by Kara Hart
“Wouldn’t even think about it.” Angelo agreed.
“Good. So what should we do boys?” Bruce sat with his arms open. “I need a million-dollar idea here.” He smiled.
I stepped forward. “We go for his weaknesses.” I said. “Women. He can’t say no to a beautiful woman.”
Bruce cried out, “Bingo!” He threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out carefully. “Women. What else?”
“Drugs is a given.” Angelo chimed in. “Mix the two together and you have a recipe for disaster. He won’t see what’s coming.”
“All good ideas, boys.” He rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes tightly. “I’ve got it.” he suddenly said.
“What is it?” I asked him, intrigued to hear the plan. Anything to get Bobby Farole off the streets. “We can’t go Luke’s route and kill the guy. That’ll start a war that probably won’t end for another decade. Most of you guys didn’t grow up in the old days, but if you did, you’d know why I’m averse to going to war. I’ve been down that path. War is hell.” He coughed and pulled out another cigarette, tapping it on his desk. “So we use other tactics. Women, drugs, a good setting. We make him feel like he’s fucking king of the goddamn jungle. He starts to get a bit cocky, right. He thinks, ‘Well, I got all these nice things. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little more?’ He starts making deals, getting back into the business. We all do, right? Then, when he least expects it, there’s a knock on his door. Who could that be? It’s his parole agent…”
“I see where you’re going with this Bruce.” I said, smiling. “It’s fucked up.”
“More fucked up than what he does to innocent people? More fucked up than what he did to Pace back in ’96?” We shut up. He was right, after all. The man was one evil son of a bitch. If no one was willing to kill him, this was probably our best shot at getting the guy out of the picture. “That’s what I thought. So the parole agent knocks on his door and asks if he can take a look around. Little does he know, there’s a kilo of cocaine in the garage, planted by our little friend.” Bruce smiled wide, looking proud of himself.
“So he goes back to prison for another 20 years or so. Even if he did get out, he’d be an old man.”
“Exactly.” I said. “But who’s the girl? Who’s trustworthy enough to hire? Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of getting Brianna. She’d end up falling in love with the guy.” I laughed hesitatingly. It was pretty well known that Brianna wasn’t trustworthy, it was pretty clear that Bruce thought of her as the daughter he never had.
“Don’t worry, I know what you all think of Brianna. She’s a misunderstood person, but she’s not the right fit for a job like this. Maybe as a driver or something easy, but not this. No, I was thinking of someone different.” Bruce said, thinking to himself.
“Different how?” I asked him.
“Someone not involved. Can’t be a hooker either … someone who has a strong work ethic, with no job prospects.” He tapped annoyingly against the table.
“We’ll find someone.” Angelo said.
“Good.” Bruce said. “Tomorrow. Bring me names.” The men all stood up and shook hands. All but me. I kept thinking about the plan. Would it really work? It would be tough, that was for sure. But the best we could do was try. As they were walking out into the hall, I stood up and cleared my throat.
“I’ve got the perfect girl.” I suddenly said. Bruce stopped and turned, stroking his big beard. “Hope. Hope Lawrence.” I said.
6
Hope
When I got home, all of my stuff was on the lawn. Jack was pacing around the front yard, biting his nails like always. “Excuse me, miss.” A man said behind me, as he carried my bed into a moving truck.
“Jack, if you don’t tell me what’s going on in the next five seconds, there will be hell to pay!” I screamed.
“Well…” He began, scratching his head.
“5…” I counted. I wasn’t going to let him have time to come up with any excuses.
“Hope, stop…”
“4…”
“It wasn’t my fault!” He cried out, falling to his knees. The sprinklers came on, soaking his new Armani suit. He was really pathetic. Always.
“3…”
“Okay, okay! They’re repossessing your house, Hope.” He fell onto the grass and gave up. He always did have a way with being dramatic. I helped him up, moving him to the sidewalk. I looked behind us to see all of my belongings getting sprayed by the sprinkler. Great. I thought.
“What a wonderful day.” I sighed. I sat on the curb in disbelief. “How can they take my house away from me? I’ve paid on time every month. I just don’t get it, Jack. Why me?”
“You’re telling me you didn’t hear the news earlier?” He looked shocked.
“How would have I heard? You’re the one who’s supposed to tell me everything. Without you, I don’t hear shit. I’m just the label’s bimbo. Someone to get the crowd riled up so they pay us money. Money that should be paying for this house!” I yelled. I couldn’t help it. All of my stuff was ruined now.
“Okay, I hear you. I’m sorry, Hope. I kind of dropped the ball here. Ryan, the old CEO of the label, is apparently getting charged with fraud. Is it possible that you were giving him the checks to deposit for you?” he asked, carefully backing away from me.
I couldn’t believe my ears. Fraud? How could I be so stupid? I put my head in my arms and began crying. “Fuck!” I screamed. “That prick. I’ll…I’ll…I’ll sue him for all he’s worth!”
“Hope, that’s what I’m telling you. He’s worth nothing.” Then the realization set in. “We’re all worth nothing now…” Jack fell backward onto the concrete and breathed erratically.
“We’re screwed, aren’t we?” I asked him, tears falling down my face.
“We’re pretty screwed, doll.” He shook his head. “If you know any one who owes you any favors, I’d give them a call right now. Because in about 24 hours, you won’t have anywhere to go.”
“What about you?” I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes. There was no use in crying. I had to do what I always did: Pick myself up and get on with my life. It was hard, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.
“Honey, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about others. The star always gets the worst of it. As for me, I have a good resumé. I have opportunity still. Frankly, in about three months time, I’ll be fine. Thank God, my house is paid off already.” I looked at him angrily. “Don’t worry. I’ll put in a good word wherever I go. You’ll still get work, trust me.”
“Yeah, I’ll get work as some label assistant or something. Or even worse, a PR agent. Jesus Christ, Jack. This is all messed up. Well, I’ll call you later I guess.” I started to walk way. I wasn’t even going to look back, but Jack called out.
“Wait! Do you need a place to crash?” He asked me. This wasn’t the first time he had offered me a place to stay. Though I could tell he was being friendly, he used to flirt with me constantly. I eventually had to tell him I didn’t go for nice guys like him. I think he slightly resented me ever since. I still wasn’t convinced he was even straight.
“I think I’ve got it covered, Jack.” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “Call you tomorrow.”
I got in my car and put my head on the steering wheel. Okay, Hope. This is just a slight hiccup. Everyone goes through them. You can get through this like everyone else. But the truth was, I was scared.
After college, my father died. An O.D. the doctors told my family. We lost everything that day. My mom lost a husband, my sister and I lost my father, and my family started to make less and less sense. We eventually split apart. My sister went to Kansas, got involved in drugs, or so I’ve been told. I haven’t talked to her in years. My mom simply shut down. She lives in the same house as before, quietly waiting for her death. She won’t accept my calls. It’s tragic shit, but this was my life.
So when I got the call that the label liked my first record, I was stunned. It w
as a huge breath of fresh air for me. But when I called my mom, she simply said ‘Don’t call here again’ and hung up the phone. So yeah, today was a bad a day.
I put the keys into the ignition and started the car. Avery. I thought. He’s the only one I can trust right now. It was odd. When I first met him, he seemed to be the least trustworthy person on this planet. Now he was the last one I could trust. I pushed my foot against the pedal of my BMW and took off, headed back in the direction from where I came.
Fuck it. Nothing mattered at this point. Time to start at point zero.
I got to his house in 10 minutes flat. When you drive 80 miles per hour, your bound to get to your destination on time. That, or crash. Luckily, I was still standing, headed for that familiar doorstep. I went to ring the buzzer, but realized there was no buzzer to be rung. That’s odd, I thought to myself. There wasn’t even a doorknob. Instead, there was a key code. I knocked on the door and took two steps back, waiting.
“Please be home,” I whispered, bouncing on the heels of my feet.
Like clockwork, Avery opened his door. He had the same denim jeans on, complete with his leather vest. The words ‘COURAGE OR DEATH’ were embedded onto the back. “Hope?” He blurted out.
“I need your help.” I said, feeling my face turn red hot. It was embarrassing to say the least. In the past I would have never asked a guy like him. In the past, I would have thought he was a piece of trash. Not worth my time.
“Well, well, well.” he laughed, eating a bowl of cereal. “Do come in.” He moved to the side, letting me through.
We walked through the kitchen, the comforting smell of pancakes lingered through the room, and we sat down in his living room. A big screen TV was playing an old movie loudly. “What movie is that?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Easy Rider!” He blurted out, nearly spilling his bowl. He chewed loudly, a gross habit to have.
“Hm. Looks Cheesy.” I said, knowing full well he would take offence to it. He set his bowl down and leaned forward.
“Wait one second. You haven’t seen Easy Rider, one of the greatest movies of all time?” He slapped his own face, loud and hard. “Holy shit, baby, are you in for a treat! Sit down. I’m starting this thing over.” he smiled. Clearly I had stopped by at the wrong time. This bachelor life he lived wasn’t exactly the most attractive quality he had, but I had to make it work. For now, at least.
“My house was taken from me this morning, Avery.” I revealed to him.
He reached for the remote and turned off the TV. “Hold up. Your house? It’s gone?” He looked away from me, shaking his head. “What happened? It was that Jake loser, wasn’t it?” He got up and started to put his boots on.
“Stop it. It wasn’t Jack. It was my fault.” I said. I still wasn’t convinced that it was, but I wasn’t about to start pointing fingers yet. I needed someone tough on my side. That someone was Avery.
“And your label? They still want you out?” He asked, staring off into the distance.
“It’s complicated. But, yeah. The new CEO wants to bring a change into the company. I guess country club music isn’t selling as well as it used to. Or maybe I just suck that bad.” I broke out crying. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop. It’s just … that house was the biggest thing I had ever bought. The first paycheck from my album sales went right to that. And our old CEO, he helped me. He said he would deposit all my checks for me. You see, I don’t really have a reliable family to help me out. So I agreed, and I—”
He waved his hands at me. “Say no more. You came to the right place. I deal with this kind of shit all the time. I can get your house back, no problem.” He stood up and walked over to a drawer. Reaching inside, he pulled out a notebook full of names and numbers.
“You can get my house back?” I repeated it, making sure I heard right.
“I can get your house back.” he said. “I gotta warn you though, it’s not going to be easy. It’s gonna take some time and a lot of energy. And at the end of this, you’re gonna owe me a favor.”
I dropped to my knees and crawled toward him. I put one hand against his jeans, feeling his thickening member. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked me. I backed away, feeling completely embarrassed. “I didn’t mean that kind of a favor, although I’m not going to say no to a good blowjob. I meant a real favor. When the time comes, you’ll have to come through on something big for us.”
“If you can get my house back, I’m ready to do anything.” I admitted. I was desperate. I wasn’t ashamed of that. It was like I said, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
“Alright.” He extended his hand and I shook it. “It’s a deal. Welcome to the team.”
I laughed. “I thought I was already a part of the team.”
He turned to me. “Like hell you were. I tell that to all the women.”
What a prick.
7
Avery
“You really are a prick, aren’t you?” she asked me. I smiled and waved my hands at her. Who me?
“Of course I am.” I said, slapping her tight butt. “But that’s why you like me so much.” I went to pour myself a nice stiff drink. There’s one thing I couldn’t handle and that was women problems. She was a cute gal and all, but I sure as hell couldn’t listen to her babble on about her house all night. “You know, if you wanted to stay over so bad, you could have just asked.” I said to her. A big fat smirk appeared on my face.
“First of all, who said I even liked you? Second of all, why would I need to stay over at your place? I could stay over at Jack’s if I wanted to. Jesus, how arrogant are you?” She grabbed the bottle of whisky from his hands and took a sip for herself. I could tell I was getting her riled up. Of course I had to continue messing with her.
“You wouldn’t stay at Jack’s place even if a judge ordered you to. Hell, I know how creepy that guy is just by lookin’ at him.” Finally, I found the number I was looking for. I grabbed up my phone and motioned for her to stop talking. She couldn’t argue against my point anyway.
“Rust. It’s me. Yeah, Avery. How’s the misses? Good, good. Yeah, I got a favor to ask you. It’s pretty big so get ready for it. Ha-ha, alright. I got a friend here whose house is getting repossessed. Need you to go visit some people for her. Yeah, I’ll owe you one. Okay, I’ll owe you two! Yeah, alright, one second.” I covered the phone’s receiver and whispered to her, “He’s gonna need all your info. Write it down for me. Your address, social security number, everything. Got it?” She shook her pretty dumb head. “Okay, Rust. Yeah, I’ll get it to you. Thanks. Be good, brother.” I hung up the phone.
“What did he say?” She exclaimed, practically on her knees in front of me. She always seemed so innocent, despite being such a dirty girl in the sheets. Hell, I’ll admit it. I was staring at her tits the whole time. It’s hard not to when a girl walks in your house wearing a crop top and tight pair of jeans.
“He said he can’t do it. Sorry sweet-cheeks.” I lied.
“Oh…” Her head dropped down all sad like. I couldn’t bear to look at her like this.
“I’m just messin’ with you. Of course he’ll do it.” I said. She wrapped her arms around me tight.
“Whoa there.” I said, losing my balance. “Just trying to help out.” I hated being that guy, but I knew well enough that not much could be done. Rust was just a part of the crew. He didn’t have any in’s with any banks or any of that world. The best he could do was rough some people up. I couldn’t let her down though. I needed her help still.
She kissed my cheeks. “You’re a good friend.” She said, smiling bright. Friend? Who is she kidding?
“I don’t know what you mean by friend. A lady ain’t never been my friend before. Now I said Rust’ll take care of it, so he’ll do it okay?”
She let go of me. “Okay.” She said, sitting back on the couch. Her back was arched against the pillow. I couldn’t help but be infatuated by her body. These pop stars, man…they really knew how to keep in shape. I licked
my lips and leaned back, looking smooth as can be. “Avery, I’ve got a question…” she suddenly said.
“Lay it on me.” I said, rolling a cigarette between my fingers.
“What do you mean when you say Rust will take care of everything? And why doesn’t your front door have a handle?”
Well, I couldn’t lie to her forever, I guess. Wasn’t it a bit obvious though? My crew weren’t exactly the moral sort of bunch you see at church. Nah. We were the ones your pastor warned you about. Always liked communion though.
“Hope, there’s just some things you shouldn’t know about. Let’s just say there’s some people in suits who will regret their decision not to give you an extension.” I tried my best to smile, although I could tell she thought I was a villain of sorts. Maybe I was. But I wasn’t about to change for no woman. Not ever. “The doorknob is for my protection. No one can get in without knowing the code. Sometimes I have body guards, but money’s been a little tighter lately.” I admitted. I owed Luke a hell of an earning. Figured if I cut back a little on my spending, I could catch up on my payment.
“Avery, are people going to get hurt?” she innocently asked me. She was as cute as a button, but I had to open her eyes a little bit.
“People always get hurt, Hope. Every single day. The world is a dying orb. You just gotta stay alive for as long as you can.” I lit up that cigarette and felt the smoke pass through my lungs.