by Dion Perkins
“Danny, what are you doing now?” It’s a good thing that he was skinny, because he was able to turn around and start the car and pull off down the street without being seen.
Tony
A day had passed since Tony had fallen asleep. He knew that he had to get out of there, but he was still sick. The minute he stood up, he threw up all over the room. He stumbled to the sink to wash his face and rinse his mouth. Tony looked over at the dresser, and his heart nearly jumped from his chest.
“Huh? That bitch!” he screamed out, thinking Becky had stolen his briefcase.
He rushed out, but then remembered his gun was under the pillow. He stepped back into the room, grabbed it, and then went looking for his prey. Tony entered the front office and went to the desk, but he noticed something strange.
The manager was in a back room with the door wide open. He was using a hammer to bang on his briefcase, attempting to get it open. Tony couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Motherfucker!” he screamed out as he rushed over the counter, gun in hand.
The crazy dude saw him, grabbed a shotgun, and said, “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing, mister?”
Tony looked at the man’s hand. His finger wasn’t even on the trigger. Tony hit the man twice. Pop! Pop! The bullets felt hot in the man’s body, but Tony could have killed him. Instead, he shot him twice in the leg. He walked over, took his briefcase, and said, “I’m checking out, fucker!”
The man on the floor was writhing in pain. “I can’t believe you fuckin’ shot me!” he cried out. “It fuckin’ hurts! Ouch! Dammit!”
“Look,” Tony said to the man, “I don’t have time to sit here and negotiate a fuckin’ deal with you to get my shit back! This way, I save us both some time!”
With tears streaming down his face, he screamed, “Why would you do this to me?”
Tony turned to exit and there she stood, the pretty girl he had lay with. “Take me with you!” she said. Becky had her bag packed and was ready to go. She said, “Uncle Gene has been raping me since I was a little girl. He has cameras in all the rooms, and if I stay here, he’s going to kill me!”
Tony looked at the man on the floor, shook his head, handed her the gun, and said, “I’ll be in the car. You’re gonna have to drive.”
With her hands shaking, she took the gun, aimed it at the man on the floor, and yelled, “You piece of shit!”
“Now, come on! Come on!” Gene repeated over and over. “You don’t wanna do this! You’re gonna go to jail forever when they catch you! Why don’t you put the gun down now, come on over here, and help me out?” he demanded sternly.
Slowly, she raised the gun. She began to think back on all the times he had raped her. She could see the first time it happened, when she was only six years old. Her alcoholic biker parents cared for nothing or no one except for traveling the country and getting into all kinds of trouble. Her mother gave birth to her while on the road. Her parents continued traveling the country for six years, dragging the baby along with them. One day they just decided to leave her at the family’s motel with her sleazy, pedophile uncle, who tortured Becky for years.
Without a second to waste, she fired three times. Each bullet struck the man in the chest. “You fuckin’, bitch!” he yelled as he lay there dying.
Becky began to cry. She felt free, as if she had just killed Satan. She stood up on her toes as she watched the life leave his body. A broad smile crossed her face, and she turned and calmly walked out, gun still in hand.
Becky got into the car and looked at Tony. He didn’t look good. She felt that he was her savior, and, for that reason, she was determined to take care of him.
“I got you, baby,” she said. “But where are we headed?”
Tony replied, “Just get on the highway and drive until I can’t take the fuckin’ pain no more.” Without Hesitation, the girl obliged, and off they went into the early morning.
Becky looked over at him sleeping and began to smile. She wondered what he’d been going through, what he’d been running from. For the first time, she was happy and she couldn’t wait to find out.
Becky drove for about ten straight hours, only stopping once for gas. Then suddenly, Tony woke up, screaming, “Ah!” he was doubled over, holding his body. “Wait! Wait, we have to go back to New York. I need to get something…or pull over, please! We can find it somewhere else.”
She was startled but she wanted to please him. “Okay, where do you want me to go?” Becky pulled off the highway, following a sign that said Seattle. She drove around for about an hour, looking for whatever Tony needed, but she was frustrated that she couldn’t find anything. She neared a corner and looked up at a sign on a restaurant that read “Room for Rent.”
She shook him. “Tony, it says ‘Room for rent.’ Do you wanna get it?”
He pulled himself up as best he could. “Pull over,” he said. He reached into the briefcase and handed the girl $1000. “Yes, go get it and tell them not to bother us.”
She exited the car and ran into the small restaurant. Just inside was an old man of about 75 sitting at a table. His wife was behind the counter, washing one dish. Tony could see the transaction from the car. The old man walked from the restaurant and wobbled over to the car. As soon as Tony saw the old man, he thought of his father. He knew that it was a message sent from beyond.
“Are you okay, son?” the old man asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Tony replied, trying his best to look normal. He was sweating, yet he was cold and shaking. Then the pain kicked in. “Ohhh!” he screamed.
Tony looked at the elderly man and tucked another thousand dollars in his pockets. “No matter what, please tell no one that I’m here. I will take care of you, I promise,” Tony glanced around and then asked, “Is there anywhere you can hide my car?”
The old man looked at Tony and said, “My name’s Joe, son.” He decided not to tell his wife Martha about what was just said. “Okay, son, come on,” he said, helping Tony out of the car. “I can put your car in my garage, so don’t you worry. It’ll be safe. You just come on here now and get yourself together.” He and Becky carried Tony inside the restaurant and up the stairs, while the old lady looked on with compassion.
“Oh my, what happened?”
“Nothing, Martha. You just go back over there. I’ll be down to talk to ya in a moment,” Joe replied kindly.
They made it upstairs and were taken to a room. Downstairs was where the couple lived. They had one furnished bedroom upstairs, with an old dresser and a queen-size bed. The bathroom and dining area were located downstairs.
They walked Tony over to the bed and gently lay him down. Then Joe said, “If I can get you something to eat, young lady, just come down, and my Martha will make it for you.”
Becky said, “Okay, thank you, sir.”
“No problem, but…uh, is your friend going to be okay?” Joe was truly concerned.
Tony sat up and said, “My father passed away and I promised him I wouldn’t do drugs anymore. I’m kicking off of heroin. No matter what, I ask you both, from here on out, don’t let me leave! Please, don’t give me drugs! Please.”
“You got it,” the old man said.
Becky looked at Tony and said, “Yes, of course.” Then they looked at each other with a bit of concern.
The first few days were horrible for Tony, especially day one. By day five, Tony was sweating all day, and at night he threw up on himself constantly. Through it all, Becky was there to wash him, to hold his hands, and to keep him calm as he lay in the bed. As the days passed, she began to care more and more about him. She genuinely wanted him to get better.
Day 6
“Becky, it hurts so badly! Becky, please!” he begged and begged to no avail. They watched Tony like a hawk. A couple of times, he had made it downstairs, but there was nowhere for him to go once he got
down there. There was always someone there to bring him back up. He was too weak to try to climb back up the stairs since he hadn’t eaten anything in days.
Becky did her best to bring him food, but it only sat on the dresser, getting cold. Eventually, she just gave him sips of water every now and then to keep him hydrated. On the eve of the seventh day, Tony’s heart stopped. He had been tossing and turning so much the past few days. Poor Becky was so tired that she had fallen fast asleep. No one knew that he was not breathing.
“Tony, what the hell are you doing here?” Tony opened his eyes and saw his father.
“What the fuck?!” he said.
Tony Senior said, “You don’t belong here, Tony. Go back home.”
He began to cry. “But, Dad, no…I wanna stay with you here.”
“Now how fucking selfish is that?” his father replied. “Do you remember what I asked you to do for me?”
“Yeah, Dad. You told me to stop using and I have.”
“Yeah, I know. I see everything. But, that’s not the part I’m referring to. I asked you to take care of your mother. How the hell are you gonna be able to do that if you’re up here?”
Tony paused, held one finger in the air, and replied, “I can’t.”
“Exactly,” his father replied. He reached in, gave his son a big hug, and a kiss on his head. “Son, I love you and I’m proud of you, but it’s not over. If you stay straight, I promise you, your life is gonna change, but only you can control what happens to you.”
Then Tony Senior placed his right hand over Tony’s heart. Like a jolt of lightning, a sharp pain shot through his chest so hard that it made him leap to his feet.
Becky screamed when he jumped up. “What the fuck?!”
Tony stood on his feet. He looked down at Becky and said, “Hey, Mama, thanks a million! I owe you my life!”
“No, you don’t,” she replied. “You did this all on your own, but welcome back, Mr. Tony!” Becky smiled at him.
Tony wondered if he should go over and kiss her but thought he’d better not. He had been throwing up for a week. Instead, he just reached in and gave her a tight hug.
Downstairs, the old man had heard the scream, but it took him a minute to get up all those stairs. “Is everything okay up here?” Joe inquired, breathing hard. “You know it takes me a minute to get up here.”
“Yes, sir, Joe,” replied Tony. “As a matter of fact, I’m a little hungry. Do you think I could get something to eat?”
“Sure thing!” the old man replied. “Hey, I’ll tell you what. How ’bout I join ya?”
The trio was walking out the bedroom when Tony realized that he wasn’t quite that strong yet. He stumbled, but before he could fall, pretty Becky caught him with the strength of a man. She held him steady. He smiled as he accepted her help.
Joe yelled downstairs, “Martha, cook us up something to eat! Our guest has arrived.”
Tony went into the bathroom. There was a toothbrush wrapped in plastic that Becky had bought him, along with fresh clothes. He was grateful to her for everything, and he felt just a little better after the quick wash. He headed to the
Martha said, “It’s good to see you up and moving. Whew, you had me scared there for a while.” As she spoke, Tony began to see flashes of the old lady wiping his forehead with a towel. She hugged him and he smiled. Tony felt like he did when he was in his grandmother’s kitchen as a little kid. “How ’bout I make you guys a Rueben?”
“Okay, Martha,” Joe replied.
“And what will you all be drinking?” the lady asked, walking behind the counter. “Not you, Joe! You’re having apple juice.”
The old man was about to protest, but then he threw his hands in the air, turned to the kids, and said, “After fifty-five years, what am I gonna say?”
Becky smiled and wished that she had a love this strong. Tony shivered just a little; it was just some residual sickness from the week past.
“Are you okay, son?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tony said, looking around the little restaurant. There were enough chairs to seat up to 40 people, and the counter could sit another 20 more.
“So, when does it get busy in here?” Tony inquired.
“Oh, I say around four or five in the morning,” said Joe, a huge smile on his face.
“Oh, cut it out,” Martha said. “Honey, my Joe is the only customer we’ve had for over ten years! Every once in a while, somebody might stop by and order a soda, but this is it.”
The old man smiled, looked around at the old building, and added, “Yeah, I’ve been trying to stay, but it’s become a burden for me and the missus. We tried selling it, but no one has bitten. I swear, if somebody gave me ten thousand dollars, I’d give them the whole damn building!”
Tony looked at the old man. “Why would you give your place away so cheap?”
“Because, for what I bought it for way back in sixty-seven, in today’s world, real estate is not too good.”
Martha walked over with the sandwiches and placed them down on the table in front of them. She sat next to her husband, and they all began to eat. She loved watching people eat her food.
As Tony ate, his mind wandered. He looked around. Wow! He thought that this place could really be something. “What’s the town like around here? How do the people act, Joe?”
“Well, I tell you something. A lot of bigwigs from the city reside out here. I mean, the people from City Hall. You know, the important folks. There’s the judge that lives just down the road here, but he’s a snobby SOB. We don’t care too much for him.” Tony and Becky laughed.
“Yeah, well, he’s always having some different events at his big house and making all kinds of noise,” Martha chimed in. “I thought he was a nice man, but I’ve seen some things…”
Tony looked at the old couple and said, “This food is wonderful!” He paused, got up, and went up the stairs.
The old couple and Becky looked at him strangely. They thought that perhaps he was headed upstairs to throw up; that’s all he’d been doing for the past week, and maybe the food hadn’t agreed with him.
Tony spotted the briefcase. He opened it up and counted out $50,000. He went back downstairs and dropped the money on the table.
The old couple looked at him, their eyes bulging. “What the hell is this?” Joe asked. He had a wondrous look on his face. Martha just covered her mouth with one hand while the second hand reached out to touch the money.
Tony responded, “You said you wanna sell. Well, here’s fifty thou! Now, you take this lovely lady here and go visit some family, take a trip. I would like to purchase your establishment.”
Joe jumped to his feet. “Gosh darned! I don’t have time to play games with you, young man! Well, I don’t know who you think I am or where in the hell you got all this money from, but I don’t want any part of it! Please, take your things and leave!” Then he pulled his wife’s chair out and said, “Martha, let’s go.” Martha protested. “Martha, I won’t say it again! I’m your husband!” he said with authority.
“Joe,” Tony interrupted, “how long have you been here?”
“We’ve been here for forty-seven years.”
“Don’t you think it’s time you and your wife relaxed a little and didn’t have to worry about any bills?” Tony paused, then said, “Just picture it…” He put his arm around the old man’s shoulder, “White, sandy beaches, lounge chairs overlooking the bluest ocean you’ve ever seen… And if you look into the distance, you say to yourself, ‘What the heck is that? No, it couldn’t be!’ But, Joe, there it is right in front of you: dolphins jumping up and down in the sunrise as you enjoy your house on the beach!”
Joe stared at Tony as he contemplated his words. Martha had a twinkle in her eye as Tony continued to entice the elderly couple into selling their restaurant.
“This is my p
lan. I’m going to turn this place into a very classy joint,” Tony said, looking around. “This is a new age.” Tony turned to the couple and said, “Picture it! The stage will be here, and I’ll have two small bars. Becky and I will stay upstairs, and we’ll transform this place into an exclusive cigar bar. Yeah,” Tony said as he visualized it.
“And here’s the best part, Joe: it’s gonna remain yours. Every month I’ll send you a check, depending on how well we do, of course. What I’m trying to tell you, Joe, is, I don’t know if you have children or not, but if you were my mom and pop, I’d love to come take over the business while you two retired to Florida! Go enjoy your beautiful wife and the sunshine! Go fishing! Hell, if I do well enough, then maybe you could buy a sailboat, one of those VanDutches. I hear they’re the best ones out there. All I ask for is your trust.”
With that, Tony rested his case. The old man looked at Tony, extended his hand, and said, “Martha, pack our stuff. We’re going to Fiji!”
Martha couldn’t believe what she heard. She didn’t know whether to grab the money from the table or run and pack. She was stumped and just stood there. She screamed, “Oh dear! Oh dear!”
Everyone began to laugh. They sat back down and finished their lunch as Tony laid out his plan.
CHAPTER 7
Sherry
• • •
Amber and Sherry had rented a hotel room downtown. They had decided before they went out that they were going do a little heroin, but the little they did messed them up badly. The girls hadn’t moved for eight hours. They were laid out on the floor. The whole time they lay there, Sherry dreamed of Tony.
She saw him walk into the hotel room, watched him bend down, and felt him tease her pussy again. In slow motion, he not only licked her clit, but he tasted it. He sucked on her clit and lightly nibbled on it. She was going crazy. Then he stood in front of her, and his extra-blue eyes turned into the ocean. She found herself drowning. Then his hand pulled her back up and up and up until the ocean turned into the bluest sky. Sherry found herself lying on a cloud, her legs wide open, and he inserted himself in her tightness. She squealed with longing desire as he began to play around in her, hitting the walls with precise strikes. She squealed in ecstasy, reaching up to grab him, but he was not there.