by J. S. Cooper
I glared at Vincent for being a traitor and then looked back at Jared. “Go on, then.”
“There’s some guy in town who has a Bugatti,” Jared talked quickly. “A two-million-dollar Bugatti, and he’s going out of town in a few weeks.”
“So?” I shook my head annoyed. “You know we don’t steal big money cars, we have no way to sell them.”
“Here’s the deal.” Jared leaned forward excitedly. “Joey has a buyer, he knows someone who is interested in buying it. A million dollars in cash.”
“But it’s worth two million.” I stared at my brother, starting to feel slightly excited.
“It’s all cash and a done deal.” He grinned at me. “This is the answer to our problems! One million dollars in cash. Can you even count that high, smarty-pants?”
“There’s only one problem.” Vincent ran his hands through his hair. “The car is in a garage and a keylock won’t work.”
“I can get in any car.” I shrugged, thinking how I would break into a Bugatti. “But if it’s in a garage, it’s a no-go.”
“All we have to do is break in to the garage as well.” Jared looked annoyed. “I’m sure it can’t be that hard.”
“We don’t break into houses.” My voice was firm. “You know that, guys.”
“It’s not a house, it’s the garage.”
“The garage is part of the house.” I shook my head and my voice was resolute.
“Maybe we have to start playing by some different rules.” Jared turned away from me and looked at Vincent. “Who’s ever heard of thieves with an honor code? And who only takes Japanese imports? Give me a fucking break, it’s not doing anything to help us.”
“Jared, this isn’t the road we want to go down.” My voice was soft as I walked up to him. “I don’t want you guys involved in this shit. Let me think of something,” I pleaded with him, hoping he would realize what a big deal it would be for us to break into a garage. Theft was a slippery slope, and I was scared that if we did this, they would think that it was okay to break into houses or even into stores. And that was when people started getting hurt. That was when knives and guns came out. I was scared and panicked. I didn’t want anything to escalate. And I knew I was running out of time.
“Logan, listen to me.” Jared turned around and looked at me with wild, passionate eyes. “I get it, I really do. I know you have always looked out for me and Vinny. I know that you don’t want us involved in this life. And I understand. Bro, we both understand, but you gotta admit, it’s not going so well for us. This is one deal. We steal this one car, and we’re set. We don’t have to steal anymore. Not one single car unless we want to. And we can move. We will finally have enough money to send Dad to rehab, pay for college for all three of us, and we can get the shit out of River Valley.” He grabbed my shoulder and stared at me for a few seconds. “This town is toxic to us, bro. It’s time we finally packed up and left.”
“What do you think?” I looked at Vincent to get his opinion. Jared had a point. A million dollars was a lot of money. I’d be able to go clean, and I’d be able to ensure we all stayed clean. We could get help for Dad and move and maybe buy a small place so we didn’t have to worry about rent. And then maybe I could find a real job somewhere, start to lead a somewhat normal life. I could be someone Maddie could count on. I could take her out on a nice date and do things with her that normal couples did.
“I think it’s a good idea, Logan.” Vincent looked at me seriously. “We’d have to study up on how to get into a Bugatti and how to break into a garage, but I think we can do it.”
“We would also have to figure out the mechanics of the ignition.” My voice was firm. “We can’t expect to just find a spare key, and something tells me that fiddling with a few wires is not going to do what we want.”
“Joey has someone who can teach us,” Jared interrupted me eagerly. “If we want to, of course.”
“I just don’t know,” I sighed. The idea itself was attractive, but knowing Joey was involved made me very hesitant to get involved. I just didn’t trust him. “You guys know how I feel about Joey. This just doesn’t seem like the sort of thing we should get involved with.”
“Joey is fine,” Jared sighed. “Come on, Logan.”
“What does he get out of it anyway?” I shook my head. “Why is he brokering this deal?”
“He gets a hundred grand,” Jared mumbled. “But it doesn’t come from our million. The guy buying the car will pay him.”
“But we don’t know who’s buying the car?” I cleared my throat. A knot was beginning to form in my stomach. There were too many unknowns and I was starting to get a bad feeling about everything.
“Just trust me please, Logan. I trust Joey. I think it’s going to be fine. We need this, bro.”
“What do you think?” I looked at Vincent again.
He nodded slowly. “I think we should do it.” His eyes looked calm and serious. “I say we do this deal and we walk away from the car theft business forever and never look back.”
“Okay.” I nodded and sat down. “Let’s do it.” I ignored the qualms and fears I had over getting involved in a deal like this. Jared was right, playing it safe and doing small deals wasn’t helping the situation. We needed something big to happen, and we needed to get out of this lifestyle. I didn’t want to be the guy who wasn’t good enough anymore. I wanted to make a future for myself.
“For real?” Jared grinned at me.
“Yes,” I sighed. “I hope this isn’t going to be a big mistake.”
“Trust me, bro. This is the best decision you’ve ever made. We’re going to be set from here on out.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I think it is going to change our lives, right, Vincent?”
“I don’t know.” Vincent frowned. “There are some things I don’t want to change.”
“What?” Jared looked at him like he was crazy. “Are you fucking joking?”
“No.” Vincent’s voice was soft. “I hate that we’re poor and that we worry so much, but we have each other. We’ve always had each other. We’ve always been close. I just don’t want money to come between us. I don’t want everything to change.”
“Dude, it’s one million dollars, not a billion.” Jared burst out laughing. “We’ll be set for now, but not forever.”
“I don’t want the money to come between us.”
“It won’t.” Jared shook his head. “We just have to decide how we’ll spend it.”
“How do we decide?”
“Hey, guys,” I interrupted them. “I agree with, Vincent. We can’t let this money divide us. We all have to be on the same page as to how we are going to split it and spend it.”
“I figure you can be in charge of the money.” Jared’s tone changed. “You’re the eldest, you’ve always had our back. I trust you. Right, Vincent?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. You’ll be in charge of the money, Logan.”
“Are you guys sure?”
“Duh.” Jared grinned and sat down next to me. Vincent sat down as well, and we all just looked at each other for a few moments. This was the biggest decision of our lives and I think we all realized just how much our lives would change based upon this decision. We had all talked about the positive change, if everything went well. But I knew we all realized that maybe everything wouldn’t go as planned. Maybe it would all go horribly wrong. Maybe one of us would get caught. Or all of us.
“We need to talk worst-case scenario.” I pursed my lips and looked at them, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. These were my two baby brothers, and as I stared at them, the feeling of love washed over me, and I couldn’t believe just how much they meant to me. “I don’t want both of you in this with me.”
“What are you talking about?” Jared frowned. “You can’t do this alone.”
“Jared’s right. It’s all of us or none of us.” Vincent’s voice was firm. “You don’t have to risk your life for us anymore, Logan.”
&
nbsp; “What are you talking about?”
“We know everything you’ve done for us.” Vincent leaned towards me. “And we appreciate it. We’ve been selfish. It’s not fair to you. If we do this, it’s all of us. I won’t accept it any other way.”
“You won’t accept it?” I raised an eyebrow at him. I had never seen Vincent speak up like that before.
“I won’t accept it.” He grinned. “I’m second oldest and I’m usurping your command.”
“Really?”
“Really! So deal with it.”
“Okay, but we have to decide our roles.”
“Joey said we should start the training right away. We don’t have much time.”
“I really wish Joey wasn’t involved with this,” I groaned. “I know you guys think I’m overreacting, but he’s bad news.”
“We don’t have to deal with him after this.” Vincent made a face towards Jared and he shrugged.
“Joey’s cool, man, but, if it means that much to you, I won’t hang out with him as much after this.”
“What about Lucy?” Vincent laughed and gave Jared a teasing smile, and I looked over at Jared in surprise.
“You dating Lucy?”
“What? No, no, of course not.” Jared made a face and turned away from me, so I didn’t push the issue. There was no way I wanted him dating Lucy. That would make it that much harder to get Joey out of our lives. And if there was one thing I wanted by the end of everything, it was for Joey to be a distant memory.
“Fine, tell Joey that we will start the training as soon as his friend is ready. Also, I have a favor to ask you guys.”
“Uh huh?” Jared and Vincent looked at me curiously.
“We need to clean this place up.”
“Huh?” Jared made a face.
“We need to tidy up this house.” I took a deep breath. “I want to invite someone over.”
“What?” Jared’s jaw fell open.
“I said we need to tidy up. This place is a mess.”
“Uhm, I heard that part. I’m talking about the inviting someone over part.”
“What about it?”
“You’ve never invited anyone over. None of us have.”
“Well, I am wanting to invite someone over now.”
“Who?” Jared stared at me through narrow eyes.
“Maddie.”
“What the fuck?” Jared’s face grew red.
Vincent looked at me in confusion. “Who’s Maddie?”
“He’s talking about, Maddison Wright, the mayor’s daughter.”
“The mayor’s daughter?” Vincent’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Exactly.” Jared turned towards me again. “What are you thinking, Logan? What is Dad going to say if you bring her over here?”
“I don’t care what he has to say.” My voice was serious and I stood up. “She wants to get to know you both, and I think it’s a good idea.”
“What the fuck?” Jared exclaimed again and gave me a crazy look. “Are you fucking kidding me? Not only are you not getting her father back, but you’re dating her?”
“She isn’t responsible for what her father did.” I spoke slowly, understanding why he was upset but wanting him to understand why I liked her.
“We’re not responsible for what happened to our father, but we still got screwed. Is this a fucking joke? You’re going to date the fucking mayor’s daughter. The man who basically ruined our lives. He fucking turned Dad into an alcoholic and he killed our mother. And we can’t even afford to pay the fucking rent. Do you hear me, Logan? He fucked up our lives and now … now you have the opportunity to exact revenge on him for all this shit, and you decide to date his daughter. And no, not to get the best revenge ever. But because you like her.”
“I never said I liked her.”
“So you just want her to come over because …?” Jared rolled his eyes. “And why do we need to get to know her? This sounds like a bad idea.”
“She’s not like her dad.”
“How do you know?” Jared jumped up as well. “You barely know her. Dude, she was obsessed with you as a teenager and now she is having a summer of fun with you. Do you really think this could become something serious?”
“Stop it, Jared.” Vincent raised his voice.
“You are not taking his side.” Jared shook his head in disgust.
“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I’m just saying stop it.” Vincent ran his hands through his hair and looked thoughtful. “We need to support Logan. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a grateful smile and swallowed hard. I looked away and my brain felt like it was about to explode. The problem was I really didn’t know what I was doing. I felt like I was spinning out of control. Everything just felt crazy, and it was all changing so fast. An image of Maddie’s sweet smile flashed in my mind, and I felt my insides melt as I thought about her. I wasn’t even sure when I had decided that she should meet Vincent and get to know Jared better. But I knew that I needed to give her something to show that I was serious about trying to create something special between us. I wasn’t even really sure what we could create. How could her family ever accept me? How could I ever explain to my father that I was dating the daughter of the man who betrayed him? And what if all along the story my father had told wasn’t exactly true? Why hadn’t he told me that Mom had dated the mayor first? He had always said that the mayor had tried to date her but she had chosen Dad and been happy with him. Had she really dated the mayor first? Had Dad stolen her from him? And had that been why the mayor had set him up? Had it been some sort of sick revenge that had gone out of control? All of a sudden, I felt overwhelmed and dizzy. Too many things were coming up that didn’t make sense or fit in with the life I had made for myself.
“Look, guys, I know how hard this must be for you. And Jared, I know you hoped that I would use Maddie’s liking me to exact some sort of revenge on her father for what he did to Dad, but that’s not going to happen. I am not going to do anything to her. I like her a lot, and she’s a good person. And I want you both to get to know her. I want you both to see the woman that I see. Please give her a chance.”
“Fuck giving her a chance.” Jared turned away from me. “If I have to take matters into my own hands, I will.”
“Leave her alone, Jared.” My voice held a warning tone.
“Or what?” Jared scoffed. “What will you do?”
“You don’t want to know.” I grabbed his arm and looked down into his face. “Do not do anything to her or I will fuck you up.”
“Ha, she’s already got you threatening me. She sounds like a great catch. Not like her dad at all.” Jared pushed me away.
“Guys.” Vincent jumped up and stood between us. “Come on. We can’t afford to get upset with each other right now. Not when we are about to do the biggest job of our lives.”
“Whatever.” Jared glared at me. “I can separate the two. I just didn’t expect for Logan to betray us like this.”
“Stop being so overdramatic, Jared.” I glared back at him. “Fucking give Maddie a chance. Do you really think I haven’t thought this through? Do you really think I would risk everything if she wasn’t someone special?”
“Who knows?” He shrugged. “She’s pretty, maybe she gave it up and she got you hooked.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I swung out to hit him and Vincent grabbed my fist.
“Come on, guys.”
“You’re not going to talk about her like that and not expect me to thump your sorry ass.” I glared at Jared and he looked at me contemplatively.
“You’re lucky you’re my brother.” He shook his head. “I would have fucked you up so badly.”
“Really? You would have fucked me up?” I scoffed back at him.
“Yeah, I would have fucked you up.” He laughed, and I laughed as well, as the tension in the room drifted away slightly.
“So, we all down to clean?”
“I guess.” Vincent groa
ned. “When is she coming over?”
“I don’t know yet.” I looked at them with an embarrassed smile. “We kind of had an argument when she left, so I’m going to let her cool down and when she calls me I’ll invite her over.”
“It’s already rocky, and you want us to meet her?” Jared shook his head in amazement. “This is going to be so ironic if she breaks your heart.”
“Jared.” Vincent looked at him in admonishment.
“Let’s be real, it would be kind of crazy if she ends up breaking his heart. Talk about some sort of fucking poetic justice, right?” Jared gave me a rueful smile. “I mean, I hope it doesn’t happen, but I just honestly can’t see this going well.”
“Let me worry about that.” I stretched. “Anyways, I gotta go to bed. Talk to Joey, and let me know what’s going on. We can start the cleaning in the morning.”
“And can we get some food?” Vincent’s voice was soft, and I nearly cursed myself. I had already forgotten we didn’t have any food.
“Look, here’s $400.” I put the cash on the table. “It’s all we got for the car, don’t ask. We need to make it last.”
“Soon we’ll have the table filled with cash.” Jared grinned and I smiled weakly, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in my stomach.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Night, guys.”
“Night, bro.” Vincent sat back down and opened up his textbook. I looked over to Jared, who was staring at me with a slightly apologetic expression in his eyes.
“Night, Logan.” He offered me a peace smile and I walked back to him and gave him a quick hug.
“I know you got my back bro, it’s okay,” I whispered into his ear before walking out of the room. I tried to hurry past the living room, but I wasn’t fast enough.
“Logan, is that you?” my dad called out to me, and I opened the door and peered up.
“What’s up, Dad?” I stood at the door and avoided eye contact with him. I didn’t want to look into his vacant bloodshot eyes tonight. I didn’t want to talk about Mom or hear stories about his life. Or be shouted at or questioned. I just couldn’t deal with it.
“I was just watching this movie, and the actress, she looked like your mom.”