“. . . May,” I answer him as calmly as I could.
“May, what?” he asks with sarcastic diction.
“May Lee.” I am not comfortable with the thought of introducing my full name to this stranger. But the look in his eyes stops me from thinking twice.
“Hmm.” Danny looks over at Lina. A smirk expands on his lips. “Maybe we can use your friend as collateral?”
I can feel the blood rise in my veins at the threat. “Don’t hurt them.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” In a calculated manner, Danny makes his way over to me. Now that he is inches away from me, the blood in my veins races with fear.
“I’m associated with Crist. I can help them pay the debt.” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop myself. The ticking noise inside my brain causes my logical reasoning to malfunction. This often occurs when I lie beyond reasonable means.
From the corner of my eyes, I can see the shock and surprise hitting Spyder and then Lina the hardest.
“Ha!” Danny tosses his head back as he laughs in a mocking tone.
For the first time, the other men in the room let out low chuckles at my revelation. Even Mohawk shakes his head at me as if I am making a mistake.
Without warning, Danny’s hand snakes up to the base of my throat. I hear Lina shouting something at him in the background, but my heart is in my ears at this point. With great force, Danny pins me against the wall. My back presses against the cold and hard structure. The weight of his body encloses my much smaller frame. I do not have time to register what is happening. Shit, what have you done? Shaking underneath her bed covers, my intuition has her eyes closed and her hands over her ears as she chants, See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
“Judging from your weak reflex you’re only using Crist as a crutch, but you need to be taught a lesson for lying.” Danny narrows his eyes at me. The light in them dances gleefully. Sadist!
“Stop!” I reach up and attempt to disarm his grip from my neck, but it is useless. His fingers are not budging from their grip.
“Let her go!” Lina jumps up from her place, but one of Danny’s men get to her first. My cousin lets out a loud yelp when he presses on her shoulders.
“Don’t touch her!” I can hear Spyder coming to Lina’s defense, but another gang member has him helpless on the ground.
“Get off me!” Meanwhile, I am trying to break away from Danny as fast I can. But he doesn’t budge. Now, he has both hands around me against the side of the wall. He blocks my view effectively so I cannot see what is happening with Spyder and my cousin.
“Stop, stop, stop!”
I can hear Lina and Spyder suffering on the ground a distance away from me. This is beyond anyone’s imagination. As I look into Danny’s eyes, he makes me realize why the news story this morning affected Lina to the extent that it did. Lina and Spyder have gotten involved with gang members; the kind of gangs that are not written about in stories or immortalized through movies. These are the kind of gangs that the FBI and CIA keep behind interrogation rooms and shut away in confidential files. These are the gangs that news and media warn and caution its citizens about; gangs, that when shrouded in mystery, become stronger and powerful, dangerous and violent. Gangs that chase after their goals and pursuits without mercy, apologies, and regrets.
“Please stop!”
“Stop!”
“Don’t do this!”
There is a flurry of activity going on at the same time. I can hear Spyder yelping in agony when one of the gang members elbows him in the stomach. The other member has Lina on the floor when she tries to help Spyder; my cousin screams as he steps on her open palm.
“Get off!”
Meanwhile, I shove at Danny’s chest as hard as I can. That only angers Danny more and he grabs my left arm. I feel as though the bone, along with its ligaments, is going to snap off any moment now. The fight response in me screeches like a siren.
“Please, stop!” I wail in pain. He can’t do this. This is illegal!
“Prove you’re a member of Crist!” Danny growls into my ear. He jerks my arm so hard that I know any second now he is going to break it. Danny maneuvers me against the wall and his masculine frame overpowers me.
“You can’t do this!” I shout at him through gritted teeth.
“But I am sweetheart. You’re just like those lowlife friends of yours! You use Crist to scare Mayhem? They beg on their hands and knees when they see us!” Danny grinds the words into my ears.
I shut my eyes, praying for some type of release and miracle. I was not built for this; my only experience with violence stems from childhood and even then I always lost.
“I guess the meeting started without me.”
A voice, steep and firm, overpowers the chaos and commotion in the dining room. With only one sentence, he is able to put a stop to the tyrannical occurrence. The newcomer is able to stop time and cause all motion to stop. Is this person the answer to my prayers?
Danny drops his hands, immediately releasing me. He takes several cautious steps back. The gang member looks over his shoulder with his eyes releasing the strength burning inside them.
The two gang members terrorizing Spyder and Lina do the same. They let my cousin and her boyfriend go. In unison, the gang members assemble into a distinct line structure with hands behind their backs.
“Boss.”
“Mayhem.”
Mayhem . . . where have I heard that name before? Thoughts and memories roll through my mind like the domino effect, one fact setting a chain of reaction to the other. Then, my throat tightens and the palms of my hands gather sweat. The news this morning about the notorious gangs Mayhem and Crist grip my memory. As the realization sweeps over me, I do my best to settle my emotions. Lina and Spyder have not only borrowed money from loan sharks, but the very same loan sharks are a division of the infamous Mayhem gang.
Despite the throbbing pain that is shooting up and down my entire body, I focus all of my attention on their leader. His presence has managed to silence not only mouths, but also behaviors. Now that he is here, the other faces recede into the background while he moves through them like an electric ripple.
The Boss scans the room before his eyes fall on Danny. “I thought you graduated from violence to negotiation skills Danny. What’s going on?” His cold voice permeates the room. There are command and strength in Mayhem’s tone.
“I tried with them.” Danny’s voice comes out tight and unforgiving. “The two rascals don’t want to pay and their friend makes a claim for them.”
“It doesn’t look like you were trying hard enough,” Mayhem argues with limited interest. “Kicking, punching, screaming, cursing. We look every part like the average street gang right now. It’s embarrassing Danny.”
“I am just trying to–” Danny starts to explain himself, but is immediately cut off by his Boss.
“I’ll take over for now if that’s alright with you.” The command and authority in Mayhem’s voice makes it clear he would deal with his second-in-command later.
Danny retreats into the shadows of the dining room. His eyes flick towards me with a pronounced expression of anguish. This is not over, his eyes are saying.
I can take you! My intuition is doing air kicks at Danny while my conscience is holding her back.
“Sit down, all of you,” Mayhem commands for the rest of us, along with the rest of his men, to sit at the dining table. Mayhem takes the seat to the right of the table instead of at the head.
Four of his men, including Danny, take their respective seats. They are completely quiet and resemble something similar to robots. Even Mohawk is standing like a statue in his corner. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he enjoys seeing Danny get served.
Lina sniffles loudly as she helps Spyder up. He grimaces with pain. Despite the fact that they are in pain, Lina and Spyder actually appear relieved that the Boss is here. Lina helps Spyder sit down in the dining chair nearest to him.
“Are
you okay?” Lina walks over to me next. She takes my hand and guides me to a chair that is coincidentally straight across for Mayhem. Lina sits down in the neighboring seat with my hand still in hers.
How can someone who is threatening us bring such peace at the same time? My heart picks up speed.
Now that I am across from Mayhem, I can study the Boss in plain sight. Mayhem sits back against his chair, his arms fold across his chest and his legs cross neatly under the glass table. His dark brown eyes are staring at me with unbridled attention and intensity. His black hair is long and styled in an upwards fashion, revealing an Adonis facial structure that embraces high cheek bones and lips that enhance a strong nose. He is attractive–super attractive; the kind of intimidating attractiveness that makes it hard to talk to him and not regard him as a Godly figure. Dare I say it, but Mayhem is even more handsome than the striking Choi Sangwoo. In fact, his distinctive looks rival Sangwoo’s. Why are these men gangsters? They should be models or celebrities, particularly Mayhem who looks as though he should be sitting in front of photographers rather than in Spyder’s miserable dining room.
But there is a danger to him that is clearly apparent. Simply from his stare and silent demeanor, it is easy to see that Mayhem’s beauty is the mask of a hunter who does anything to capture his prey. I feel powerless in the seconds that we make eye contact. A feeling rumbles from the depth of my soul at the way he looks at me; I am fearful of him as well as curious. Gawd, why are all these men so intimidating and good-looking?
I am the first one to break eye contact and pay the price for it. I realize I have been holding my breath. My chest constricts when I finally exhale. All the blood rushes to my cheeks and I face an unfamiliar sensation of dizziness.
I turn back to Lina who is doing her best to garner some sympathy from these men.
“We understand that time is up and we need to pay back the money,” Lina is saying. She wipes the remaining tears on her cheeks.
“Please.” It is Spyder’s turn to try now. “We know and understand our responsibilities to you, to Mayhem. All we ask is for more time.”
“No, you don’t.”
His voice is clear and crisp, commanding and authoritative.
If Spyder can sink deeper into his chair, he would try. A remarkable stretch of fear dawns on his face, and eventually on Lina’s too.
“You don’t know and understand your responsibilities to me,” Mayhem continues with marked dominance. His voice is deep and dark, tantalizing and hypnotic. His effect is similar to being drawn in by something so beautiful and majestic that you don’t feel the pain until it is too late. “You don’t understand anything that has to do with Mayhem,” Mayhem adds with conviction.
“Boss,” Danny interrupts, but Mayhem silences him with a hand.
At the moment, my existence at the table is similar to a mere fly on the wall. I am an intruder and trespasser on this society and its calculating ways.
Mayhem focuses on Spyder and Lina, evidently unsatisfied with how Danny conducted the meeting. Mayhem sits up in his seat and clasps his hands together. With a tentative demeanor to him, Mayhem’s undivided attention on Spyder and Lina causes his men to stir in their seats. It is becoming more apparent that their participation in the room is not to be his entourage, but to be his advisors. Danny, his most outspoken one, remains silent beyond reprieve.
“Mayhem.” Lina’s voice is soft and apologetic. She inclines her head towards him, a respectful gesture. It’s clearly Lina’s first time meeting him and she is a nervous bumblebee. “With all due respect, we’re not trying to pull a fast one on you. In no shape or form are we planning to rip you off, take your money and run. We knew when we borrowed from you that we would have to pay in full. The problem is time. We just need more time. Please understand.”
“No, I don’t understand,” he retorts simply. Mayhem glances at Spyder; a look of disgust draws across his face. “You’re going to sit there and let your girlfriend plead with me while you hang your head in shame?”
Confusion crosses Lina’s face. “What, Spyder?” she asks him.
Spyder lowers his face, staring at the glass surface in front of him. Guilt wracks his entire body as his secrets become imminent.
I knew it! I want to shout. Spyder has a hidden agenda that is screwing everyone over. Where there is smoke there is always fire, my intuition hisses.
“It’s not twenty thousand.” Mayhem turns to Lina. His dark, attractive eyes are guarded. “I figured he didn’t tell you. Danny has his reasons to resort to physical violence. Spyder asked for an additional ten thousand dollars three weeks ago. Emergency money, he called it. Then, he laundered it out to another rival of mine. So, your total, including interest is not twenty thousand dollars. It is thirty thousand dollars and collateral. It is thirty thousand and my reputation. It is thirty thousand and my pride.”
“What?” At first, Mayhem’s news doesn’t register with Lina. She looks at Spyder who is avoiding her eyes. “How did it go from twenty to thirty, including collateral now? Spyder?”
“. . . I’m sorry,” is all he says.
“What do you mean you’re sorry?!” The blood drains from Lina’s face as she turns to her boyfriend. “Why is he saying we owe him thirty thousand and collateral?! Why is he saying that?! What have you done?!” Absentmindedly, Lina pushes Spyder’s shoulder.
“Don’t you dare disregard my Boss like that?!” Danny shouts across the table at Lina.
She doesn’t even wince. A minute ago she was protecting Spyder from getting hurt, but now Lina slaps him clean across the face.
You go girl! I root for my cousin. Inside, I am boiling at Spyder’s confession. He deserves it all.
At the same moment, I see the replay of Lina and Spyder’s relationship in front of my eyes. They were so in love and enamored with one another when they first met. You didn’t see Lina without Spyder, and you couldn’t hang out with Spyder without Lina. They laughed, played, and loved harder than any other couple I have ever seen. They fought, hurt, and caused one another pain more times over than I can ever imagine. When they are good, they are really good. But when they are bad not even the Bible can save them.
“I’m sorry!” is Spyder’s weak defense.
Tears are running down Lina’s face once again.
“How could you do that behind my back? No wonder why Danny’s trying to kill us! You borrowed an extra ten thousand dollars! And you cheated it behind Mayhem’s back?! Look at them! Look around us, Spyder! We’re dead! We’re fucking dead!” The tears are streaking down Lina’s face as she cries. Lina’s voice is deafening in the room.
“I don’t have time for this,” Mayhem speaks up. His majestic voice is like ice descending on fire. He looks at Lina and tells her steadily, “Calm down.”
Lina’s chest rises up and down in anger. Her lips pinch in a tight, fine line. Apparently, she is on a rampage. “How can I calm down? You, of all people, should know how hard it is making a living in society. You, of all people, should know how difficult it is making a decent living with the government breathing down your neck with every paycheck that you make. You, of all people, should know that everyone has financial problems and asks for help. You should know all of this because that’s why you allowed us to borrow from you, a notorious gang known for black market and underground money. We’re not your only account, so why are you terrorizing us?!”
The dining table stops in its entirety. Hearing a pin drop in a silent room doesn’t hold a candle to the present tension. I don’t know who is more shocked at Lina’s outbursts, Spider and me or Mayhem and his men. But the only person who seems to find humor in her rant is Mayhem himself. The corners of his mouth curve into a distinctive, dangerous smile at the same moment Danny stands up from his seat.
Evidently, my feet think for themselves. I stand and extend my arms protectively in front of my cousin when Danny reaches our end of the table. For a moment in time, I see Danny’s hand slip into the breast of his suit. Mayh
em holds up a hand to stop Danny from retrieving the object. A chill wracks my body when I realize Danny has every intention to pull a gun on us.
Danny lets out a scoff when he reaches me. “Are you going to pull the Crist card again and hope it’ll scare me, little girl?”
At the mention of his rival’s name, Mayhem turns his full attention on me. It is unsettling the effect this particular gang lord has on me. No man has ever affected me this way, not even my father or Choi Sangwoo. This is a different type of effect on a level that is beyond my league.
“The Crist card?” Mayhem addresses Danny. He keeps his gaze steady.
“Yes.” Danny turns to his boss. His voice is full of excitement; he is eager to tell him the news. “This little girl told me earlier she is associated with Crist, and that she would pay us back on behalf of her friends.”
“Really?” To have Mayhem’s undivided attention and gaze upon me is unnerving. Now, I understand why Spyder and Lina are having the nerves twisted out of them. Mayhem is intimidating in every sense of the word itself. With one look, one glance, he makes my heart tighten and throat constricts. I can only compare the feeling to meeting someone like the President or a feared figure in children’s stories–the unsettling attractive version, of course.
There is no going back now that I have lied. I can see Lina shaking with absolute fear behind me while Spyder is on the verge of bleeding internally. I can’t take my word back now. I know that the consequences are going to be far greater than I bargain for, but for the sake of my cousin and my life, I have to see this lie to the very end.
“I am,” I reply calmly. I force the words out as strong as I can. I am desperate to say something that would deter the impending violent conclusion. “I am associated with Crist.” My conscience is holding a shovel and digging in the dark, deep dirt.
“So, you know Choi Sangwoo personally?” Mayhem asks simply. The electric interest shines in his eyes.
“Yes,” I answer with unwavering fear. “So, I’ll help my cousin pay her debt.” My voice has a slight tremble to them. I do my best to control the tenor of my vocal cords to convey my promise.
April Loves Black Coffee: First Impressions Page 9