Tell My Dad (15 page)

M
arco sped
through stop signs on the small streets without stopping. He stopped for a second before merging with the traffic on the main road.

“Whoa, damn, can you slow down?” Hector shouted from the backseat.

Marco did not say a word. He stared straight at the road, the signals, the pedestrians, and the Safeway on the left. If he had focused on the rearview mirror, he would have noticed the Honda Odyssey that was following him and the monk who was squinting at his vehicle’s tinted rear window.

Marco quickly scanned Ralston Avenue for any police cars. Nothing. The Belmont police station was only a few blocks away. It was a thrilling experience to kidnap from an area close to the police station. He crossed Ralston Avenue and drove uphill until he crossed Rolling Hills. A few minutes later, he turned left onto Fernwood Lane, drove for a few more minutes, and reached the house at the far end of Sylvester Lane.

He clicked the garage opener attached to the passenger-side sun visor before pulling the car into the garage.

“Man! What a ride!” Marco turned to the backseat and saw Hector staring at him.

“What?”

Hector put his head down. “Nothing.”

“Okay, tell me. What’s wrong?”

“It’s her eyes. Those eyes really bothered me. She begged without saying a word. I can’t look at her eyes.”

“That’s why you taped her eyes?”

Hector nodded. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Listen,
we
can do this. We always did this. We will always do this. There is nothing more fun than this. Remember, Bob is going to pay ten grand for this girl. We get to enjoy the girl and
also
get ten grand. Just like that! Come on; it’s party time!”

Marco jumped out of the Ford Escape and came around to open the back door.

“We got a good catch, didn’t we?” He looked at Sara, who sat still in the backseat.

Hector half-smiled.

Marco thought about asking for more money from Bob. “Okay, let’s take her in. Grab her neck.” He pulled Sara out of the seat and grabbed her legs. Hector held her neck and shoulders, slowly got out of the vehicle, and followed Marco.

Sara threw a kick vigorously, which landed on Marco’s chin.

“Shit, what is wrong with you?” Marco put her legs down, pulled a cigarette from his pants pocket, and lit it up. He inhaled for a second and then placed it on Sara’s left leg. Her scream came through the duct tape.

“See…don’t mess with me! Okay?” Marco carried her and signaled Hector to follow. He climbed the small steps in the corner of the garage and opened the door leading to the living room. He smelled menthol as he opened the door. Then, he slowly walked forward before coming to a full stop.

Two giant-sized creatures, one with a clean-shaven head and another with a receding hairline, curly mustache, and long beard sat on the couch in the living room. They looked like sumo wrestlers and fixed their gaze on Marco. The MAC-10 submachine guns in their hands were pointing straight at Marco’s head.

Marco forced a smile onto his face. “Whoa…slow down, buddies. What are you doing here?” His blood pressure spiked because he knew the answer to his question.

The one with the clean-shaven head stood up and slowly walked toward Marco. He stomped on the hardwood floor with his big frame. Marco smelled margarita and pizza as the big guy came closer. He let go of Sara.

“Victor, I can explain.” Marco rushed to speak before the big guy hit him, but he was late by a second.

Victor Anga punched Marco’s nose hard. “Okay.
Now
, you can explain!” He smiled at Marco’s bleeding nose. He turned to his left and saw Hector holding the blindfolded girl by her shoulders.

“Who is that?” Victor probed.

Hector didn’t want to answer and looked at Marco, who was wiping his bleeding, jalapeno-shaped nose.

Marco raised his hand. “Can you just chill? Let me explain please.”

Victor Anga nodded and carried his two hundred and sixty pounds back to the couch. He sat down next to Scott Kaleo, the guy with the curly mustache. Victor silently nodded to Scott.

Their grandparents had immigrated from the southern region of Tonga in the 1920s. They had been best friends since they were kicked out of high school for selling drugs in the classroom. They had become a little smarter since then, but their aggressiveness did not change a bit.

Marco signaled for Hector to drag Sara behind the couch and forced confidence into his face before sitting on the couch across from the sumo wrestlers.

“I apologize for the late payment. I did not mean to cheat you. How can I cheat you when you guys have MAC-10s and magnificent bodies?” Marco tried to smile but stopped after seeing the grim expressions on their faces.

“Okay. This is what happened. Somebody broke into our warehouse and stole the consignment we got from you last week.” Marco noticed disbelief in Victor’s face and continued, “Seriously. You have to trust me on this. You see the girl here.” He pointed at the back of the couch. “She is going to get me ten grand. I will get the money tonight. I will pay your debt
tonight
. Just a few more hours.”

Scott sniffed. “You’re pimping now?”

Marco shrugged. “You can say that. For me, it’s business. I do work, get the merchandise, and sell to interested buyers. You do the same thing. For you, it’s drugs. For me, it’s girls.”

Victor rolled his fist and stomped on the couch. “You have some nerve!” He raised his big eyebrows, showing scary reddish pupils. “I don’t believe you. We are going to stay here until you give us the money.”

“Not a problem.” Marco turned to his brother, who looked terrified. “Take the girl upstairs and lock her up.”

Hector shook his head. “I can’t carry her up the stairs. I need your help.”

Victor’s voice stopped Marco as he got up. “
You
stay here. Scott will carry her with one hand!”

Scott pushed his right palm onto the couch and quickly rose. He walked around the couch, grabbed the girl using his right hand, placed her over his left shoulder, and started climbing the stairs.

Marco fixed his gaze on the monster sitting in front of him. He had to calm him down. “You know what? I made a mistake. But I want to make this up to you. Let’s go upstairs and have a good time. You know what I’m talking about!” He winked.

Victor pointed his big index finger at Marco and laughed. “You are a real bastard!”

* * *

M
arco waited
until Victor reached the second level without breaking the wooden stairs. Then, he climbed two steps at a time, turned right to enter the master bedroom, and saw Scott standing next to the window. Sara was still on his left shoulder, struggling to get out of his clutches.

“Oh man…Why are you standing close to the window? No one should see the girl. Just put her down on the bed!” Marco shouted.

Scott grimaced and placed the girl on the bed. He looked around the bedroom. The queen-sized bed was in the middle of the room, surrounded by plenty of wall paintings. The leather love seat was on the far right. Sunlight made the room look brighter than usual. He turned back and looked through the window. The backyard was full of junk with one rosebush in the corner. He looked over his shoulder and signaled Victor, who leaned on the wall closer to the door with the MAC-10 in his hand.

“Look at this. What a contradiction! These guys are trying to set up a garden in the middle of all the junk!” Scott laughed.

As both Victor and Scott enjoyed the view of the backyard, Marco gently removed the duct tape covering Sara’s eyes.

Sara squinted. It took a few seconds for her to get accustomed to the bright sunlight in the room. She watched the man coming up from under the bed with double-braided nylon rope in his hand.

“Please let me go…”

Marco ignored her and tied Sara’s hands to the bed’s headboard.

Sara immediately rolled to her right and smashed her head into his nose in a bid to escape. Her head missed the target; instead, it hit his cheekbone.

Furious, Marco slapped her. “Listen, you can’t get out of here now. We are going to play with you. You can go home after playtime. Do you understand?” He grabbed her hair and shook her head.

Sara nodded. Tears flowed.

“Okay, good girl!”

Marco removed the duct tape from her mouth and made an attempt to kiss her.

She spit in his face.

He jumped onto his knees. “You spit? I will teach you a lesson, bitch.” He grabbed her head and banged it on the head frame. She felt the pain for a few seconds before losing consciousness.

Scott turned around after hearing the thudding sound on his right and watched the girl’s head going down sideways. She stayed still. “Is she dead?” He grabbed her right hand and checked for a pulse.

“She’s just unconscious. It’s good in one way.” A cruel smile formed on Marco’s face. He jumped off the bed, closed the window curtains, and turned to Hector. “Go downstairs and get drinks for our friends.”

Hector silently nodded and closed the door behind him as he walked out.

Hector shook his head as he climbed down the stairs. He had never liked Victor and Scott. He never liked dealing with drugs. But his brother was addicted to drugs and money. There was no stopping him.

His thought process came to a halt when he saw a tall man in a red monastic robe leaning on the wall, hands crossed over his chest, staring at him near the front door.

“What the hell? How did you get in? Who are you?” Hector stammered.

* * *

H
arrison quickly scanned the house
. The large living room was littered with game consoles, whiskey bottles, rotten potato chips, and cigarette pockets. A dark stain-covered couch was placed closer to the fireplace. An expensive chandelier hung just above the coffee table. The glass sliding door next to the kitchen had shown part of the large backyard. The hardwood floor looked ugly with multiple black stains. The man frozen on the stairs was trembling and caused the aged wooden steps to shake.

“Where is the girl?” Harrison asked as he moved forward, closer to Hector, who watched in dismay.

Hector’s face withered. “Huh?” The next second, he turned around and ran upstairs.

Harrison leaped forward and chased Hector, who quickly ran into the master bedroom.

Inside the bedroom, Victor and Scott turned their heads after hearing the violent banging of the door opening. Marco turned his attention away from Sara and grimaced at Hector, who was panting near the door.

“What is wrong with you, man? Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” Marco asked as he watched Hector stammering to say something before running to the center of the bedroom. Then he spotted the tall man entering the room.

* * *

H
arrison stepped inside the room
, assessed the situation, and surveyed the faces of the four men. He made a mental note of the MAC-10 and quickly measured the distance between him and the gun. Then, he looked at the girl, with the torn green top, lying on the bed and the man who was about to undress her.

Years of training in the monastery had made Harrison a calm and composed person. However, his mind was enraged by what he had just witnessed.