape and though I know it’s not possible for him to make it past the door, my heart clenches in my chest hoping that somehow he will.
This whole situation has spun out of control fast. I look to Edward, who’s scrambling after Brian. Andy, who had dropped when the shot was fired, gets to his feet and grabs one of Brian’s ankles. Edward grabs the other and together they drag Brian back from the door, flailing weakly and groaning in agony.
“Let him go!”
I’m unsure if my ears have failed me or if I’m delirious and imagining things, but my eyes find him standing in the adjacent dining room with a gun drawn, aimed at Edward. Damon doesn’t take his eyes off Andy and Edward. That fucker, Edward, rights himself and whirls around to face Damon, his own gun in hand. Howard remains by the window with his hands raised in surrender.
“Step away from him,” Damon demands.
“Fuck you, you prick!” Edward spits.
Everything has happened so fast. My head is spinning and I’m terrified. It’s hard to believe that Damon is really here. He’s here and he has a gun. He’s come to save us. Everything has happened so fast. My brain battles to keep grip on reality. I want to close my eyes and wish it all away.
“I want my money,” Edward bites out, shaking his gun a little.
“The police are already on their way.” Damon’s gaze goes to Howard, then to Andy, his voice is calculated and calm. “Go ahead and run. Run fast and far, because I’m going to find you, and when I do, I’m going to kill you.”
It’s all the warning Howard needs. He takes one look at Edward then Andy and bolts fast for the front door. Andy nods to Edward and follows suit. He takes off running like a man on fire. I hope they don’t get far. They can’t. The police have got to catch them. They should be here by now. Where are they?
“Get back here!” Edward demands.
It’s just him and Damon now. I watch helplessly as Edward trains the barrel of his gun on Damon’s head. Oh, God. He’s going to kill his own son.
“Money! Get on the phone right now and have a quarter million wired to my account,” he screams. “I want the money that I’m owed!”
“Haven’t you taken enough?” Damon responds.
I hear the double meaning behind Damon’s rhetorical question. He couldn’t be more right. Edward has taken so much from everyone in this room. He stole Noni’s innocence and aspirations. He stole Damon’s entire adolescence. He stole my family. His mother’s money is nothing in comparison.
Sirens in the distance ring out, drawing nearer by the second. Edward looks frantic and desperate, his hands starting to shake on the gun. He’s out of options. This hasn’t gone the way he had planned and all is lost. There’s no possible way that Damon could get him any substantial amount of money right now, even if he was inclined to. Edward lost and he knows it.
His hand grows even more unsteady the louder the sirens become. “You’ve always been a worthless little fuck,” Edward spits.
The scene before me nearly comes to a standstill, playing out in slow motion, frame by frame. I’m forced to watch as Edward’s grasp tightens around the grip of his pistol and his aim becomes steady. I close my eyes and prepare for the worst. Another deafening blast resonates throughout the house. The sulfuric scent of burnt gunpowder permeates my sinuses, driving home the realization of what’s just happened.
It’s against my better judgment, or maybe it’s because of my natural tendency for self-loathing antipathy, but I open my eyes and look to find Damon lying on the floor.
But he isn’t.
He’s standing right where he was, his gun still drawn. He looks down, examining himself for wounds. He’s not bleeding. He’s not shot. He’s there, alive and well and I couldn’t feel a bigger sense of relief.
Edward is on his back right where he stood with a growing pool of blood flowing from his head. He’s dead. Damon shot and killed his own father. The monster that tormented Damon from birth is now lifeless on the floor.
The sounds of sirens and screeching tires followed by what must be twenty pounding feet rushing through the house drag my attention to the entrance to the living room.
“Drop your weapon!” multiple police officers demand.
Damon crouches slowly and sets his pistol on the tiled floor. Policemen move in fast and scurry around, some to Brian, some to Edward, some to Noni. There must be someone near me, but all I can focus on are the two men forcing my Big Man to the ground.
Damon doesn’t fight them. He complies, pressing his cheek against the floor, his eyes facing me. My gaze meets his and I fear the vacant look he wears is a sign that this has ruined him forever.
I think the worst thing about all of this is the feeling of being robbed. I had the store all these years and it was my foundation, my rock. I had been managing at least mostly okay without Captain because the store was my real lifeline in a world that seemed ready to swallow me up given half the chance. Now I have to let it go just like I have to let Damon go. The idea of giving up both is a devastating blow to my already wounded heart.
Twelve days ago, I watched from a stretcher as Damon was cuffed and hauled away in the back of a police cruiser. The media coverage has been nearly constant. While no charges have been brought against Damon, he has still been under close scrutiny by law enforcement and pushy reporters.
Brian was taken to the hospital, where he underwen
t surgery to remove the slug from his upper thigh. The doctors said he was lucky to have been shot there and not two inches to the left, else he would have bled out. He’s been in good spirits about it all though. Trey thinks it’s cool that his uncle is a hero. Lindsay was worried sick over the whole ordeal. She’s been by his side nonstop. Brian went on about how his current exploit would “dig” the scar too. I’ve only visited him once because seeing him any more than that would make doing what I have to do that much more difficult. I think he still has another week to go before they discharge him.
Noni suffered a concussion thanks to the butt of Edward’s semi-automatic, but she’s recovering well with the help of Grams. She insisted that Noni stay on her sofa bed while she recovered. I can understand Grams’ need to take care of the woman who gave her Damon 33 years ago.
When the paramedics began checking me out, reality struck hard. I worried that something would be wrong with my baby. I worried that I would lose him or her and the idea was more than I could handle. The ultrasound probe revealed my baby’s strong steady heartbeat from within the safety of my womb. There it was, in the shape of a tiny person, making little movements that I couldn’t really feel, completely unaware of the chaos on the outside. When the doctor reassured me that the baby was fine, I think I took the first deep breath I had in weeks. Seeing my little angel on that screen made things so clear for me. I knew right then that I’d do anything for this baby. I’d keep him or her safe from harm. I’d even walk away from the only city that I have ever called home. I left the hospital only a few hours after I was brought there with a plan in place. I went back to the penthouse and got to it.
My heart aches so much I find it hard to breathe sometimes. My nights still consist of waking up off and on to the sound of my own crying, but none of that ache changes the bottom line and that bottom line is that I have to leave Las Vegas. I have to make a new life for myself and my baby. Alone. I know now how frightened seventeen-year-old Noni must have been facing the world alone with a baby on the way. At least I’m an adult with some sort of skill set… though I’m not sure reading and a being a smartass will get me many job prospects.