by Aletto, Anna
I headbutt him twice in the side of the head and again square in the nose, breaking and busting it open. Blood pouring from his nose, his eyes watering heavily, his grip weakens and I yank the gun from him, knocking him to the floor. I remove the clip and toss it in the garbage and swipe the butcher knife from the floor. He lunges after me – too late – and I turn and cut deep into his left shoulder. Dropping to his knees, he shrieks and holds his right hand over the wound. His left arm dangles downward and I grab it and hold it to the floor. I chop his left hand off.
He only stares wide-eyed at his dismembered appendage, noiseless, in shock.
I wipe my fingerprints off the pistol and knife and drop both in the garbage can before unlocking the door and exiting the restroom.
Back at Terrell’s house I find Angela in the guest bedroom.
“I know I’m running late,” she says with her back to me, packing her suitcase. “I accidentally fell asleep again after you left. Don’t be mad. I’m almost ready.” She turns her head and glances at me.
My forehead is bruised and cut near my hairline. Dried blood stains my hands and shirt.
“Oh my god. What happened?” She holds my face in her hands and inspects the bruises and then softly kisses them. “Are we still leaving?”
“I want to stay a little longer.”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
I shower and rest and wait for Terrell to get home that evening. When he arrives, I ask for Curtis’s phone number.
“You know how dangerous this shit is.” He looks me over. You just need to go.”
“Can you give me the number?”
“Let it go, man.”
I look at him.
“Do you have a death wish?” he asks me.
“You’re not going to give it to me?”
“If you want to get him, call the club. He’ll suspect something if you have his private cell number.”
At a payphone outside a nearby Seessel’s grocery store, I dial the club. A female bartender answers and I ask for Curtis.
“Just one minute,” she says. “He’s taking it in his office.”
A phone picks up and a voice says, “Hello?”
“Curtis. We met last night. I’m the one you had a little run in with.”
“Where are you?”
“You think I’m going to answer that?”
“Never underestimate people’s stupidity. I guess I should know better though. I heard what you did to my friend earlier today. You’re a survivor. No doubt.”
“About last night, maybe you don’t care, but it was a misunderstanding. I just–”
“You don’t need to tell me. I don’t want to hear your story. I don’t want to feel sorry for you. I don’t want to understand you.”
I pause.
“You realize, a man dying isn’t tragic. Only a man with a story dying is tragic. Put yourself in my shoes. What you did to me in public – I can’t have that. I can’t have you walking around. Not because I hate you. I don’t care about you. To me, your life has no meaning. You have no story. But I’ll give you one. I’m going to give your life meaning. In death, your life will be a parable about what happens when I’m disrespected, what happens when my authority is challenged.”
“What an honor.”
Curtis chuckles again.
“You don’t mind if I try to rewrite that story in my favor, do you?”
“No. I expect you to. Everyone does. Everyone thinks they’ll prevail, that somehow they’ll be clever enough to slip by. That is, until they get clipped. So go ahead and try. Good luck.” He hangs up the phone.
Back at Terrell’s home, before I go to bed, I ask another favor. “Can you tell me the apartment where Cassie lives?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Do you realize the type of fucked-up position you’re putting me in?” Terrell asks me. “You and me go back and I want to help you. But you’re fucking with my livelihood here. Curtis is the reason I’m running a business right now. He’s the reason I’ve made money and have this house. If he finds out I’m helping you, shit is over for me. You’re my brother and I don’t want to see something bad happen to you, which is why I’m telling you to leave.”
“I’m being careful. I won’t let them trace anything back to you.”
“I always told you about risk versus reward. You’re taking a huge fucking risk here. And you’re risking not just yourself, but me too. And what’s the reward? What’s going to be accomplished?”
“Do you really need Curtis? I know he put the money down to get your club started. But how about now? Isn’t the club a success now regardless of him?”
“The club is totally self-sufficient. We’re pulling in big enough profits that, yeah, we don’t need any outside money. Shit has been set in motion and Curtis just kicks back and collects his money now. Curtis and I have our disagreements, but I work through it.”
“What do you disagree on?”
“I’d like the club to be totally free of any extracurricular activities. It was like that in the very beginning as I was building the place. As time went on, we had some success and built a customer base. Curtis started allowing some dealing to go on. I urged him to keep it in check but it’s only grown over time. I was really adamant against any form of prostitution too but I know Curtis allows some of the girls to do it. I just don’t want to get shut down for some side money I’m never going to see anyway.”
“But Curtis sees that money. So you just have to accept it.”
“It’s the position I put myself in. I was so excited to run my own club that I never thought much about the repercussions. Curtis realized I knew how to run a club and he wanted a cool place for him and his people to hang out. And more importantly, he wanted a venue where these extra ventures could take place.”
“What happens if the club gets busted?”
“Curtis told me to keep my mouth shut and he’ll take care of me.”
“He’ll take care of you for how long? There’s no way you’ll ever get a license to own a club again. You’ll have to find a new line of work.”
“I’ll be honest. It’s a source of stress for me. The city has been trying to ban liquor sales in all clubs within the city, and we’ve been under a lot of scrutiny.”
“It’s your club. Legally, you own it. If Curtis didn’t have his hand in things, you’d be fine.”
“It’s not like I can just break shit off with him. You remember who he is, right?” Terrell smiles. “Besides, Curtis gave me the opportunity to be successful. He is responsible for giving me a chance I would never have gotten otherwise.”
“He’s also going to be responsible someday for the club shutting down, you facing legal action, and you having to start a brand new career without a college degree in your thirties.”
Terrell closes his eyes and rubs his brow.
“Tell me where Cassie lives. Have some trust in me.”
He sighs and says, “He’s got her in an apartment out in the suburbs near Cordova away from himself and all of us. That way he can have her when he wants, but it’s not like he’s got to see her every day, so the relationship is on his terms. As you probably figured, he’s got more than one girl in his circulation. The complex she’s in is fairly nice from what I know. Still mostly white out there in the suburbs. You’ll blend right in.”
It’s early Sunday morning and I borrow Terrell’s car and drive northeast. The entrance of the complex has a large water fountain. Among the off-white buildings are a tennis court and a sandy volleyball court and an Olympic-size swimming pool. I find Cassie’s building and knock on her front door.
Cassie opens the door and, upon seeing me, tries to slam it back shut. I catch it and shove forward, forcing the door wide open and sprawling Cassie onto the carpet floor. I close and lock the door and stand over her.
“I have a gun,” she shouts at me, panicked. “I have a gun and it’s loaded.”
“You think you’re fast enough to get it without
me stopping you?”
She looks up at me from the floor.
I extend my hand out to her. “Let’s just sit down and talk a second, okay?”
Cassie looks at me suspiciously and takes my hand and I lift her up. We sit together on the couch.
“Where’d you get the gun?”
She stares at me and doesn’t say anything.
“Curtis, right?”
Silence.
“Did he actually give it to you? In person? He handed it to you?”
“No, he had someone come here to bring it to me. He can’t handle guns or drugs or anything like that. Police are looking for any reason to arrest him. He has to be careful.”
“That makes sense. You realize I should be dead right now because of you.”
She only stares at the floor.
“Does that matter to you?” I attempt to make eye contact but she won’t return my gaze. “What’s your deal? How can you hate me so much now?”
“Ha,” Cassie says. “Where do I start?”
“I’m serious. I have no bad feelings. I was excited to see you, honestly.”
“Are you oblivious or just that self-centered?” she asks me. “You fell off the face of the earth and didn’t speak to me for years. Now you expect me to be happy when you decide to show up?”
“I—”
“How about your sister? Do you know how much she cared about you? She was my best friend. Where were you after she died? Did you even fucking care?” She shakes her head. “You left your mother to be at the funeral by herself. What kind of a son does that?”
“I had to go. I wish I could’ve been there for you and my mom.”
“Then why weren’t you?”
“It’s a long story.”
“And you told me you loved me. You said we were meant to be together, you fucking liar. And then you leave without a word. You can’t make a phone call, send a text, a note, a letter? Terrell wouldn’t even give me a clue as to what happened. I didn’t know if you were in trouble, hurt, dead, or what. Do you know how scared I was for you? I loved you. You didn’t love me. You probably didn’t think once about what I was feeling.”
“That’s not true. I thought about you a lot.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. That’s how you were able to be away from me for years with no contact. So go ahead and tell me how much you love me. I’m older now. I’m not that naïve anymore, so don’t expect me to believe your bullshit. But go ahead and try. Let’s hear it.”
I stare at her, then break a smile. “You know, you may be older but you’re not that much different. You’re still as feisty as I remember. That’s something I always liked.”
“I’m so over you, you don’t even know. I could care less.”
“You seem awful emotional about it for someone who doesn’t care.”
“Whatever. I have another man now – a better one. You think I sit around thinking about you?”
“Curtis? I’m sure he’s a great boyfriend.”
“He takes care of me. That’s more than you ever did.”
“Takes care of you? You mean he has the money to keep you in this apartment so he can come over and fuck you whenever he feels like it? Please. You’re one of many stashed around the city.”
“That’s not true. Why do you say that?”
I shrug.
“You have no clue what you’re talking about. He spends time with me. He takes me out.”
“To where? The strip club?”
“He can’t go a lot of places. He has to be careful.”
I laugh.
Cassie glares at me and adds, “He’s taken me on vacation to Mexico before too.”
“Vacation? For him it was probably a business trip. Is he paying for your college?”
“I’m not going anymore.”
“Why not?”
“I went for two years and dropped out. Curtis pays for everything I need. There’s no point in college.”
“Great. So now you’re totally dependent on him. What do your parents think about that?”
“We aren’t really talking right now.”
“What a surprise.” I smile. “If he cares about you, why isn’t anyone here protecting you?”
“He gave me the gun.”
“And look how well that worked. Curtis isn’t a very vulnerable person. And that’s by design, not chance. All the stuff he deals in – weapons, drugs, whatever – he never physically touches. Every time I’ve seen him out in public, he’s never alone. He always has people around to protect him, just in case. Curtis doesn’t leave much to chance. One of the few ways he could be vulnerable is you. If you were that important to him, that is. Don’t you think he could’ve spared one man to keep lookout here so I didn’t show up at your doorstep, which I just did, and kill you, which lucky for you I’m not going to do?”
“I know Curtis cares about me.”
“So did your safety just slip his mind then? I have a feeling if I called him right now and threatened to hurt you, he’d hang up the phone laughing.”
“You’re so full of shit. You’re just jealous of him.”
“Jealous of what?”
“Because he’s more successful than you. What do you have compared to him? He owns mansions here and in Mexico. A bunch of people work for him. Tons of people respect him and everyone fears him. He’s a multi-millionaire with more money than he knows what to do with. You’re small-time.”
“I survive. I even have some fun doing it.”
“Yeah, that’s all you do. You’re not half the man he is.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah,” she says defiantly.
“I remember you moaning my name with your family in the next room, but I never remember you complaining.”
“Shut up.”
I grin at her. “How about those school day afternoons? Begging me to take off your cute little uniform so we could have sex in your parents’ bed?”
“Stop smiling,” she snaps at me. “I fucking hate you. You make me sick. Just shut up.”
“I’m sorry I left town without telling you. Really, I am. It was mean – leaving you to lay there in bed every night, lonely, waiting for me to show back up. Leaving you to eventually settle on some guy who may have a lot of money, but who you know doesn’t fuck you as good as I did.”
“Shut up!” Cassie screams at me as she stands up off the couch. “Shut the fuck up!”
I stand and she shoves me in the chest, then tries to slap me. I duck but she still grazes the side of my head. I grab her wrists.
She pulls and pushes frantically, trying to free herself. “Let go, you fatherless bastard!” Her right hand, sporting a ruby ring, slips from me and she strikes me in the mouth hard – much harder than I thought she’d be capable.
I touch my lips. On my fingertips is a trace of blood.
She stares at me in anticipation, scared of my reaction.
Still holding her left wrist, I twist her arm and force her face-first onto the seat of the couch. I hold her arm behind her back, pushing it upward toward the breaking point, pressing into her, keeping her on her belly.
“Please don’t hurt me,” she whines loudly. “Please don’t.”
A slideshow of violent acts runs through my mind. I consider my options and tighten my clutch.
“Please don’t,” Cassie continues to plead, whimpering, almost hyperventilating. “Please.”
I ease my grip and let her go.
Kneeling, with her face buried in the couch cushion, she catches her breath and weeps lightly.
I kneel on the floor beside her.
She lifts her head up, tears streaming down her face.
I hold her as she calms down. I lift her chin and kiss her quickly, softly on the lips. “You don’t hate me,” I tell her. “Even if you want to, I know you can’t. You’re the same girl I met at the mall years ago when we had a crush on each other.”
She looks at me more docilely now.
“Even if we’r
e not meant to be together, there’s still something special between us.” I hold her hips and pull her close so our bellies touch. I kiss her again more slowly and deeply.
She kisses back – hesitantly at first but then more eagerly. “After you left, you don’t know how many times I thought about us being together this,” she whispers.
I look at her, our foreheads touching.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“For what?” I ask.
“For hitting you just now … And all the mean things I said.”
“I might’ve deserved it.”
The expression in Cassie’s eyes changes, the bad feelings seemingly evaporated. She looks at me again like she had in the past. Her hand rubs the side of my face and then touches my hair. She rubs along my neck and down my shoulder and pulls me closer to kiss her. Soon we move up onto the couch. I sit and she straddles my lap and we stay contently like that – only kissing, still clothed – for quite a while. Cassie takes her time and gives long, lingering kisses, with her eyes open gazing into mine.
She stands off me and I undress. She strips off her T-shirt and skirt. Again she straddles me and we kiss more as she grinds into me. “The only person I’ve ever really wanted to be with was you,” Cassie tells me.
Later she lies on the couch, still naked, and smiles at me.
I pick my clothes off the floor. “I need your help.”
“With Curtis?” she asks. “I could talk to him.”
I put on my blue jeans. “Talking won’t help me at this point.”
“Then what? Are you going to hurt him?”
I put on my shirt.
“I want to help you,” she says. “But I don’t want to betray him. Especially if you’re going to hurt him. I mean, I just can’t do that. He’s done a lot for me.”
“You don’t owe him anything,” I tell her. “At best you’re his trophy.”
“You’re not going to try to kill him, are you?”
“Curtis doesn’t play nice. There are people searching for me right now, as we speak, to slice me up because of the money he’ll pay them. If you want to worry about someone getting hurt, worry about me.”
Cassie bites her thumb nervously.
“Just help me,” I tell her. “You owe me that.”