Hollow

by Yolanda Olson

  I hope you don’t mind me messaging you.

  My phone almost immediately vibrated.

  Not at all. Was hoping you would.

  I smiled. The first genuine smile I could remember in the past year. I wasn’t sure why I smiled; it was a simple statement that could have meant a million different things.

  Oh?

  My phone rang three with three minutes left in the program to go. ADAM WEAVER was the name on the call screen.

  I cleared my throat and slid the answer key.

  “Hello?” Great. I sound like a mouse.

  “Hope you don’t mind me calling. I hate text messaging,” he said with a laugh.

  “It’s okay. What’s up?” I asked, turning my attention to the next program on the TV screen. I nestled comfortably into the couch when I saw it was just another episode of the same show.

  “I kinda feel like I scared the shit out of you at the funeral home.”

  “Huh?” I asked in confusion.

  “Well, you called me a stalker and it honestly took me a minute to remember where I had seen you before, even though I was quick with my comeback,” he explained with a laugh.

  “Oh. It’s okay. It was my meager attempt at a joke. Obviously it failed.”

  “It didn’t fail. I just wasn’t exactly focusing then,” he said with a laugh. “But, um, I guess you talked to Ethan if you have my phone number.”

  “Nope. I threw Jeremy in the middle of it; Ethan asks too many questions,” I replied.

  “Then I guess I should probably shut up at this point.”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was probably going to ask me out but wasn’t sure if he should now.

  “Even though Ethan probably told you all of this, here come the highlights. I’m twenty two years old and permanently single, I think,” I offered.

  Adam let out a relieved laugh and I found myself smiling again. Stop it, I thought to myself irritably.

  “What are you up to tomorrow, Permanently Single?” he asked.

  “Watching television, Currently Single. Why?” Wow, that guy shot her straight in the eye huh? I thought turning my attention to the show again.

  “Wanna grab coffee? I think I owe you one after you spilled yours all over yourself,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Defense instincts when I encounter stalkers. I spill coffee on myself and scream ‘fuck’ to see if it scares them off. Obviously it didn’t work in this face,” I teased.

  “Ouch.”

  “I was kidding Adam Weaver. Meet you on the park bench tomorrow around noon, okay?”

  “Okay! I’ll see you then. Um, if you can’t make it for any reason, just let me know?”

  “I will.”

  I hung up the phone and turned it off. I planned on making it even if for the free coffee I’d get out of him, but as I watched the show and saw how the criminal was also involved in a brutal kidnapping, I started to get an idea.

  I would just have to talk Adam into it and tomorrow would be the day I would go all in.

  Seven

  I was cranky the next morning when I woke up. My inner twelve year old that was fondled and abused by Bobby had taken over and I couldn’t believe I had agreed to have coffee with the fucking twin of the man I hated.

  The television was still blaring since I had fallen asleep with it on and I turned on my side. My phone sat there on the coffee table taunting me. Should I turn it on and tell Adam that I wasn’t coming? Should I keep it off and not say anything?

  I let out a long suffering sigh which was answered by a knock on the apartment door.

  “It’s me, Jude.”

  Great. Just what I need; an interrogation as soon as I wake up.

  I pushed myself off of the couch and went to the door to unlock it. Ethan pushed it open before I had a chance to move out of the way and he was giving me a serious look.

  “We need to talk about something,” he said in a stern but gentle voice.

  I rolled my eyes and followed him into the kitchen where he sat down at the table. I was actually impressed when he took a cigarette out of my pack and light it, because I didn’t know that Ethan smoked. But I was even more so curious, when he started to nervously tap his fingers on the table.

  I made my way to the coffee pot and turned it on. Making sure it was always the ready the night before was a trick I had learned when I ran out of coffee once. It would always ensure I would know when to get off my ass and go buy some.

  “What’s up, big brother?” I asked, joining him at the table while the coffee brewed.

  “I was at Violet’s going through all of her stuff to see what I could give to Goodwill and I came across this,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and dropping a small, old book on the table.

  I glanced at it curiously and reached for it, but Ethan put a hand on it to keep me from being able to grab it.

  “Why didn’t you tell me,” he asked, his voice cracking.

  “Tell you what? Let go,” I said, smacking his hand off the little book. I picked it up and opened it to the first page. I looked at the childlike handwriting that said This Diary is Property of Jude McIntyre. My mouth instantly went dry. I had forgotten about this damn book.

  “Don’t fuck with me right now. I just went through an emotional rollercoaster reading this. Why didn’t you tell me?” he yelled.

  I flipped through the pages to see if I had written anything about Cousin Bobby. I must have because I believed that my diary was my only friend when all of it happened. I stopped flipping when I saw some pages that looked like they had been cried on.

  April 10th,

  We finally got back from Uncle Josh and Aunt Sarah’s house. I’m never going back there again. No matter how much Bobby told me he loved me, he wouldn’t have hurt me if he did.

  I reached for a cigarette with a shaky hand, slid it between my lips, and lit it. Inhaling deeply, I used my pinky to slide the diary back toward Ethan, who was so angry at this point, he had tears streaming down his face.

  “I didn’t think anyone would believe me and I didn’t want to incur the wrath of Violet,” I replied thoughtfully.

  “Bullshit! I would’ve believed you!” Ethan yelled, springing to his feet. “I would’ve done anything in the world to protect you if I knew!”

  “There’s nothing than can be done about it now,” I replied calmly, flicking the ashes off the end of my cigarette. “Please sit down and stop yelling. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”

  “I’m going to kill him,” Ethan seethed, his hands shaking at his side. “I’m going to make sure that bastard suffers and then I’m going to kill him.”

  “Calm down, my hero,” I said, waving a hand at him. I got to my feet and went over to the coffee pot which had finished brewing in the nick of time. I fixed us both cups and brought them back to the table, my cigarette dangling from my lips.

  Ethan sat down and reached for the cup I handed him. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him before and it made me wonder if he was serious.

  This won’t do.

  “I have an idea. A way that I can get back at Bobby without actually having to touch him,” I said conversationally.

  “Whatever it is, I’m in. We have to keep it a secret from Jeremy because he’ll run off and try to stop us.”

  “Can I tell you what the idea is before you agree to what I’m thinking?” I asked with a laugh. Mm, good, I thought taking a sip of my coffee. I took another pull on my cigarette and waited for Ethan to show some signs of calm before I would tell him what I needed from him.

  “Go ahead,” he said with a nod.

  I took another long pull of my cigarette, exhaling the smoke in circle rings, and smiling as they disappeared into the air.

  “Ever notice how much Adam looks like Bobby?” I asked.

  Ethan looked confused for a moment before he said, “Yeah. I guess.”

  I bit my lip nervously wondering just how far into my plan Ethan wo
uld be willing to go and at what point, if any, would he try to stop me. But the more I thought about what I wanted to do, the more I wanted to keep Ethan out of it. I didn’t want him to get mixed up in anything if it went wrong.

  “I’m supposed to meet him for coffee today. Do you want to come with me? I don’t know if I’ll be able to sit there long enough without thinking of Bobby,” I said quietly.

  “I’ll play along, Jude. For now,” he replied with a chuckle.

  It was obvious that he wasn’t going to let this go and that in trying to heal myself, I was going to take my brother down with me.

  Eight

  It was almost noon by the time Ethan and I arrived at the bench on the park. Adam hadn’t arrived yet and I was wondering when he’d be showing up. I also wondered if he’d turn around and walk back the way he came once he saw Ethan sitting next to me.

  I cleared my throat and leaned back against the bench, while my brother shifted impatiently next to me. For what seemed like the tenth time in one minute, he checked the time on his obviously expensive watch.

  “This is bullshit. He said noon, didn’t he?” he grumbled.

  “Calm down,” I replied with a laugh. “We just got here and if he saw you, he probably ran away already.”

  “Why do you say that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I don’t know, because I took my big brother on my coffee date?”

  He chuckled and moved closer to me on the bench. I smiled, pulling my legs up and wrapping my arms around them.

  “At some point, I want you to tell me the truth, okay?” he asked softly.

  I sighed and looked away. I couldn’t tell him the truth without getting him involved one way or another and I didn’t really want to do that. But I also knew my brother well enough to know that he wouldn’t let it go until I told him. With a glance down either side of the street, I turned my attention back to him.

  “Ever since I was little I’ve always had this dream of getting back at Bobby somehow. I never had a plan though until I saw him at Violet’s wake and ran into Adam on this damn bench after that. Does Adam still have family or anyone that would notice if anything happened to him? I know that he told me that his father and Thomas were best friends, but I don’t know any more about him than that,” I said, dropping my legs down and reaching into my pocket for my pack of cigarettes.

  “He’s a typical rich kid. Jets off wherever and whenever the fuck he wants. I think he’s into some serious shit too, so I don’t think it’s that anyone wouldn’t notice, I think it’s would they care,” he replied, holding out a hand for a cigarette.

  “Smoking is bad for you,” I said, lighting my cigarette and handing him the lighter. He smiled at me with his dangling from his lips as he lit it then handed the lighter back to me.

  “So what was does Bobby have to do with Adam?” he asked, inhaling deeply.

  “It’s like I said; anything happens to Bobby and it’ll go noticed, but if his cosmic twin is the way you say he is then, I can get my payback and maybe be able to finally feel normal for once,” I replied, flicking the ashes off the end of my cigarette.

  Ethan stared at me for a moment like he was trying to decipher hieroglyphics or something just as complicated. I watched his face go from confusion to slow understanding of what I was suggestion, to a sudden brightness I didn’t understand.

  “Hey Adam!” he called out.

  My body tensed at the sound of Adam’s name because I didn’t know what would happen next. Would I be able to act bright and cheerful and feign happiness at being here or would I find myself standing behind my brother for superficial protection?

  Be strong Jude. Ethan won’t let anything happen to you. Not now or ever again.

  “Hi,” I said brightly with a wave.

  Adam smiled as he approached us. He was wearing a crisp light green shirt that matched his eyes and black denim jeans. One glance at his pristine black sneakers and I had to fight the urge ask him how many he owned that those were so clean and brand new looking. His tattoos shone brightly, intricate designs that came down from under the sleeve of his t-shirt and down to his wrists. He had his hands in his pockets and stopped in front us, taking one out just long enough to scratch his head with.

  “Chaperoning?” he asked Ethan with a laugh.

  “Something like that,” my brother replied as he climbed to his feet. He held out his hand to Adam who took it and shook it firmly.

  “It’s my fault,” I said, finally standing up. “I called Ethan and asked if he wanted to go for a walk today not remembering that I was supposed to be here until about five minutes ago.”

  I let my cigarette fall from my hands and used the tip of my worn canvas shoes to stub it out.

  “It’s okay. I honestly expected to find an empty bench, so two McIntyres for the price of one is just fine with me,” he replied good-naturedly.

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something, then I’ll leave the two of you alone,” Ethan suddenly said. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

  “Okay,” Adam agreed with a shrug.

  As the two of them turned and started to walk away, leaving me standing there alone, I wondered what the hell Ethan was up to. But once glance from him over his shoulder and a grim nod and I knew he was going to put the first part of my action into plan.

  Kidnap Adam Weaver.

  Nine

  3 Nights Later

  Ethan and I were sitting in one of the empty buildings that Thomas had left to him in his will. Apparently it had been some kind of money maker for him before the company became defunct and his will directed Ethan to rebuild the building to its former glory and make something of it.

  Somehow he had managed to get Adam to follow him back to my apartment while I waited for them by the bench at the park and then he beat him until he had lost consciousness. Apparently, Adam was due to leave the country again in three days so no one would ask questions, so Ethan capitalized on that.

  When dusk fell, he carried him out to the car and told me he knew exactly where to take him to get my revenge on Cousin Bobby.

  That’s the story of how we ended up here. In this dilapidated building somewhere on the city line, dangerously straddling the next state.

  Dangerous in the aspect of possibly crossing it to “dispose of him if he dies” according to Ethan. It amazed me how gung-ho he was about this entire thing.

  When I asked him why he was so hell-bent on helping me for about the hundredth time, his response remained the same.

  “Because you didn’t give me the chance to protect you before. This is the least I can do.”

  I was lying down on one of the old metal tables, one leg bent and with my arms crossed behind my head. Ethan was leaning against the table by my feet and watching Adam for signs of anything I assumed.

  He had been tied to a chair that was sitting directly across from me and the dried blood on his forehead looked like it was beginning to crack. Ethan had placed duct tape over his mouth which was stained with the blood from his nose. His right eye was purple and probably shut at this point.

  It’s almost like a dream come true.

  I cleared my throat and switched legs prompting a chuckle out of Ethan.

  “You feeling impatient, Jude?” he asked.

  “Always.”

  “Since day one,” he agreed, his chuckle turning into a laugh.

  It was true. I wasn’t born on my due date. I was born three weeks before and I’ve fought an uphill battle ever since. The only constants in my life that I ever knew I could trust were my brothers, which begged the question of where Jeremy was when I needed him? Would Ethan step in with Adam to make up for not being able to help me when I was a kid?

  No. I don’t want Jeremy involved any more than I want Ethan to be here.

  A groan broke into my thoughts. I turned my head to the right and saw that Adam was finally waking up.

  “It’s about damn time,” Ethan muttered, crossing his arms over his ches
t.

  I watched him silently as he rolled his head on his shoulders. First to the left, then to the right before he finally managed to lift it to eye level.

  “Mmph,” he said from behind his duct tape. He struggled to open both of his eyes, and like I had thought, the right was shut. He blinked his left one a few times before he was finally able to focus. The look he gave me was one of confusion, but when he eye traveled to Ethan, the confusion gave way to hatred.

  He began to angrily yell behind the tape and the struggle was on to undo the ropes that bound him to the chair. He kept his open eye on Ethan the entire time, and something told me that if he managed to break free, he’d attack him with whatever strength he had.

  “You know, I’d take that tape off of your mouth if you calmed down,” Ethan said to him conversationally. “But I don’t know if that’s possible right now.”

  I pushed myself slowly up to a seated position. I did it with purpose and malcontent; I wanted him to know more than he probably already did that I was going to fuck his world up.

  Giving Ethan a gentle nudge with my foot, I swung my legs over the side once he moved down the table a little bit.

  I began to slowly drum my fingers on the old metal table and stared into Adam’s face. All of the wonderfully devilish things I wanted to do to him were floating through my head, but I wanted him to know why first.

  “You know, you bear an uncanny resemblance to my cousin, Bobby,” I said as I tilted my head slowly to the right. “I fucking hate my cousin, Bobby.”

  Adam let out a muffled sentence and I glanced at Ethan with a nod. My big brother stepped forward and ripped the duct tape off of his mouth, letting it fall to the ground.

  “What the fuck does that have to do with me?” he spat out in bated breaths.

  “It’s funny you should ask that actually,” I replied hopping off of the table and scratching my head. “I want to tell you about Cousin Bobby, then tell you why you’re here instead of him.”